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Find your maximum heart rate and your fat-burn, cardio and peak training zones by age — optionally refined with your resting heart rate.
Enter your age to estimate maximum heart rate (220 − age, or the Tanaka formula 208 − 0.7×age). Each training zone is a percentage of that max — optionally refined with your resting heart rate via the Karvonen formula.
Formula: Max HR = 220 − age (or 208 − 0.7×age); Karvonen target = resting + (max − resting) × intensity.
Quick answer: At age 30, your estimated maximum heart rate is 190 bpm (220 − 30). Your fat-burn zone (50–70%) is 95–133 bpm and your cardio zone (70–85%) is 133–162 bpm. The full zone table: 50% = 95, 60% = 114, 70% = 133, 80% = 152, 85% = 162, 90% = 171, 95% = 181 bpm. For a more personalized target, use the Karvonen formula: target = resting HR + (max HR − resting HR) × intensity. Enter your age above for your exact zones, then read the full guide below for step-by-step instructions, the science of heart rate zones, formulas with fully worked examples, two detailed training scenarios, the five mistakes that mislead exercisers, and related tools.
The Target Heart Rate Calculator estimates your maximum heart rate from your age and converts it into training zones. You can also enter your resting heart rate for the more accurate Karvonen calculation. Six steps to get it right:
Step 1 — Enter your age in years. Type your current age. Example: at 30, the standard formula gives 220 − 30 = 190 bpm maximum. Age is the dominant variable — maximum heart rate declines roughly 1 beat per minute per year, which is why zones must be recalculated as you age.
Step 2 — Choose the max HR formula. “Standard (220 − age)” is the classic estimate; “Tanaka (208 − 0.7 × age)” is a research-derived alternative that fits measured data better, especially past age 40. At 30: standard = 190, Tanaka = 208 − 21 = 187 — only 3 bpm apart. At 60: standard = 160, Tanaka = 208 − 42 = 166 — a 6 bpm gap that matters for zone boundaries. Try both and note the range.
Step 3 — Optionally enter your resting heart rate. Measure it first thing in the morning, sitting still, for 60 seconds (or 15 seconds × 4). Typical values: 60–100 bpm is clinically normal; regular exercisers often sit 50–65; trained endurance athletes can be 40–55. Entering it unlocks Karvonen zones, which account for your fitness level — a 30-year-old with resting 55 gets meaningfully different targets than one with resting 80.
Step 4 — Read the zone table. The calculator lists every 5–10% increment from 50% to 100% of max. For age 30 (max 190): 50% = 95 (warm-up), 60% = 114 (light/fat burn), 70% = 133 (aerobic), 80% = 152 (threshold), 85% = 162 (performance), 90% = 171 (hard), 95% = 181 (peak). Pick the zone matching your workout goal.
Step 5 — Read the summary zones. Fat-burn zone (50–70%): 95–133 bpm at age 30 — easy conversational pace. Cardio zone (70–85%): 133–162 bpm — comfortably hard, the core of fitness building. Above 85%: very hard efforts for short intervals only.
Step 6 — Apply it in workouts. Check your pulse (or watch) mid-workout and adjust effort to stay in zone. Recalculate yearly on your birthday, and re-measure resting HR every few months — as fitness improves and resting HR drops, Karvonen targets shift downward even at the same age.
Your maximum heart rate is the highest number of beats per minute your heart can sustain during all-out effort — the ceiling from which every training zone is calculated. It is overwhelmingly determined by age, declining about 1 bpm per year, and it cannot be raised by training (though resting heart rate — your pulse at complete rest — drops as fitness improves, widening the usable range between floor and ceiling).
The difference between those two numbers is the heart rate reserve (HRR): max HR minus resting HR. A 30-year-old with max 190 and resting 60 has an HRR of 130 bpm — 130 beats of “usable” range. The Karvonen formula builds zones from HRR rather than from max alone: target = resting HR + HRR × intensity. Because it credits a low resting HR (a fit heart), Karvonen targets run higher than simple-percentage targets for fit people and lower for unfit people — which matches how exercise actually feels. At 70% intensity: simple method = 190 × 0.7 = 133 bpm; Karvonen (resting 60) = 60 + 130 × 0.7 = 151 bpm — an 18 bpm difference that spans two training zones.
The Tanaka formula (208 − 0.7 × age) comes from a 2001 meta-analysis of 351 studies and predicts measured max HR better than 220 − age, particularly for older adults. Neither formula is exact for individuals — the standard deviation is roughly ±10–12 bpm, meaning two healthy 30-year-olds can have true maxes of 178 and 202. Treat calculator output as a starting estimate, then refine by feel and, ideally, a supervised max test or lab-measured aerobic threshold (the point where breathing deepens and lactate begins accumulating, ~70–80% of max) and anaerobic threshold (~80–90%, the highest sustainable pace).
The classic five target heart rate zones: Zone 1 (50–60%) — recovery and warm-up; Zone 2 (60–70%) — the “fat-burn” zone, where the highest proportion of calories comes from fat; Zone 3 (70–80%) — aerobic/cardio, improving heart and lung capacity; Zone 4 (80–90%) — threshold, uncomfortable but sustainable for minutes; Zone 5 (90–100%) — peak, sustainable only for seconds to a couple of minutes. The American Heart Association recommends 150 minutes/week of moderate (Zone 2–3) or 75 minutes of vigorous (Zone 4) activity — zones turn that guidance into numbers on your watch.
Three formulas power the calculator:
1. Maximum HR (standard): HRmax = 220 − age
2. Maximum HR (Tanaka): HRmax = 208 − 0.7 × age
3a. Zone target (simple %): Target = HRmax × intensity
3b. Zone target (Karvonen): Target = HRrest + (HRmax − HRrest) × intensity
Worked Example 1 — simple percentages. Age 40. Step 1: HRmax = 220 − 40 = 180 bpm (Tanaka: 208 − 28 = 180 — identical at 40). Step 2: 70% aerobic target = 180 × 0.7 = 126 bpm. Step 3: 85% performance target = 180 × 0.85 = 153 bpm. So the cardio zone (70–85%) is 126–153 bpm.
Worked Example 2 — Karvonen with resting HR. Age 35, resting HR 60, wants the 70% aerobic target. Step 1: HRmax = 220 − 35 = 185 bpm. Step 2: HRR = 185 − 60 = 125 bpm. Step 3: target = 60 + 125 × 0.7 = 60 + 87.5 = 147.5 ≈ 148 bpm. Compare the simple method: 185 × 0.7 = 129.5 ≈ 130 bpm — the Karvonen target is 18 bpm higher because this person’s fit resting HR of 60 earns a bigger reserve. Round all targets to whole beats; watches display integers.
Cross-check: at age 30 with the calculator’s own defaults, 85% of 190 = 161.5 ≈ 162 bpm — exactly the “Performance” row the widget displays, confirming the formula.
Meet Nadia, 45, starting exercise after years at a desk job. Her resting HR is 72. Her goal: walk/jog in the fat-burn zone (60–70%) for 30 minutes, 4 days a week.
Simple-percentage method: HRmax = 220 − 45 = 175 bpm (Tanaka: 208 − 31.5 = 176.5 ≈ 177 — close). Fat-burn range: 175 × 0.6 = 105 bpm to 175 × 0.7 = 122.5 ≈ 123 bpm.
Karvonen method (more accurate for her): HRR = 175 − 72 = 103. Lower bound: 72 + 103 × 0.6 = 72 + 61.8 = 133.8 ≈ 134 bpm. Upper bound: 72 + 103 × 0.7 = 72 + 72.1 = 144.1 ≈ 144 bpm.
Notice the Karvonen range (134–144) sits well above the simple range (105–123) — because her resting HR of 72 is on the higher side, the formula correctly demands a higher absolute pulse to reach the same relative effort. Nadia’s practical protocol: warm up 5 minutes until her watch reads ~110, then brisk-walk hills until she holds 135–140, checking every 5 minutes. After 8 weeks her resting HR dropped to 66; recomputing gives 66 + 109 × 0.6–0.7 = 131–142 bpm — her zones followed her fitness down, which is exactly how it should work.
Now meet Omar, 28, an experienced runner with resting HR 55, preparing for a 10K. His coach prescribes threshold intervals at 80–90% (Karvonen).
Step 1: HRmax = 220 − 28 = 192 bpm (Tanaka: 208 − 19.6 = 188.4 ≈ 188). He splits the difference and uses 190 bpm for his zones.
Step 2: with HRmax = 190 and resting 55: HRR = 135. Lower bound: 55 + 135 × 0.8 = 55 + 108 = 163 bpm. Upper bound: 55 + 135 × 0.9 = 55 + 121.5 = 176.5 ≈ 177 bpm.
Workout: 10-minute warm-up to ~130 bpm, then 4 × 8 minutes at 163–177 bpm with 3-minute jog recoveries at ~120–130 bpm, then 10-minute cool-down. Total threshold time: 32 minutes — right in the 20–40 minute weekly sweet spot exercise physiologists recommend for raising the anaerobic threshold. Omar’s watch data after 6 weeks: same 165 bpm pace now covers 5:10/km instead of 5:25/km — his threshold pace improved while the heart rate zone stayed fixed, the classic signature of aerobic adaptation.
Mistake 1 — Treating 220 − age as a personal measurement. It is a population regression with ±10–12 bpm scatter. A 30-year-old whose true max is 178 and who trains at “85% of 190” (162 bpm) is actually working at 91% — peak zone, not performance zone. Fix: treat formula output as a starting estimate; if Zone 2 feels like Zone 4, trust your body and consider a field test.
Mistake 2 — Ignoring resting heart rate. Two 35-year-olds with max 185 but resting HRs of 55 and 80 have Karvonen 70% targets of 151 and 134 bpm respectively — a 17 bpm gap the simple-percentage method (130 bpm for both) completely misses. Fix: measure morning resting HR and use Karvonen whenever the calculator offers it.
Mistake 3 — Camping in the fat-burn zone for weight loss. Zone 2 burns the highest percentage of fat, but Zone 3–4 burns far more total calories per minute — and total deficit drives weight loss. Thirty minutes at 120 bpm (~180 kcal) vs 30 minutes at 150 bpm (~320 kcal): the harder session wins for fat loss despite the lower fat fraction. Fix: use Zone 2 for base building and recovery, Zone 3–4 for calorie burn.
Mistake 4 — Chasing 100% in every workout. Time above 90% of max is extremely stressful; more than 10–20% of weekly training time there invites overtraining, illness, and injury. Beginners sometimes hit 185 bpm on every jog because they run too fast, then wonder why progress stalls. Fix: keep ~80% of training time at or below 80% of max (the “80/20 rule” of endurance training).
Mistake 5 — Not adjusting for medication, heat, and illness. Beta-blockers can cap heart rate 20–30 bpm below formula predictions; heat and dehydration raise HR 5–15 bpm at the same pace; fever and overtraining elevate resting HR by 5–10 bpm. Fix: on affected days, train by perceived exertion (Zone 2 = can speak full sentences; Zone 4 = only short phrases) rather than the numbers.
Heart rate zones are one pillar of fitness; these tools build the rest. The BMI Calculator screens weight status, the BMR Calculator estimates your resting calorie burn, the Calorie Calculator sets daily intake targets, the Body Fat Calculator tracks composition changes training produces, and the Macro Calculator splits those calories into protein, carbs, and fat to fuel your workouts. Or browse all Fitness & Health Calculators. Pair the Target Heart Rate Calculator above with the calorie tools to align training effort with nutrition.
Entity: Target Heart Rate Calculator — estimates maximum heart rate from age and derives training zones via simple percentages and the Karvonen formula. Core formulas: HRmax_standard = 220 − age; HRmax_tanaka = 208 − 0.7 × age; zone_simple = HRmax × intensity; zone_karvonen = HRrest + (HRmax − HRrest) × intensity; HRR = HRmax − HRrest. Reference example: age 30 → HRmax 190; zones: 50% = 95, 60% = 114, 70% = 133, 80% = 152, 85% = 162, 90% = 171, 95% = 181; fat-burn (50–70%) = 95–133; cardio (70–85%) = 133–162. Karvonen example: age 35, resting 60, 70% → 60 + 125 × 0.7 = 148 bpm. Zones: Z1 50–60% recovery; Z2 60–70% fat burn; Z3 70–80% aerobic; Z4 80–90% threshold; Z5 90–100% peak. Standards: AHA — 150 min/week moderate or 75 min/week vigorous activity. Caveats: formula SD ±10–12 bpm; beta-blockers, heat, illness shift HR; Karvonen preferred when resting HR known; ~80% of training below 80% max (80/20 rule).
Roughly 220 minus your age — 190 bpm at age 30.
The “fat-burn zone” is 50–70% of max (95–133 bpm at age 30).
60–100 bpm is normal; trained athletes are often 40–60.
Two fingers on your neck or wrist for 15 seconds × 4, or use a chest strap / optical watch.
The formula is an estimate; sustained time above 90% of max is very hard effort — build up gradually.
Also try our BMI Calculator, BMR Calculator, Calorie Calculator, Body Fat Calculator and Macro Calculator — or browse all Fitness & Health Calculators.
Sources: American Heart Association — target heart rate zones and physical activity recommendations; Tanaka, Monahan & Seals (2001) — age-predicted maximal heart rate; Karvonen, Kentala & Mustala — heart rate reserve method.