acalculator

What’s my target heart rate?

Enter your age to see the heart rate to aim for during moderate or vigorous exercise. Add a heart rate you measured to see which zone it is in.

Your numbers

Exercise intensity
Maximum heart rate formula
Beats per minute, counted during exercise.
Target heart rate
109 to 129 bpm

Moderate intensity at age 50: keep your heart rate at 109 to 129 bpm.

Checked rate: moderate

  1. Checked rate: light
  2. Checked rate: moderate
  3. Checked rate: vigorous
  4. Checked rate: above your estimated max
Zone starts at
109
Zone ends at
129
Estimated max heart rate
170
Checked heart rate, % of max
70.6%

Target heart rate: 109 to 129 bpm. Moderate intensity at age 50: keep your heart rate at 109 to 129 bpm.

Which zone is this heart rate in?

This calculator gives general information only. It is not medical advice and does not replace a doctor or other health care provider. Talk with a professional about your results. Terms of use

How to calculate

Works out the CDC target heart rate zones for moderate (64% to 76%) and vigorous (77% to 93%) exercise from the age-predicted maximum heart rate, and where a measured heart rate falls.

Example with the default inputs (Age 50, Exercise intensity Moderate, Maximum heart rate formula 220 − age, Heart rate to check 120): Moderate intensity at age 50: keep your heart rate at 109 to 129 bpm.

Method: Maximum heart rate = 220 − age (or 208 − 0.7 × age); moderate zone = 64% to 76% of the maximum; vigorous zone = 77% to 93% (CDC). A checked heart rate is light below 64%, moderate from 64% to under 77%, vigorous from 77% to under 100%.

  • The maximum heart rate is estimated from age alone; a person’s measured maximum can differ by 10 beats per minute or more.
  • The zones are the CDC’s percentages of the maximum heart rate, taken from the ACSM exercise guidelines.
  • A checked heart rate is light below 64% of the maximum, moderate from 64% to under 77%, and vigorous from 77% up to the maximum.
  • This is for information only and is not medical advice. Heart-rate medicines such as beta blockers change the response to exercise.

Machine-readable copies: Markdown, JSON.

Worked examples

Each example is checked against the calculator on every build.

  1. Age 50, Exercise intensity Moderate, Maximum heart rate formula 220 − age gives Estimated max heart rate 170, Zone starts at 108.8, Zone ends at 129.2, Target heart rate 109 to 129 bpm.Source: CDC, Target Heart Rate and Estimated Maximum Heart Rate: age 50, 170 × 0.64 = 109 bpm and 170 × 0.76 = 129 bpm
  2. Age 35, Exercise intensity Vigorous, Maximum heart rate formula 220 − age gives Estimated max heart rate 185, Zone starts at 142.45, Zone ends at 172.05, Target heart rate 142 to 172 bpm.Source: CDC, Target Heart Rate and Estimated Maximum Heart Rate: age 35, 185 × 0.77 = 142 bpm and 185 × 0.93 = 172 bpm
  3. Age 40, Exercise intensity Moderate, Maximum heart rate formula 208 − 0.7 × age, Heart rate to check 150 gives Estimated max heart rate 180, Zone starts at 115.2, Zone ends at 136.8, Target heart rate 115 to 137 bpm, Checked heart rate, % of max 83.333333%.Source: hand calculation in content.mdx: Tanaka 2001, 208 − 0.7 × 40 = 180; CDC shares 0.64 and 0.76; 150 ÷ 180 = 83.3%, in the vigorous range
  4. Age 50, Exercise intensity Moderate, Maximum heart rate formula 220 − age, Heart rate to check 120 gives Checked heart rate, % of max 70.588235%.Source: hand calculation in content.mdx: 120 ÷ (220 − 50) = 70.6%, in the CDC moderate range (64% to 76%)

How the target heart rate is worked out

  1. Estimate the maximum heart rate from age: maximum = 220 − age (the CDC's estimate), or maximum = 208 − 0.7 × age (Tanaka and others, 2001). Age is in whole years.
  2. Take the zone's share of the maximum. The CDC's zones are:
    • moderate intensity: 64% to 76% of the maximum, so the zone is 0.64 × maximum to 0.76 × maximum;
    • vigorous intensity: 77% to 93% of the maximum, so the zone is 0.77 × maximum to 0.93 × maximum.
  3. Round for the headline. The headline shows each end rounded to the nearest whole beat per minute (the CDC rounds 108.8 to 109). The rows keep the unrounded values.

Checking a heart rate. Enter a heart rate you measured during exercise. The calculator shows it as a percent of the maximum: heart rate ÷ maximum × 100. It calls the effort:

  • light below 64%;
  • moderate from 64% up to, but not including, 77%;
  • vigorous from 77% up to, but not including, 100%;
  • above your estimated maximum at 100% or more, which usually means the age estimate is too low for you.

Assumptions

  • The zone percentages come from the CDC's Target Heart Rate page (archived copy in the sources). The CDC's current intensity page describes the same two intensities with the talk test instead of heart rates.

  • The maximum heart rate comes from age alone. Your measured maximum can be 10 or more beats per minute away from it.

  • The zones apply to healthy adults. They do not apply to people whose heart rate is changed by medicines or a heart condition.

This page is for information only. It is not medical advice. Talk with a health care professional before you start a new exercise program.

Worked examples by hand

Age 50, moderate, 220 − age. Maximum = 220 − 50 = 170. Zone: 170 × 0.64 = 108.8 to 170 × 0.76 = 129.2, so 109 to 129 beats per minute (the CDC's example).

Age 35, vigorous, 220 − age. Maximum = 220 − 35 = 185. Zone: 185 × 0.77 = 142.45 to 185 × 0.93 = 172.05, so 142 to 172 beats per minute (the CDC's example).

Age 40, moderate, 208 − 0.7 × age, checking 150. Maximum = 208 − 0.7 × 40 = 208 − 28 = 180. Zone: 180 × 0.64 = 115.2 to 180 × 0.76 = 136.8, so 115 to 137. The checked heart rate: 150 ÷ 180 × 100 = 83.3%, which is vigorous.

Age 50, checking 120. 120 ÷ 170 × 100 = 70.6%, which is moderate.

Other questions people ask

How do I calculate my target heart rate?

Estimate your maximum heart rate as 220 − your age, then take a share of it. For moderate exercise, the CDC uses 64% to 76% of the maximum; for vigorous exercise, 77% to 93%. At age 50: the maximum is 170, so the moderate zone is 170 × 0.64 = 109 to 170 × 0.76 = 129 beats per minute.

What is the difference between moderate and vigorous exercise?

Moderate exercise, such as brisk walking, raises your heart rate to about 64% to 76% of your maximum. You can talk but not sing. Vigorous exercise, such as running, raises it to about 77% to 93%. You can say only a few words without stopping for breath.

How do I check my heart rate during exercise?

Stop briefly and find your pulse at the wrist, in line with the thumb. Press lightly with the tips of your index and middle fingers, not your thumb. Count the beats for 60 seconds, or count for 30 seconds and double it. A heart rate monitor or watch also works.

Why does the calculator offer 208 − 0.7 × age?

Tanaka and others (2001) combined 351 studies and found that 220 − age underestimates the maximum heart rate of older adults. Their equation, 208 − 0.7 × age, gives the same value at age 40 and higher values after it. At age 60, it gives 166 instead of 160.

What is the heart rate reserve (Karvonen) method?

Karvonen (1957) set the target as resting heart rate + a share × (maximum − resting heart rate). It uses different shares from the ones on this page, so the numbers are not interchangeable. This calculator uses the CDC's shares of the maximum heart rate, which need only your age.

Is it safe to exercise at my target heart rate?

The zones are general guidance for healthy adults. If you have a heart condition, take medicines that change your heart rate (such as beta blockers), are pregnant, or are new to exercise, ask a health care professional which intensity is right for you.