Target Heart Rate Calculator

Find your training heart-rate zones with the Karvonen method, which personalises the ranges using your resting heart rate as well as your age.

Maximum heart rate

190 bpm

Fat burn (60–70%)—

Cardio (70–80%)—

Peak (80–90%)—

Heart-rate training zones

Each bar shows the lower bound of a zone in bpm, from your resting rate to maximum.

How it works

Maximum heart rate is estimated as 220 minus your age. The Karvonen method then uses your heart rate reserve, the gap between your maximum and resting rates, to place training zones, which makes the zones fitter-specific than a plain percentage of maximum.

HRmax = 220 − age
Reserve = HRmax − resting HR
Target = (reserve × intensity%) + resting HR

Zones

Zone	Intensity	Use
Warm-up	50–60%	Recovery, easy
Fat burn	60–70%	Base endurance
Cardio	70–80%	Aerobic fitness
Peak	80–90%	Performance

Frequently asked questions

Why use resting heart rate at all?

The Karvonen method scales zones to your fitness. A fitter person with a lower resting pulse gets a wider reserve, so their zones differ from someone the same age who is less fit.

Is 220 minus age exact?

No, it is an average with a spread of about ±10–12 bpm. If you know your true max from a test, use that instead for more accurate zones.