Target Heart Rate Calculator
This target heart rate calculator shows the beats-per-minute zones you should aim for when you train. Enter your age for your maximum heart rate and the five zones, and add your resting heart rate for a more personal range with the Karvonen method. Everything updates as you type, so it's easy to set a pace for any workout. It's free and runs in your browser, so nothing you enter leaves your device.
- Max heart rate
- Five zones
- Fat burn zone
- Karvonen method
- Beats per minute
Last updated June 17, 2026 Estimates only Reviewed by the Calcowa team
Enter an age between 1 and 120.
Max heart rate uses 220 minus your age. Add a resting heart rate and it switches to the Karvonen method, which factors in your fitness. To find your resting rate, count your pulse for a minute before you get up.
Your training zones
| Zone | Intensity | Beats per minute |
|---|
How do you find your target heart rate?
Your target heart rate starts from your maximum, and the everyday estimate for that is 220 minus your age. So a 30 year old sits near 190 beats per minute at the top. From there, each training zone is a slice of that max: an easy recovery effort runs about 50 to 60 percent, the fat burning zone about 60 to 70 percent, steady aerobic work 70 to 80 percent, hard anaerobic intervals 80 to 90 percent, and all-out effort 90 to 100 percent. For most workouts you'll aim somewhere in the 50 to 85 percent band that the American Heart Association calls the target zone. If you know your resting heart rate, the Karvonen method gives a sharper number: it takes the gap between your max and resting rate, your heart rate reserve, multiplies by the intensity, and adds the resting rate back. That's why a fit person with a low resting pulse gets a slightly different range. This tool runs every zone both ways, so you'll see exactly where to hold your effort the moment you type your age.
Setting your pace, step by step
Here's the quick routine before a workout, and it's just three steps:
- 1
Enter your ageIt sets your maximum heart rate at 220 minus age.
- 2
Add your resting rateOptional, but it gives a sharper Karvonen range.
- 3
Read the zonesPick the zone that matches the effort you want.
Target zone by age
Here's the max and the 50 to 85 percent target zone for a few ages, using 220 minus age. It's a guide, so don't treat the edges as hard limits, since fitness and health shift where you should train.
| Age | Max HR | Target zone (bpm) |
|---|---|---|
| 20 | 200 | 100 to 170 |
| 30 | 190 | 95 to 162 |
| 40 | 180 | 90 to 153 |
| 50 | 170 | 85 to 145 |
Frequently asked questions
You enter your age, and it works out your maximum heart rate and the five training zones as beats per minute. If you add your resting heart rate, it switches to the Karvonen method, which folds in your fitness for a more personal range. Everything runs in your browser, so you'll see the zones update as you type, and nothing you enter leaves your device. Pick the zone that matches your workout and aim for that band.
Your target heart rate is the beats-per-minute band you aim for during exercise, set as a share of your maximum. For general fitness most people train at 50 to 85 percent of their max, which the American Heart Association calls the target zone. The exact numbers depend on your age, and on your resting rate if you use the Karvonen method. The calculator shows each zone, so you can match the intensity to your goal, whether that's easy recovery or hard intervals.
The classic estimate is 220 minus your age, so a 30 year old has a max of about 190 beats per minute. It's a rough rule, and newer formulas like 208 minus 0.7 times your age land a little differently, but 220 minus age is the one most charts and machines use. From there you take percentages for each zone. The calculator uses 220 minus age for the max and builds the zones on top, which keeps it in line with what you'll see at the gym.
The fat burning zone usually means about 60 to 70 percent of your maximum heart rate, an easy pace where a larger share of the calories you burn comes from fat. For a 30 year old that's roughly 114 to 133 beats per minute. It's comfortable enough to hold a conversation. Keep in mind that higher-intensity work burns more total calories even if a smaller share is fat, so don't avoid the harder zones if weight loss is the goal.
The Karvonen method personalizes your zones by using your heart rate reserve, which is your maximum heart rate minus your resting heart rate. It takes a percentage of that reserve and adds your resting rate back on, so a fitter person with a low resting heart rate gets a different range than the plain percentage method. Add your resting rate here and the calculator switches to Karvonen automatically, and it usually gives a more accurate target for trained exercisers, since it knows you're fitter.
Yes, it's completely free, with no sign-up, and it runs right in your browser, so nothing you enter leaves your device. Type your age, add your resting heart rate if you know it, and read your zones in a tap. Bookmark it for planning runs, rides, or gym sessions, and treat the numbers as a guide, since medication and health conditions can change your safe range. Check with a doctor if you're unsure.
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Training with a plan?
Find your zones above, then set a calorie target for your goal.