Use the free Target Heart Rate Calculator below: your data never leaves your browser — all work happens on your device, and nothing is uploaded to any server.
What This Calculator Does
A target heart rate calculator turns your age into training zones. During exercise your heart rate rises with effort. Coaches divide that range into zones: warm-up, fat burn, cardio, and peak. Each zone feels different and trains something different. This tool estimates your maximum heart rate as 220 minus your age, then gives you the heart-rate range for each zone as a percentage of that maximum. If you also enter your resting heart rate, it shows Karvonen zones, which adjust for your fitness level.
Zones are a guide, not a strict rule. The 220-minus-age formula is an average. Your true maximum can differ by 10 to 20 beats per minute. Two people of the same age can have very different maximums. That is why the tool shows ranges rather than single numbers, and why you should combine heart rate with how you feel. If you can talk in full sentences, you are probably in a light zone. If you can only say a few words at a time, you are working hard.
How to Use It
Type your age and, if you know it, your resting heart rate. Measure resting heart rate first thing in the morning, before coffee, by counting your pulse for 60 seconds or by wearing a tracker overnight. Click Calculate. You will see your estimated maximum and four zones. Wear a chest strap or a wrist tracker during training to stay in your chosen zone. Without a tracker, use the talk test and perceived effort instead. A zone is only useful if you can actually measure it while you move.
The Zones, Explained
The warm-up zone, 50 to 60 percent of maximum, feels easy and is good for recovery and long warm-ups. The fat-burn zone, 60 to 70 percent, is a comfortable pace you can hold for a long time; it burns a high share of fat, though total calories are lower than at harder efforts. The cardio zone, 70 to 80 percent, improves heart and lung fitness and burns more calories overall. The peak zone, 80 to 90 percent, is very hard and suits short intervals, not long steady sessions. Most weekly training should sit in the first three zones, with only a small share at peak effort.
A Worked Example
Take a 30-year-old with a resting heart rate of 60. Her estimated maximum is 190 beats per minute. Her simple fat-burn zone is 114 to 133 beats per minute. With the Karvonen method, the same zone is (190 minus 60) times 0.6 plus 60, up to (190 minus 60) times 0.7 plus 60, which is 138 to 151 beats per minute. The Karvonen range is higher because it accounts for her fit resting rate. Fitter people often find Karvonen zones match their effort better, while beginners may prefer the simpler percentages.
Common Mistakes
The biggest mistake is training hard every day in the peak zone, which leads to fatigue and injury rather than fitness. Another is trusting a wrist tracker blindly: wrist sensors can lag or misread during intervals, weightlifting, or cold weather. A third is ignoring warning signs. Chest pain, dizziness, unusual breathlessness, or a racing heartbeat at rest are reasons to stop and seek medical help, not to push through. Heart rate zones support training; they never replace medical judgement.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is 220 minus age accurate? It is a rough average. A newer estimate, 208 minus 0.7 times age, is slightly better for older adults, but both can miss by a wide margin for individuals. Does medication change my zones? Yes. Beta blockers and some other medicines lower heart rate, so percentage zones may not apply. Ask your doctor. Should beginners use zones? Beginners can start with easy effort and the talk test, then add zones once they have a tracker and a baseline.
Educational estimate only. This is not medical advice. Stop exercising and seek medical help if you feel chest pain, dizziness, or unusual breathlessness. Talk to a health professional before starting a new training program, especially if you have a heart condition.
Related tools
- Calculadora de Frecuencia CardÃaca (Spanish version)
- One Rep Max Calculator
- Running Pace Calculator