Target Heart Rate Calculator
Calculate your target heart rate zones for fat burning, cardio, and peak performance. Based on Karvonen formula and max heart rate.
How to use this calculator
👉 Fill in the boxes below and your answer appears instantly — no maths needed, we do it all for you! 🎉
In plain English — what does this do?
🏋️ Your body needs food to move, breathe, and grow — just like a car needs petrol. This tool helps you find out how much food your body needs in a day to feel good and stay healthy!
A target heart rate calculator determines the heart rate zones you should aim for during exercise to achieve specific fitness goals. Zone 1 supports recovery, Zone 2 burns fat, Zone 3 builds aerobic capacity, Zone 4 increases speed, and Zone 5 is maximum effort. Adding your resting heart rate enables the Karvonen formula, which produces more personalised zones.
Maximum Heart Rate
—
bpm (220 − age formula)
Heart rate zones
What is Target Heart Rate Calculator?
A target heart rate calculator determines the heart rate zones you should aim for during exercise to achieve specific fitness goals. Zone 1 supports recovery, Zone 2 burns fat, Zone 3 builds aerobic capacity, Zone 4 increases speed, and Zone 5 is maximum effort. Adding your resting heart rate enables the Karvonen formula, which produces more personalised zones.
How to use it
- 1️⃣ Enter your age — the calculator uses the 220 minus age formula to estimate your maximum heart rate.
- 2️⃣ Optionally enter your resting heart rate (measured first thing in the morning) to enable the Karvonen method.
- 3️⃣ Review the five heart rate zones with their beats-per-minute ranges.
- 4️⃣ Match your exercise intensity to the zone that fits your training goal for the day.
- 5️⃣ Use a heart rate monitor during workouts to stay within your target zone.
Formula
💡 See it in action — a real example
❓ Common questions
- Is the 220 minus age formula accurate?
- It is a reasonable population average but can be off by 10 to 20 bpm for individuals. Factors like genetics, fitness level, and medications all affect true maximum heart rate. A supervised stress test gives a more precise max HR.
- What is the Karvonen formula?
- The Karvonen formula uses your heart rate reserve — the difference between max HR and resting HR — to calculate training zones. It accounts for individual fitness level and tends to produce more accurate zones than using max HR alone.
- What zone should I train in for weight loss?
- Zone 2 (60-70% of max HR) is often called the fat-burning zone because a higher proportion of fuel comes from fat at this intensity. However, higher-intensity training burns more total calories, which also contributes to fat loss.
- How do I measure my resting heart rate?
- Measure it first thing in the morning before getting out of bed. Place two fingers on your wrist or neck, count beats for 60 seconds. A typical resting HR for adults is 60 to 100 bpm; trained athletes often measure 40 to 60 bpm.
- Can I exercise in Zone 5 regularly?
- Zone 5 (90-100% max HR) should only be sustained for very short bursts and requires significant recovery time. Training in Zone 5 too frequently without adequate recovery leads to overtraining and increased injury risk.