Your heart rate is the simplest live indicator of how hard your body is working. Exercise guidance from health agencies is often given in terms of heart rate zones: stay in the moderate zone for long steady efforts, and move into the vigorous zone for shorter, harder ones. To use that guidance you need a ceiling, your maximum heart rate, and a sense of how the zones are defined. This calculator estimates the ceiling from your age with two published formulas and gives you the beats-per-minute ranges recommended by the American Heart Association and the American College of Sports Medicine.
All maximum heart rate formulas are population averages. Individuals vary by 10 beats or more either way, so use the numbers as a guide and pay attention to how the effort feels.
How to use the target heart rate calculator
- Enter your age.
- Choose a formula. 220 − age is the classic; Tanaka’s equation tends to be better for people over 40.
- Add your resting heart rate if you know it. Measure it on waking, before getting out of bed, over a full minute.
- Read the zones. The first block uses percentages of maximum heart rate (AHA); the second uses heart rate reserve (ACSM, Karvonen).
Target heart rate formulas
Maximum heart rate (Tanaka): 208 − 0.7 × age
Target (percent of max) = max × intensity %
Heart rate reserve (HRR) = max − resting
Karvonen target = resting + HRR × intensity %
The AHA describes moderate-intensity activity as 50 to 70 percent of maximum heart rate and vigorous as 70 to 85 percent. ACSM’s Guidelines for Exercise Testing and Prescription define moderate as 40 to 59 percent of heart rate reserve and vigorous as 60 to 89 percent. The Karvonen method comes from Karvonen, Kentala and Mustala (Ann Med Exp Biol Fenn 1957;35:307–315), the 220 − age rule from Fox, Naughton and Haskell (Ann Clin Res 1971;3:404–432) and the revised equation from Tanaka H, Monahan KD, Seals DR (J Am Coll Cardiol 2001;37:153–156).
Worked example
A 40-year-old with a resting heart rate of 60 bpm.
- Maximum heart rate = 220 − 40 = 180 bpm
- Moderate (50–70%) = 90 – 126 bpm; vigorous (70–85%) = 126 – 153 bpm
- Heart rate reserve = 180 − 60 = 120
- Karvonen moderate (40–59%) = 60 + 0.40 × 120 to 60 + 0.59 × 120 = 108 – 131 bpm
- Karvonen vigorous (60–89%) = 132 – 167 bpm
Zones by age
| Age | Max HR, 220 − age | Max HR, Tanaka | Moderate (50–70% of 220 − age) | Vigorous (70–85% of 220 − age) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 | 200 | 194 | 100 – 140 | 140 – 170 |
| 30 | 190 | 187 | 95 – 133 | 133 – 162 |
| 40 | 180 | 180 | 90 – 126 | 126 – 153 |
| 50 | 170 | 173 | 85 – 119 | 119 – 144 |
| 60 | 160 | 166 | 80 – 112 | 112 – 136 |
| 70 | 150 | 159 | 75 – 105 | 105 – 128 |
Choosing between the methods
- Percent of max is quick and needs only your age. It treats everyone of the same age alike.
- Karvonen accounts for fitness through the resting rate, so a well-trained person with a pulse of 48 gets higher targets than an unfit person at 80.
- Perceived exertion and the talk test are useful backups and the only options if your heart rate is affected by medicines.
How much exercise to aim for
Public health guidance for adults, including the 2018 Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans and the WHO 2020 guidelines, is at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity activity a week, or 75 minutes of vigorous activity, or an equivalent mix, plus muscle-strengthening on two days. See the Calories Burned Calculator to estimate energy use, and the Heart Rate Zone Calculator and Max Heart Rate Calculator for related views. A fitness test score from the VO2 Max Calculator shows how those minutes translate into capacity.
This page is for information only and is not medical advice. If you have a heart condition, take medicines that affect heart rate, or are new to exercise, check with a doctor before starting a training plan.
Sources
- American Heart Association. Target Heart Rates Chart.
- American College of Sports Medicine. ACSM’s Guidelines for Exercise Testing and Prescription, 11th edition, 2021.
- Tanaka H, Monahan KD, Seals DR. Age-predicted maximal heart rate revisited. J Am Coll Cardiol 2001;37:153–156.
- Fox SM, Naughton JP, Haskell WL. Physical activity and the prevention of coronary heart disease. Ann Clin Res 1971;3:404–432.
- Karvonen MJ, Kentala E, Mustala O. The effects of training on heart rate. Ann Med Exp Biol Fenn 1957;35:307–315.
Frequently asked questions
What is a target heart rate?
It is the range of heartbeats per minute that matches the exercise intensity you are aiming for. The American Heart Association describes moderate exercise as about 50 to 70 percent of maximum heart rate and vigorous exercise as about 70 to 85 percent.
How is maximum heart rate estimated?
The traditional rule is 220 minus your age, from Fox and colleagues (1971). Tanaka, Monahan and Seals (2001) analysed 351 studies and proposed 208 minus 0.7 times age, which fits older adults better. Either formula is an average with a standard deviation of roughly 10 beats, so your true max may differ.
What is the Karvonen method?
Karvonen takes your resting heart rate into account. Target = resting rate + intensity × (max − resting). Using heart rate reserve, ACSM defines moderate intensity as 40 to 59 percent and vigorous as 60 to 89 percent. It personalises the zones for people with unusually high or low resting pulses.
Do these zones apply if I take heart medication?
No. Beta blockers and some other medicines lower heart rate and make formulas unreliable. Ask your doctor for personal targets, and consider the talk test or perceived exertion instead.
Is there a simple way to check intensity without a monitor?
Yes. During moderate activity you can talk but not sing; during vigorous activity you can only say a few words at a time. Government guidance uses this “talk test” alongside heart rate.