What Is My Target Heart Rate by Age?
By the Calculator.hair team · Updated · 7 min read
Short answer
Your target heart rate is 50% to 85% of your maximum, which is estimated as 220 minus your age. At age 40, the maximum is about 180 bpm, so the target is 90 to 153 bpm: 90 to 126 for moderate exercise and 126 to 153 for vigorous. Individuals vary, so treat these as starting points and check them against how the effort feels.
Key takeaways
- Maximum heart rate is about 220 − age; the Tanaka formula, 208 − 0.7 × age, gives higher estimates for older adults.
- The American Heart Association's target is 50% to 70% of maximum for moderate exercise and 70% to 85% for vigorous.
- The Karvonen method adds your resting heart rate, which raises the low end of each range.
- Age-based numbers are averages, and individual maximums vary, so use the talk test as a cross-check.
- Some medications, including beta blockers, lower heart rate, so ask your doctor what target suits you.
What is my target heart rate by age?
For most adults, the target is 50% to 85% of estimated maximum heart rate (the fastest your heart can beat). The American Heart Association (AHA) splits this into moderate intensity at 50% to 70% and vigorous intensity at 70% to 85%. The chart uses 220 minus age and shows beats per minute (bpm), matching what our target heart rate calculator gives with the resting heart rate left blank.
| Age | Max HR (220 − age) | Target 50–85% | Moderate 50–70% | Vigorous 70–85% |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 | 200 | 100 – 170 | 100 – 140 | 140 – 170 |
| 25 | 195 | 98 – 166 | 98 – 137 | 137 – 166 |
| 30 | 190 | 95 – 162 | 95 – 133 | 133 – 162 |
| 35 | 185 | 93 – 157 | 93 – 130 | 130 – 157 |
| 40 | 180 | 90 – 153 | 90 – 126 | 126 – 153 |
| 45 | 175 | 88 – 149 | 88 – 122 | 122 – 149 |
| 50 | 170 | 85 – 145 | 85 – 119 | 119 – 145 |
| 55 | 165 | 83 – 140 | 83 – 115 | 115 – 140 |
| 60 | 160 | 80 – 136 | 80 – 112 | 112 – 136 |
| 65 | 155 | 78 – 132 | 78 – 109 | 109 – 132 |
| 70 | 150 | 75 – 128 | 75 – 105 | 105 – 128 |
What is the max heart rate formula?
The most common formula is 220 minus your age, the method the AHA uses. A 2001 study by Tanaka, Monahan and Seals proposed 208 − 0.7 × age, which estimates higher than 220 − age in older adults and lower in younger ones. The two agree at age 40, where both give 180 bpm.
Our calculator defaults to 220 − age, and you can switch to Tanaka under Settings. Both are population averages. Your real maximum can differ from either, and the only way to measure it directly is a maximal exercise test, ideally supervised by a clinician.
| Age | 220 − age | Tanaka (208 − 0.7 × age) |
|---|---|---|
| 20 | 200 bpm | 194 bpm |
| 30 | 190 bpm | 187 bpm |
| 40 | 180 bpm | 180 bpm |
| 50 | 170 bpm | 173 bpm |
| 60 | 160 bpm | 166 bpm |
| 70 | 150 bpm | 159 bpm |
How do I calculate my target heart rate?
Multiply your maximum heart rate by the intensity you want. For a 40-year-old using 220 − age, the maximum is 180 bpm. Moderate intensity starts at 180 × 0.50 = 90 bpm and ends at 180 × 0.70 = 126 bpm. Vigorous intensity runs from 126 bpm to 180 × 0.85 = 153 bpm.
With Tanaka, a 60-year-old's maximum is 208 − 0.7 × 60 = 166 bpm rather than 160, which moves the 50% to 85% target from 80 to 136 bpm up to 83 to 141 bpm.
What is the Karvonen formula?
The Karvonen formula bases your target on heart rate reserve, the gap between your maximum and resting heart rates. It accounts for fitness, because a fitter person usually has a lower resting rate and so a larger reserve. A typical resting rate for adults is 60 to 100 bpm, according to the AHA, and very active people may rest lower.
The formula is: target heart rate = resting HR + intensity × (max HR − resting HR).
Example: a 40-year-old with a resting heart rate of 60 bpm has a reserve of 180 − 60 = 120 bpm. At 50%, the target is 60 + 0.50 × 120 = 120 bpm. At 85%, it is 60 + 0.85 × 120 = 162 bpm. That low end is well above the 90 bpm from the plain percentage method, because 50% of reserve is not the same effort label as 50% of maximum. Our calculator uses Karvonen whenever you enter a resting heart rate; leave it blank to use the percentage of maximum.
To find your resting rate, count your pulse for 30 seconds and double it, ideally before getting out of bed.
What are the 5 heart rate zones?
Training zones divide the range from 50% to 100% of maximum into five bands. Zone names are a training convention rather than an official medical standard, and different apps and watches cut them a little differently. Note that AHA's "moderate" (50% to 70%) covers zones 1 and 2 here, and AHA's "vigorous" (70% to 85%) covers zone 3 and the first half of zone 4.
These are the bands our calculator shows, along with the talk test: how much you can say while exercising. The heart rates below are percentages of maximum, using 220 − age and no resting heart rate.
| Zone | % of max | Talk test | Age 20 | Age 40 | Age 60 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Recovery | 50–60% | Easy; you could sing | 100 – 120 | 90 – 108 | 80 – 96 |
| 2 Endurance | 60–70% | Comfortable; full conversation | 120 – 140 | 108 – 126 | 96 – 112 |
| 3 Aerobic | 70–80% | Breathing harder; short sentences | 140 – 160 | 126 – 144 | 112 – 128 |
| 4 Threshold | 80–90% | Strenuous; a few words at a time | 160 – 180 | 144 – 162 | 128 – 144 |
| 5 Maximum | 90–100% | All-out; cannot talk | 180 – 200 | 162 – 180 | 144 – 160 |
How do I use my target heart rate during exercise?
Check your pulse or a watch mid-workout and adjust your effort to stay in range. Federal guidelines and the AHA recommend at least 150 minutes a week of moderate activity or 75 minutes of vigorous activity. Beginners should start near the low end of the range and build up gradually.
A heart rate target pairs well with other measures of effort. The pace calculator turns a run into a pace you can repeat: a 5K in 30 minutes is 6:00 per kilometer, or 9:39 per mile. The calories burned calculator estimates energy use from activity type rather than heart rate: for a 160-pound person, 30 minutes of fast walking is about 164 Calories, and 30 minutes of moderate running is about 373 Calories. Our guide on how many calories to eat to lose weight shows how exercise fits into a calorie budget.
When should I not rely on target heart rate?
Don't rely on age-based numbers if you take medication that affects heart rate or have a heart condition. Beta blockers, for example, lower your heart rate, so the chart can suggest a target you can't or shouldn't reach. Ask your doctor for a personal target. If you have been inactive or have a health condition, check with a clinician before starting vigorous exercise.
Stop and get medical help if you have chest pain, severe shortness of breath, dizziness or fainting during exercise. Heart rate is also affected by heat, dehydration, caffeine and stress, so a reading a little outside the range on a hot day is not unusual; the talk test is a useful check on those days.
Calculators in this guide
Frequently asked questions
What should my heart rate be while exercising at age 50?
About 85 to 145 bpm, based on a maximum of 170 bpm (220 − 50). That splits into 85 to 119 bpm for moderate activity and 119 to 145 bpm for vigorous activity.
Which max heart rate formula is most accurate?
Neither is exact for an individual. Tanaka gives higher estimates than 220 − age in older adults, while 220 − age remains the formula the AHA publishes. A supervised exercise test is the way to measure it directly.
What is zone 2 heart rate?
In our calculator, zone 2 is 60% to 70% of maximum heart rate, where you can hold a full conversation. For a 40-year-old with a 180 bpm maximum, that is 108 to 126 bpm.
Is it dangerous to exercise above my target heart rate?
Brief efforts above 85% are common in hard training for healthy people, but the estimates aren't exact. Slow down if you can't speak, and stop if you have chest pain, dizziness or unusual shortness of breath. If you have a heart condition, ask your doctor for limits.
Should I include my resting heart rate?
Include it if you know it and want a target that reflects your fitness; the calculator then uses the Karvonen method. Without it, the target is a plain percentage of maximum, as in the AHA chart.
This guide is for education and is not medical advice. Talk to a doctor or other qualified health professional about your situation.