Target Heart Rate Calculator

Your target heart rate is the range you aim to keep your pulse in during a workout to get the result you want. Train too easy and you barely stimulate your cardiovascular system; train too hard and you fade before the session does its job. Most guidance splits aerobic exercise into a fat-burn / moderate range (~60–70% of max HR) and a cardio / vigorous range (~70–85% of max HR). This calculator turns your age into a personalized bpm window for each.

Fat-Burn vs Cardio Ranges

• Fat-burn / moderate (~60–70% max HR). A conversational, sustainable pace. At this intensity a higher proportion of calories comes from fat, which is why it earned the "fat-burning zone" label. It builds your aerobic base and is easy to recover from.
• Cardio / vigorous (~70–85% max HR). Harder, breathier work that improves your heart's stroke volume and overall cardiovascular fitness. You burn more total calories per minute here, even if a smaller share comes from fat.

A common myth is that the lower zone burns more fat overall. It burns a higher percentage of fat, but the higher zone burns more total calories — and total energy expenditure is what drives weight change. The best plan usually mixes both.

How to Compute Your Target Range

For the fat-burn range use 0.60 and 0.70; for the cardio range use 0.70 and 0.85. The two ranges meet at 70%, so as you push harder you simply move from the top of one into the other.

Worked Example

Take a 35-year-old:

• Max HR = 220 − 35 = 185 bpm
• Fat-burn range: 185 × 0.60 = 111 to 185 × 0.70 = 130 → 111–130 bpm
• Cardio range: 185 × 0.70 = 130 to 185 × 0.85 = 157 → 130–157 bpm

So this person aims for about 111–130 bpm on easy aerobic days and 130–157 bpm when chasing cardiovascular fitness.

Target Ranges by Age

Estimated target heart-rate windows (bpm) using Max HR = 220 − age.

Tips for Hitting Your Range

• Warm up first. Heart rate lags effort, so give it a few minutes to settle into the band.
• Account for drift. On long sessions in heat your heart rate creeps up at the same pace — ease off to stay in range.
• Use the talk test as a backup. In the fat-burn range you can chat; in the cardio range you can only manage short phrases.

Note: These ranges are general fitness guidelines, not medical advice, and use an age-based estimate of max heart rate that can be off by ±10–12 bpm. If you take medication that affects heart rate or have a cardiovascular condition, consult a healthcare professional before setting intensity targets.