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Heart Rate Calculator

Calculate your maximum heart rate, target heart rate zones, and resting heart rate to guide safer, more effective workouts.

Secure Cardiovascular Computations
Notice
Calculations run locally in client-side Javascript. No bodily parameters, heart rate logs, or profiles are saved on servers.

Demographic & Heart Baseline

Biological Gender
Current Fitness Level

Example Fitness Presets

Quickly load templates to evaluate custom heart zone models:

Heart Report Results

Awaiting Baseline Heart Details

Input your age and resting heart rate to establish custom training zones and cardiovascular recommendations.

The Science of Heart Rate Training

How target training optimizes physical conditioning and supports cardiovascular longevity.

What is Heart Rate Reserve (HRR)?

**Heart Rate Reserve (HRR)** represents the actual working range of your heart, calculated as your Maximum Heart Rate minus your Resting Heart Rate. Using HRR (via the Karvonen formula) is a superior way to establish training intensities. Since it anchors to your resting heart rate, your zones automatically contract or expand as your resting vitals drop with gains in cardiovascular fitness.

Aerobic vs. Anaerobic Thresholds

At lower intensities (Zones 1 & 2), your body works **aerobically**, using oxygen to oxidize fats for sustained energy. As intensity hits Zone 4 (above 85% of HRR), you cross your **anaerobic/lactate threshold**. Your body switches to burning glycogen rapidly without enough oxygen, creating lactate. Training right below this threshold expands your capacity to run or cycle fast before fatigue hits.

Stroke Volume & Resting Heart Rate

As you perform consistent aerobic exercise in Zone 2 and Zone 3, the heart muscle adapts. Specifically, the left ventricle expands and becomes stronger, allowing it to pump more blood per contraction (**Stroke Volume**). Since each contraction moves more oxygen-rich blood, the heart can beat less frequently at rest to sustain your body, lowering your baseline resting heart rate (RHR).

Formula Reference

Target Heart Rate Formula

Calculating a target heart rate training zone actually involves two separate decisions: which formula to use for estimating Maximum Heart Rate (MHR), and then how to convert that M...

$$\begin{aligned} \text{Tanaka (Max HR)} \quad &MHR = 208 - (0.7 \times \text{age}) \\ \text{Haskell \& Fox (Max HR)} \quad &MHR = 220 - \text{age} \\ \text{Karvonen (Target HR)} \quad &\text{Target HR} = ((MHR - \text{Resting HR}) \times \text{\%Intensity}) + \text{Resting HR} \end{aligned}$$
View Full Formula, Step-by-Step Guide & Worked Examples
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How Heart Rate Training Zones Are Calculated

01

Three Maximum Heart Rate Formulas

This calculator offers three formulas for estimating Maximum Heart Rate (MHR): Tanaka (208.63 - 0.7 x age), the classic Haskell and Fox formula (220 - age), and the Gellish formula (207 - 0.7 x age). Tanaka and Gellish are generally considered more accurate than the older Haskell and Fox formula, particularly for adults over 40.

02

The Karvonen Method and Heart Rate Reserve

Rather than taking a simple percentage of MHR, the Karvonen method first calculates Heart Rate Reserve (HRR = MHR - resting heart rate), then computes each training zone as (HRR x zone percentage) + resting heart rate. This personalizes the zones to your actual fitness baseline instead of relying on age alone.

03

Worked Example

For a 35-year-old with a resting heart rate of 65 bpm, the Tanaka formula gives an MHR of about 184 bpm, so HRR is 184 - 65 = 119. The Zone 2 fat-burning range (60-70% of HRR) then works out to roughly (119 x 0.6) + 65 = 136 bpm to (119 x 0.7) + 65 = 148 bpm.

04

Train Alongside Related Tools

Combine your target heart rate zones with the Calories Burned Calculator to estimate energy expenditure for a given workout, or use the Calorie Calculator to set a daily intake that matches your training intensity.

Good to know

Questions, answered

Quick answers about how this tool works.

The Karvonen method calculates target heart rate zones using your Heart Rate Reserve (HRR), which is the difference between your Maximum Heart Rate and your Resting Heart Rate. Unlike simple percentage formulas, it accounts for your baseline physical fitness, making it much more personalized and accurate for athletes and fitness enthusiasts.

The Haskell & Fox formula (220 - Age) is simple and widely known, but it can overestimate Max HR for younger individuals and underestimate it for older adults. The Tanaka formula (208.63 - 0.7 * Age) is clinically backed and considered more accurate, particularly for individuals over 40 years old.

There are five zones: Zone 1 (Warm up/Recovery, 50-60% intensity), Zone 2 (Fat Burn, 60-70% intensity), Zone 3 (Aerobic/Cardio, 70-85% intensity), Zone 4 (Anaerobic/Threshold, 85-90% intensity), and Zone 5 (Peak/VO2 Max Redline, 90-100% intensity). Each target recruits different energy systems.

For most healthy adults, a normal resting heart rate ranges from 60 to 100 beats per minute (bpm). Highly trained athletes often have resting heart rates below 50 or even 40 bpm, which is a sign of excellent cardiovascular conditioning and stroke volume efficiency.

For general fitness and longevity, the common standard is the 80/20 rule: spend about 80% of your training time in low-intensity zones (Zone 1 and Zone 2) to build a solid aerobic foundation, and 20% in high-intensity zones (Zone 3, Zone 4, and Zone 5) to improve peak performance and anaerobic capacity.

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