Your heart rate tells you how hard your body is working. Too low and a workout may not do much for your fitness. Too high and you may be pushing harder than you need to, or than is safe. This calculator estimates your maximum heart rate and the heart rate zones for exercise. Enter your age, and your resting heart rate if you know it, and it shows the beats per minute to aim for.
Enter your age.
If you know it, enter your resting heart rate. This makes the result more personal.
Read your estimated maximum heart rate and the range for each training zone.
During exercise, check your pulse or your watch and compare it with the zone you’re aiming for.
Measure it first thing in the morning, before getting out of bed or having coffee. Place two fingers on the inside of your wrist or on the side of your neck, count the beats for 30 seconds and double the number. Do this on two or three mornings and take the average. For most adults, a resting rate between 60 and 100 beats per minute is considered normal, and fitter people often sit lower.
Estimated maximum heart rate = 220 − your age
Target zone (percentage of maximum) = maximum heart rate × the percentage you’re aiming for
With resting heart rate (the Karvonen method):
Target heart rate = ((maximum heart rate − resting heart rate) × intensity %) + resting heart rate
The difference between your maximum and resting rates is called your heart rate reserve. The Karvonen method takes it into account, so two people of the same age but different fitness levels get different targets.
Using age only. A person aged 40.
Maximum heart rate: 220 − 40 = 180 beats per minute
Moderate intensity (50 to 70%): 90 to 126 bpm
Vigorous intensity (70 to 85%): 126 to 153 bpm
Using the Karvonen method. The same person, with a resting heart rate of 60.
Heart rate reserve: 180 − 60 = 120
At 60% intensity: (120 × 0.60) + 60 = 132 bpm
At 80% intensity: (120 × 0.80) + 60 = 156 bpm
An older adult. A person aged 60.
Maximum heart rate: 220 − 60 = 160 bpm
Moderate intensity (50 to 70%): 80 to 112 bpm
Vigorous intensity (70 to 85%): 112 to 136 bpm
Using the 40-year-old with a maximum of 180 as an example:
Zone
% of maximum
Example range
How it feels
Very light
50 to 60%
90 to 108 bpm
Easy walking, warming up
Light
60 to 70%
108 to 126 bpm
Comfortable, can chat easily
Moderate
70 to 80%
126 to 144 bpm
Breathing harder, can speak in short sentences
Hard
80 to 90%
144 to 162 bpm
Challenging, only a few words at a time
Maximum
90 to 100%
162 to 180 bpm
All-out effort, only for short bursts
You don’t need a heart rate monitor to judge intensity.
Moderate effort: you can talk, but not sing.
Vigorous effort: you can only say a few words before you need a breath.
Very easy effort: you could sing without trouble.
If the calculator’s number and the talk test disagree, trust how your body feels and ease off.
Major health organisations, including the World Health Organization and the American Heart Association, recommend that healthy adults aim for at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity activity a week, or 75 minutes of vigorous activity, or a mix of the two. Strength training on two days a week is also advised. Beginners should build up gradually. Starting with ten-minute walks counts.
The “220 minus age” formula is an average, and averages hide a lot of variation. Individual maximum heart rates can differ from the estimate by 10 or even 20 beats either way. Another formula, 208 − (0.7 × age), gives the same answer at age 40 but a higher one for older adults: for a 60-year-old it gives 166, compared with 160. Neither is more “correct” for everyone.
Several things also change your pulse on any given day:
Medication. Beta blockers and some other drugs lower heart rate, so the usual zones may not apply.
Heat, humidity and altitude. Your heart rate rises for the same effort.
Caffeine, stress and poor sleep. All can push the number up.
Dehydration and illness. Both can raise your pulse.
Fitness. Trained people usually have a lower resting rate and recover more quickly.
The only way to find your true maximum is a supervised test, which isn’t necessary for most people.
Treating the zones as strict rules. They’re a guide. Pay attention to your breathing and how you feel too.
Training hard all the time. Most of your exercise can be easy to moderate, with a few harder sessions mixed in.
Ignoring warning signs. Chest pain or pressure, dizziness, severe breathlessness, an irregular heartbeat or feeling faint mean you should stop and seek medical advice.
Trusting a wrist monitor blindly. Optical sensors can lag or misread during fast, jerky movement. A chest strap is usually more accurate.
Pushing to the maximum zone without checking with a doctor. This applies especially if you’re new to exercise, over 40, or have any health concerns.
What is a good target heart rate for fat burning?
There’s no special “fat-burning zone” that beats the others for weight loss. Lighter zones burn a higher share of fat but fewer total calories, while harder zones burn more calories overall. What matters most is the total effort you can keep up regularly.
What’s a safe heart rate during exercise?
For most healthy adults, staying between roughly 50 and 85% of the estimated maximum is considered safe and effective. If you have a heart condition, high blood pressure or take medication that affects your heart, ask your doctor for your own limits.
Is it bad to go above my maximum heart rate?
The maximum is only an estimate, so seeing a number a little above it isn’t unusual. If you feel unwell, stop. If it happens often, mention it to your doctor.
Why is my watch showing a different number from the calculator?
The calculator gives an estimate from a formula. A watch measures your actual pulse. They’ll rarely match exactly, and your measured rate is the more useful number during exercise.
Do men and women use different formulas?
The common formula is the same for both. Some research suggests different equations for women, but the differences are small for most people.
How quickly should my heart rate drop after exercise?
A faster drop in the first minute or two after stopping is generally a sign of good fitness. If your pulse stays high or you feel unwell for a long time afterwards, mention it to a doctor.
This calculator provides estimates for general information only and is not medical advice. If you have a heart condition, high blood pressure or any other health concern, take medication that affects your heart rate, are pregnant, or are starting exercise after a long break, please speak to a doctor first. Stop exercising and seek medical help if you feel chest pain, severe breathlessness, dizziness or faintness.