Target heart rate calculator Calculate your target heart rate zone with the Karvonen heart rate reserve method, compare it with simple age-based target heart rate ranges, and optionally replace the Tanaka max-heart-rate estimate with a measured max HR from a reliable field or lab test.
Best input order
Use a calm morning resting heart rate. Add a measured max heart rate only if it came from a true maximal effort, supervised test, or repeatable training data.
Examples
Workout goal
Result
132.8-144.6 bpm
Fat burn / Zone 2 target heart rate using 60-70% HRR and the Karvonen formula.
Sustainable aerobic base work with steady breathing and full-sentence conversation.
Working max HR
180 bpm
Heart rate reserve
118 bpm
Zone 2 / fat burn
132.8–144.6 bpm
Max HR source
Tanaka estimate
How this was calculated
Max heart rate source: 208 - 0.7 x age. Heart rate reserve equals max HR minus resting HR, then each target heart rate range is calculated as resting HR + (reserve x intensity).
Simple comparison ranges below use the same max HR but do not adjust for resting pulse, which is why they can differ from the Karvonen result.
Training zones
Five standard heart rate zones based on your heart rate reserve (Karvonen method), with Zone 2 and threshold ranges separated for practical workout planning.
Zone
Name
% HRR
BPM
Use
1
Recovery
50–60%
121–133
Light activity, warm-up and cool-down
2
Fat burn
60–70%
133–145
Aerobic base, endurance, and fat oxidation
3
Aerobic
70–80%
145–156
Cardiovascular fitness and stamina
4
Threshold
80–90%
156–168
Lactate threshold, race pace training
5
Max effort
90–100%
168–180
Peak power, sprints, and VO2 max intervals
Goal comparison
Compare the selected Karvonen target with simpler target heart rate chart ranges that ignore resting heart rate.
Reference
Intensity
Range
How to use it
Karvonen selected goal
60-70% HRR
132.8-144.6 bpm
Personalised with resting heart rate.
Simple moderate target
50-70% max HR
90-126 bpm
Closer to age-chart guidance and does not adjust for resting pulse.
Simple vigorous target
70-85% max HR
126-153 bpm
Useful for comparing harder exercise against public-health ranges.
About target heart rate zones
Zones are calculated using the Karvonen method (heart rate reserve) with maximum heart rate estimated from the Tanaka formula unless you entered a measured maximum heart rate. These are general target heart rate guidelines, not a cardiac stress test. Stop exercise and seek medical guidance for chest pain, faintness, unusual shortness of breath, or a heart rhythm concern.
This target heart rate calculator estimates practical training zones from age, resting heart rate, an optional measured maximum heart rate, and the Karvonen heart rate reserve formula.
What target heart rate is measuring
Target heart rate translates exercise intensity into a pulse range you can follow while walking, cycling, running, rowing, or using cardio machines. As exercise becomes harder, heart rate usually rises, and common intensity bands are used for goals such as steady aerobic work, vigorous conditioning, fat-burn or Zone 2 training, threshold intervals, and recovery.
This calculator uses resting heart rate because two people of the same age can have very different cardiovascular baselines. A lower resting heart rate often means a larger heart rate reserve, so the same age can produce different target heart rate zones once the Karvonen formula is applied.
That is the main difference between this page and an age-only target heart rate chart. Age charts are quick, but they ignore resting pulse. A target heart rate calculator with resting heart rate can be more useful when you want a personalised training range instead of a broad public-health reference.
How this calculator works
The live calculator first estimates maximum heart rate with the Tanaka equation unless you enter a measured maximum heart rate. It then calculates heart rate reserve, which is maximum heart rate minus resting heart rate. Each selected goal range is calculated by applying an intensity percentage to that reserve and adding resting heart rate back.
The result highlights one workout goal, shows the full five-zone Karvonen table, and compares the personalised target with simple percentage-of-max ranges. That comparison is useful because many competitors and public charts use 50-70% of maximum heart rate for moderate exercise and 70-85% for vigorous exercise, while Karvonen uses the same percentages against heart rate reserve.
If you have a reliable measured max heart rate from a supervised test, race, or true maximal field effort, it can replace the age estimate. If you do not have one, leave the measured max HR field blank and use the Tanaka estimate as a starting point.
Estimated max heart rate = 208 - 0.7 x age
The Tanaka equation is used for the age-based maximum heart rate estimate.
This is the Karvonen formula used for moderate, Zone 2, vigorous, threshold, and max-effort zones.
Moderate, vigorous, Zone 2, and threshold ranges
Search results for target heart rate calculator, training heart rate calculator, and exercise heart rate calculator usually contain the same major intent: people want a quick bpm range, but they also need to know what that range means. The calculator therefore separates moderate cardio, Zone 2 or fat-burn training, vigorous cardio, and threshold-style work.
Moderate intensity is usually a range where breathing rises but conversation is still possible. Vigorous exercise feels harder and usually reduces conversation to short phrases. Zone 2 overlaps with steady aerobic base work for many users, while threshold ranges are reserved for harder efforts that should not dominate every session.
A useful result is not just a number. It should tell you whether the range fits a walk, easy run, cycling session, cardio machine workout, or interval day, and it should remind you that perceived effort matters when a watch or formula does not match how the workout feels.
Moderate cardio: a practical health-focused range often used for walking, cycling, and steady machines.
Fat burn / Zone 2: a sustainable aerobic range where full-sentence conversation should usually remain possible.
Vigorous cardio: harder training where breathing is more forceful and talking is limited.
Threshold intervals: demanding work for short repeats, tempo efforts, and performance-focused sessions.
Max effort: near-peak bursts that are not meant for long continuous exercise.
Karvonen vs simple percentage of max heart rate
The simple percentage method multiplies maximum heart rate by a chosen intensity range. It is fast and easy, which is why it appears in many target heart rate charts. The weakness is that it treats two people with the same age as if they have the same starting point.
The Karvonen method uses heart rate reserve, so resting heart rate changes the answer. A 40-year-old with a resting heart rate of 55 bpm and a 40-year-old with a resting heart rate of 80 bpm should not necessarily train at identical bpm targets. The heart rate reserve calculator approach makes that difference visible.
Neither method is perfect. Age-based maximum heart rate formulas can be wrong for an individual by enough to move a whole training zone. That is why this calculator lets you add a measured max HR and why the result still explains limitations, talk-test cues, and warning states.
When to use a measured max heart rate
A measured max heart rate can improve target heart rate zones when it comes from a reliable maximal test. Examples include a supervised exercise test, a carefully executed field test, or repeated race and training data that clearly show a higher or lower maximum than the age estimate.
Do not guess a measured max HR from a single ordinary workout. Most workouts do not reach true maximum effort, and entering a guessed number can make the calculator look more precise while making the zones less useful.
If your measured max HR is far from the Tanaka estimate, the calculator warns you because the difference materially changes the result. That warning is not telling you the value is wrong; it is telling you to verify that the value is genuinely measured before using it for training decisions.
How to measure resting heart rate
Resting heart rate should ideally be measured before getting out of bed, before caffeine, and before the day has added stress, heat, food, or movement. If possible, take several morning readings and use a typical value rather than one unusually high or low day.
Resting heart rate can rise with illness, poor sleep, dehydration, stress, caffeine, heat, and heavy recent training. If your resting pulse is unusually high for you, the target heart rate zones may be less representative of a normal training day.
The calculator flags very low or high resting heart rates because those values deserve context. A low resting rate can be normal for some trained athletes, while a high resting rate may reflect stress, illness, medication, or a health issue that should not be reduced to a workout-zone calculation.
How to use the result during exercise
Start by choosing the goal that matches the session, not the most impressive number. If the goal is general health, moderate cardio is usually enough. If the goal is aerobic base, Zone 2 should feel controlled. If the goal is performance, threshold and high zones belong in planned hard sessions rather than every workout.
Use the calculator result with perceived effort. If the target says moderate but the effort feels unusually hard, slow down and reassess. If the heart rate monitor is unstable, use the talk test, breathing, pace, and how repeatable the session feels.
A good target heart rate zone helps you make a better decision: whether to ease off, hold steady, increase intensity, or choose a different session. It should not encourage you to ignore chest pain, dizziness, faintness, unusual shortness of breath, or symptoms that need medical attention.
Suppose a 40-year-old has a resting heart rate of 62 bpm and no measured max HR. The Tanaka estimate is 180 bpm. Heart rate reserve is therefore 180 - 62 = 118 bpm.
For a Zone 2 or fat-burn target using 60-70% HRR, the lower end is 62 + (118 x 0.60) = 133 bpm. The upper end is 62 + (118 x 0.70) = 145 bpm. The same person's simple 60-70% max-HR range would be 108-126 bpm, which shows why Karvonen can differ from an age-only chart.
The correct takeaway is not that one chart is always right and the other is always wrong. The useful takeaway is that formula choice, resting heart rate, and measured max heart rate all change the planning range, so the result should be checked against breathing, symptoms, and real training response.
Frequently asked questions
How do I calculate my target heart rate?
Estimate maximum heart rate, subtract resting heart rate to get heart rate reserve, then apply the desired intensity percentage and add resting heart rate back. This calculator uses the Karvonen formula: target heart rate = resting heart rate + (heart rate reserve x intensity).
What is the best target heart rate calculator method?
For a quick chart, percentage of maximum heart rate is simple. For a more personalised result, Karvonen is usually more useful because it includes resting heart rate. A measured max heart rate can improve either approach when the value is reliable.
What is a good target heart rate for exercise?
A general moderate target often sits around 50-70% intensity, while vigorous exercise often sits around 70-85%. In this calculator those ranges are applied through heart rate reserve, so your resting heart rate changes the bpm result.
Is target heart rate the same as heart rate zones?
They overlap. A target heart rate is the bpm range you aim for during a session. Heart rate zones divide exercise intensity into several bands, such as recovery, Zone 2, aerobic, threshold, and max effort.
Why does Karvonen give a different number from a target heart rate chart?
A simple chart usually multiplies maximum heart rate by a percentage. Karvonen multiplies heart rate reserve by the percentage and then adds resting heart rate. Because resting pulse is included, Karvonen can give a different and often more personalised range.
Should I enter a measured max heart rate?
Enter a measured max heart rate only if it came from a reliable maximal effort, supervised exercise test, or consistent field data. Do not enter a guess from an ordinary workout, because that can make every training zone misleading.
What if my resting heart rate is very high or very low?
Check the context first. A very low resting heart rate can be normal for some trained athletes, but a new or unexplained low value deserves caution. A resting heart rate around 100 bpm or higher can reflect illness, stress, caffeine, dehydration, medication, or a health issue.
Can beta blockers or blood pressure medicine change my target heart rate?
Yes. Medicines that affect heart rate can make formula-based target zones less reliable. If you take beta blockers or other heart-rate-altering medication, use clinician guidance and perceived effort rather than relying on this calculator alone.
What target heart rate should I use for fat burn or Zone 2?
This calculator uses 60-70% of heart rate reserve for the fat-burn or Zone 2 target. The range should usually feel sustainable and conversational. If it feels like a hard tempo effort, use the result as a starting estimate and back off.
Can I use this calculator for running, cycling, walking, or cardio machines?
Yes. Target heart rate zones can be used across many aerobic activities, but the pace, speed, resistance, and perceived effort will differ by activity. Use the bpm range together with the talk test and how repeatable the session feels.
When should I stop using the target heart rate number during a workout?
Stop or reduce intensity if you feel chest pain, faintness, unusual shortness of breath, an irregular heartbeat, or symptoms that feel unsafe. The calculator is a planning aid, not a substitute for medical evaluation.
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