Target heart rate calculator
Your maximum heart rate and training zones for exercise.
About this calculator
This target heart rate calculator estimates your maximum heart rate and the heart rate to aim for during exercise. Enter your age, and your resting heart rate for a more personal result.
It shows the zones for moderate and vigorous exercise and a five-zone chart for training.
How it works
Maximum heart rate is estimated as 220 − age. Zones are a share of it. If you add your resting rate, zones use the Karvonen method: resting rate + share × (maximum − resting rate).
Last reviewed:
Worked example
- Age: 35 years
Moderate exercise zone: 93–130 bpm (50% to 70% of your maximum)
Common questions
What is a good target heart rate?
For moderate exercise, about 50% to 70% of your maximum. For vigorous exercise, about 70% to 85%. Beginners can start at the lower end.
How do I measure my resting heart rate?
Count your pulse for 60 seconds in the morning before you get up, or use a fitness tracker. Most adults are between 60 and 100 beats a minute.
Is the 220 minus age formula accurate?
It's an average with a wide spread: your real maximum may be 10 to 20 beats higher or lower. The Tanaka formula, 208 − 0.7 × age, is often a little closer for older adults.
Sources and further reading
The story behind it
Where the idea came from: The 220 − age estimate is usually traced to a 1971 paper by Samuel Fox, John Naughton and William Haskell.
The formula was a rough line drawn through data from a few studies, but it was simple enough to print on gym posters everywhere. Later research, such as Tanaka's in 2001, offered more accurate versions. It remains a handy starting point for setting exercise zones.
Why you can trust this calculator
- It runs in your browser. Nothing you type into it is sent anywhere.
- The method is explained on this page, so you can check it yourself.
- Free to use, with no sign-up.
- Results are estimates, not medical advice.
- Spotted a mistake? Tell us and we'll look into it.
After 15 years as a mathematics educator, I built CalculStore to give students, teachers, professionals and anyone working with numbers simple, reliable tools.
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