Target Heart Rate Calculator
Show approximate easy, moderate and hard heart-rate bands from age.
On this page
What this calculator estimates
Show approximate easy, moderate and hard heart-rate bands from age. You can optionally add resting pulse to switch the calculation from maximum-heart-rate percentages to heart-rate reserve.
Inputs and calculation method
Enter age and, if available, resting pulse in bpm. With no resting pulse, the tool uses 50–60%, 60–70% and 70–85% of 220 − age. With resting pulse, the same percentages are applied to reserve before resting pulse is added back. All three bands are shown; there is no intensity selector.
Formula and units
Estimated maximum = 220 − age. Without resting pulse: boundary = maximum × fraction. With resting pulse: boundary = resting bpm + (maximum − resting bpm) × fraction. Boundaries are rounded to whole bpm.
How to use it
- Enter age in years.
- Leave resting pulse blank for the maximum-percentage method, or enter a rested measurement for the reserve method.
- Calculate and check which method the output says it used.
- Use the bands alongside perceived effort and any individual exercise guidance.
Worked example
At age 30 with resting pulse blank, maximum is 190 bpm and the bands are 95–114, 114–133 and 133–162 bpm. With resting pulse 65, reserve is 125 and the bands become 128–140, 140–153 and 153–171 bpm.
How to read the result
The optional resting value changes the method as well as the numbers. Easy, moderate and hard are this page’s labels; the percentages are not interchangeable between reserve-based and maximum-based training charts.
Common mistakes
- Comparing two bpm bands without checking their method.
- Entering a pulse measured straight after activity as resting pulse.
- Treating an age-based estimated maximum as a tested maximum.
Method limitations
Heart-rate response varies with fitness, medication and health conditions. The form has no measured-maximum input and does not assess whether a particular effort is appropriate for you.
Sources and method references
Supporting guides for this calculator
Read next
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Target Heart Rate Calculator FAQs
Do I need to choose an intensity?
No. The form displays all three preset bands at once.
Why does entering resting pulse raise the ranges?
It switches from a fraction of estimated maximum to a fraction of heart-rate reserve plus resting pulse.
Can I enter my tested maximum?
No. Maximum is always estimated as 220 minus age in this version.
Using the estimate
Choose whether to include resting pulse, then interpret the displayed bands using that method. A percentage without its denominator is not enough to compare training zones.