Target Heart Rate Calculator & Exercise Zone BPM Chart
Author: Ian C. Langtree - Writer/Editor for Disabled World (DW)
Published: 2010/06/11 - Updated: 2026/01/17
Publication Type: Charts, Graphs, Tables
Category Topic: Calculators - Charts - Related Publications
Page Content: Synopsis - Introduction - Main - Insights, Updates
Synopsis: This information provides a practical online calculator that determines individualized target heart rate zones for safe and effective cardiovascular exercise. The resource explains how to calculate proper exercise intensity using established formulas including the Karvonen and Zoladz methods, which account for age, resting heart rate, and fitness goals. People with mobility limitations, chronic health conditions, or those beginning exercise programs after periods of inactivity will find this tool particularly valuable for establishing safe workout parameters. The calculator helps users identify their optimal heart rate range between 55-85% of maximum capacity, allowing them to exercise effectively while avoiding overexertion. By offering clear heart rate zones from warm-up through maximum effort, this resource enables individuals to monitor their cardiovascular activity accurately, whether they're managing health conditions, recovering from injury, or working with physical limitations that require careful exercise monitoring - Disabled World (DW).
Introduction
Calculate your target heart rate for optimal exercising and aerobics fitness using our target heart rate calculator. Heart rate, or heart pulse, is defined as the speed of the heartbeat measured by the number of beats of the heart per unit of time, typically beats per minute (bpm). Heart rate is not a stable value and it increases or decreases in response to the body's need in a way to maintain an equilibrium (basal metabolic rate) between requirement and delivery of oxygen and nutrients.
Main Content
Monitoring your exercise intensity is the best way to get the most out of your cardio workouts. The target heart rate calculator below is one way to make sure you're working within your target heart rate zone, the most effective zone for improving your fitness and burning calories. You can use a heart rate monitor to track your heart rate during your workouts. If you don't have a heart rate monitor, take your pulse for 6 seconds, count how many times your heart beats and add a zero to get an estimate.
Your heart rate is the number of heartbeats per unit of time, expressed as beats per minute, which can vary as your body's need for oxygen changes, such as during exercising or sleeping. Target heart rates let you measure your initial fitness level and monitor your progress in a fitness program. Your target heart rate zone is the range between 60% and 80% of your maximum heart rate. Working within this zone will provide you with the maximum health and fat-burning benefits from your cardiovascular activity.
The Target Heart Rate (THR), or Training Heart Rate, is a desired range of heart rate reached during aerobic exercise which enables one's heart and lungs to receive the most benefit from a workout. This range varies based on one's physical condition, gender, and previous training.
The above calculations are based on averages. It is recommended that you exercise within 55 to 85% of your maximum heart rate for at least 20 - 30 minutes to achieve the best results from aerobic exercise.
Heart Rate Zones for Exercising Chart
- Healthy Heart Zone (Warm up) = 50 - 60% of maximum heart rate
- Fitness Zone (Fat Burning) = 60 - 70% of maximum heart rate
- Aerobic Zone (Endurance Training) = 70 - 80% of maximum heart rate
- Anaerobic Zone (Performance Training) = 80 - 90% of maximum heart rate
- Red Line (Maximum Effort) = 90 - 100% of maximum heart rate
The target heart rate calculator above uses calculations based on averages. It is highly recommended you exercise within 55 to 85 percent of your maximum heart rate for at least 20 to 30 minutes to get the best results from aerobic exercises. A few high blood pressure medications lower the maximum heart rate and thus the target zone rate. If you're taking such medicine, call your physician to find out if you need to use a lower target heart rate.
Also see our Blood Pressure Chart
Target Heart Rate Formula Calculations
Below are two ways to calculate and chart one's Target Heart Rate. In each of these methods, there is an element called "intensity" which is expressed as a percentage. The THR can be calculated as a range of 65%-85% intensity. However, it is crucial to derive an accurate HRmax to ensure these calculations are meaningful.
Example for someone with a HRmax of 180 (age 40, estimating HRmax as 220 - age):
- 65% intensity: (220 - (age = 40)) 0.65 117 bpm
- 85% intensity: (220 - (age = 40)) 0.85 153 bpm
Zoladz Method
An alternative to the Karvonen method (below) is the Zoladz method, which derives exercise zones by subtracting values from HRmax.
THR = HRmax - Adjuster Plus/Minus 5 bpm
- Zone 1 Adjuster = 50 bpm
- Zone 2 Adjuster = 40 bpm
- Zone 3 Adjuster = 30 bpm
- Zone 4 Adjuster = 20 bpm
- Zone 5 Adjuster = 10 bpm
Example for someone with a HRmax of 180:
- Zone 1 (easy exercise) : 180 - 50 Plus/Minus 5 125 - 135 bpm
- Zone 4 (tough exercise): 180 - 20 Plus/Minus 5 155 - 165 bpm
Karvonen Method
The Karvonen method factors in Resting Heart Rate (HRrest) to calculate Target Heart Rate (THR), using a range of 50%-85%:
THR = ((HRmax - HRrest) %Intensity) + HRrest
Example for someone with a HRmax of 180 and a HRrest of 70:
- 50% intensity: ((180 - 70) 0.50) + 70 = 125 bpm
- 85% intensity: ((180 - 70) 0.85) + 70 = 163 bpm
Insights, Analysis, and Developments
Editorial Note: Understanding your target heart rate isn't just about optimizing workouts - it's about exercising smart and safe. While fitness trackers and smartwatches have made heart rate monitoring more accessible than ever, the underlying science remains grounded in decades of cardiovascular research. What makes this approach particularly valuable is its adaptability: the same calculations that guide an athlete's training can help someone recovering from a cardiac event ease back into activity, or assist an older adult in maintaining cardiovascular health without risking strain. The key isn't hitting the highest number possible, but rather finding that sustainable zone where your heart strengthens without stress. As our population ages and more people manage chronic conditions while staying active, these calculations become less about peak performance and more about longevity - helping each person find their own sustainable path to cardiovascular health, regardless of where they're starting from - Disabled World (DW).
Author Credentials: Ian is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Disabled World, a leading resource for news and information on disability issues. With a global perspective shaped by years of travel and lived experience, Ian is a committed proponent of the Social Model of Disability-a transformative framework developed by disabled activists in the 1970s that emphasizes dismantling societal barriers rather than focusing solely on individual impairments. His work reflects a deep commitment to disability rights, accessibility, and social inclusion. To learn more about Ian's background, expertise, and accomplishments, visit his full biography.