About the Target Heart Rate Calculator
Target Heart Rate Calculator estimates your maximum heart rate from your age and divides it into five training zones, from very light to maximum effort, each with a range in beats per minute and the equivalent count for 10 seconds. You can choose the Tanaka formula (208 − 0.7 × age), which fits adults better, the classic 220 − age, or Gulati's formula for women, or type a maximum you measured yourself. If you also enter your resting heart rate, the zones use the Karvonen method, which starts from your resting pulse and so follows your fitness more closely. The tool also shows a general exercise range of 50 to 85 percent. These are estimates for healthy adults, not medical advice, and individual maximum heart rates can differ from a formula by 10 or more beats.
Updated September 2026
How to use the Target Heart Rate Calculator
- 1Enter your age.
- 2Optionally enter your resting heart rate, measured in the morning before you get up.
- 3Choose a formula for the maximum, or type your own maximum.
- 4Read your maximum and the five zones with their ranges in beats per minute.
- 5Take your pulse during exercise and compare it with the zone you are aiming for.
The five zones
- Very light (50 to 60 percent): warm-up, cool-down and recovery days.
- Light (60 to 70 percent): easy conversation pace, builds a base and burns a higher share of fat.
- Moderate (70 to 80 percent): steady aerobic training for the heart and lungs.
- Hard (80 to 90 percent): tempo work and intervals, where speech is difficult.
- Maximum (90 to 100 percent): short bursts only, and not for beginners.
Percent of maximum or Karvonen
The simplest approach takes a percentage of the maximum heart rate. It is quick, but it ignores how fit you are. The Karvonen method uses the heart rate reserve, the gap between resting and maximum heart rates, so zones for a fit person with a resting pulse of 50 differ from those of someone with a resting pulse of 80, even at the same age. If you know your resting rate, the Karvonen zones are the better guide.
For a 40-year-old with a resting rate of 60 and a Tanaka maximum of 180, 70 percent gives 60 + 0.7 × 120 = 144 beats per minute, while the simple method gives 126.
Using the zones in practice
Wear a heart rate monitor, or count your pulse for 10 seconds and multiply by 6, which is the number shown beside each zone. Most people do the bulk of their training in the light and moderate zones and add a little hard work once or twice a week. If you cannot speak in short sentences, you are probably above the moderate zone.
Heat, tiredness, caffeine, altitude, illness and stress all raise the heart rate at the same effort, so use the zones together with how you feel.
Limits and related tools
Age-based formulas are averages of studies, and your true maximum can be quite different. If you want the real figure, a supervised test or the highest rate recorded in a hard effort is more accurate. Take medical advice if you have any health concerns.
For other health and training figures, use BMI Calculator, Calorie Calculator, Macro Calculator and One Rep Max Calculator. Sleep Calculator helps plan recovery.
Features
- Maximum heart rate from age with three formulas
- Or use your own measured maximum
- Five training zones
- Karvonen method with your resting heart rate
- Beats in 10 seconds for manual pulse checks
- General exercise range
- Runs in your browser
Frequently asked questions
What is my maximum heart rate?
The most common estimate is 220 minus your age, which gives 190 for a 30-year-old. The Tanaka formula, 208 minus 0.7 times your age, gives 187 for the same person and is thought to be more accurate for adults. Real maximums vary from person to person by 10 beats or more, so treat the number as a guide.
What is a target heart rate?
It is the range of heart rates that is right for the purpose of your exercise. For general health many guidelines suggest 50 to 70 percent of the maximum for moderate activity and 70 to 85 percent for vigorous activity. The tool shows five zones so that you can choose the one that matches your aim.
What is the Karvonen method?
It calculates the target rate as resting rate + percent × (maximum − resting rate), which is the heart rate reserve method. It gives different zones for two people of the same age with different fitness, since a fitter person usually has a lower resting rate. Enter your resting heart rate to use it.
How do I measure my resting heart rate?
Take your pulse at your wrist or neck for 60 seconds, first thing in the morning before you get out of bed, on a few days, and use the average. A smartwatch can also do this. Most adults are between 50 and 90 beats per minute, and fit people are often lower.
Is the fat burning zone the best for losing weight?
Lower-intensity exercise uses a higher share of fat for fuel, but higher intensities burn more calories in total per minute. What matters most for weight change is the total energy you use and eat over time. Choose an intensity you can keep up regularly.
Should I see a doctor?
If you have heart or lung problems, high blood pressure, are pregnant, take beta blockers or other medicines that change your pulse, or feel chest pain or dizziness during exercise, ask a doctor for advice on your target rate. This tool is not medical advice.