Target Heart Rate Calculator
Work out your estimated maximum heart rate and the zones for light, moderate and vigorous exercise.
Target Heart Rate Calculator
Maximum heart rate
187
- Moderate exercise zone120 to 142 beats a minute
- Vigorous exercise zone144 to 174 beats a minute
- Light zone94 to 118 beats a minute
- Heart rate reserve117
Works out in your browser. Nothing you type is sent anywhere.
In short: Target Heart Rate Calculator
At the age entered, the estimated maximum heart rate is about 187 beats a minute. Moderate exercise then means 120 to 142 beats a minute and vigorous means 144 to 174 beats a minute, with a lighter zone of 94 to 118 beats a minute. Your heart rate reserve, the gap between resting and maximum, is 117.
What is Target Heart Rate?
A target heart rate zone is the range of beats a minute that corresponds to a given intensity of exercise, worked out as a share of your estimated maximum.
How is Target Heart Rate calculated?
The Tanaka equation estimates the maximum heart rate from age, and fits measured data better than the older rule of two hundred and twenty less age, especially for older adults. Each zone is then a percentage band of that maximum.
- HR_maxthe estimated maximum heart rate, in beats a minute
- ageage in years
A worked example
| Age (years) | 30 |
|---|---|
| Resting heart rate (beats a minute) | 70 |
| Result | |
| Maximum heart rate | 187 |
| Moderate exercise zone | 120 to 142 beats a minute |
| Vigorous exercise zone | 144 to 174 beats a minute |
| Light zone | 94 to 118 beats a minute |
| Heart rate reserve | 117 |
Every figure in this table is produced by the same calculation the tool above runs.
How to use this target heart rate calculator
- Enter your age.
- Enter your resting heart rate, measured before getting out of bed.
- Read the maximum, then the zone for the intensity you want.
- Check against how the exercise actually feels rather than the number alone.
Questions people ask
Why not use two hundred and twenty less age?
Because that rule was never derived from careful measurement and drifts badly with age, understating the maximum for older adults by several beats. The Tanaka equation fits the measured data better and is what this tool uses. Both are estimates, and an individual can sit well either side.
Is there really a fat-burning zone?
Lower intensities do take a larger share of their energy from fat, but higher intensities burn more energy in total, which matters more for weight. The lighter zone here is useful for building endurance and for recovery. It is not a shortcut to losing weight.
How do I measure my resting heart rate?
Count your pulse for a minute before getting out of bed, over a few mornings, and take the average. A fitness band will do it while you sleep. It tends to fall as fitness improves, which makes it worth tracking.
Should I stay inside these zones?
They are a guide, not a limit, and how the effort feels is at least as informative. Anyone with a heart condition, on medication that affects heart rate, or returning to exercise after a long gap should get a doctor's own figures. Stop and seek advice if exercise causes pain or dizziness.
Accuracy and sources
For general information. Not medical advice.
Checked by the Daytoolz team on 16 October 2026. How we check our tools.
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