Target Heart Rate Calculator

Precision training zones tailored to your age, resting pulse, and effort level.

Calculate Your Target Heart Rate

Understanding the Numbers

The Karvonen formula uses your maximal heart rate (220 minus age) and the difference between that and your resting heart rate to deliver more accurate training zones than a flat percentage of maximum effort. Once you provide your resting pulse and the effort range you want to sustain, the calculator returns the beats per minute range that keeps you within that aerodynamic zone.

The output also supplies a suggested recovery heart rate, which reflects the lower end of the zone plus twenty beats—useful for cooldown pacing.

• The maximum heart rate estimate (220 − age) defines the ceiling for effort.
• Subtracting your resting pulse yields the heart rate reserve, which is scaled by intensity.
• Adding your resting pulse back to the scaled value returns the practical bpm target for a workout.

Realistic Example

For a 35-year-old with a resting heart rate of 60 bpm, setting a 65%–85% intensity gives a training range of 131 to 157 bpm. When using that range for interval runs or tempo cycling, you maintain aerobic efficiency without overshooting the recommended capacity. If you stop for recovery, easing back toward 80–100 bpm helps your heart rate swing without dropping too low.

Example inputs: age = 35, resting heart rate = 60 bpm, 65%–85% intensity → Target zone ≈ 131–157 bpm; Recovery target ~ 151 bpm.

Training Tips

• Use a chest strap or optical monitor to keep your bpm within the calculated range.
• Recompute when your resting heart rate drops significantly from improved fitness.
• For fat-burning endurance work, stay near the lower intensity; for VO₂ max or interval work, approach the upper bound.