Target Heart Rate Calculator
Find your training heart-rate zones from your age, using either a percentage of maximum heart rate or the more personal Karvonen heart-rate-reserve method.
Cómo usar esta calculadora
- 1Enter your age.
- 2Choose the percentage-of-max method, or Karvonen for a more personal result.
- 3If using Karvonen, enter your resting heart rate, measured before getting up.
- 4Read your training zones and pick the one that matches your workout's goal.
Cómo funciona
Heart-rate zones
max heart rate ≈ 220 − age % of max method: target = max HR × intensity reserve = max HR − resting HR Karvonen: target = resting + reserve × intensity
Training heart-rate zones translate exercise intensity into a number you can actually watch on a monitor. They start from an estimate of your maximum heart rate, most simply the venerable 220 − age (the Tanaka formula, 208 − 0.7 × age, fits older adults a little better). The percentage-of-max method then multiplies that maximum by an intensity fraction to set each zone. The Karvonen method is more personal: it works from your heart-rate reserve — the gap between your maximum and your resting rate — and adds a fraction of that reserve to your resting rate. Because resting heart rate falls as fitness improves, Karvonen zones adapt to the individual in a way that a flat percentage of maximum cannot.
Ejemplo resuelto
For a 30-year-old, maximum heart rate is about 220 − 30 = 190 bpm. Using a simple percentage of max, the aerobic zone (70–80%) works out to roughly 133–152 bpm. With the Karvonen method and a resting rate of 60, the same zone shifts up to about 151–164 bpm, because it anchors to the heart-rate reserve.
Target Heart Rate Calculator: la guía completa
What heart-rate zones tell you
Your heart rate is a direct readout of how hard your body is working, which makes it one of the best tools for steering a workout. Training zones divide the range between rest and maximum into bands, each linked to a different physiological effect. Easy zones improve endurance and aid recovery; moderate zones build aerobic fitness; hard zones push the anaerobic and VO₂-max systems that drive speed and peak performance. Knowing which zone you are in stops you from the two most common mistakes: going too hard on easy days and not hard enough on hard ones.
The much-discussed 'fat-burning zone' — roughly 60–70% of maximum — is real but widely misunderstood. At that gentle intensity the body draws a larger proportion of its energy from fat, but the total calories burned per minute are lower than at higher intensities. For fat loss, total energy expenditure over time matters more than the fuel mix, so the fat-burning zone is not a shortcut. Its genuine value is as a sustainable pace for long, easy sessions that build a base without excessive fatigue.
Percentage of max versus Karvonen
The simplest way to set zones is a straight percentage of maximum heart rate — 70% of max, 80% of max, and so on. It needs only your age and is easy to compute, but it ignores an important variable: your resting heart rate, which reflects how fit you are. Two people the same age can have very different resting rates, and the percentage-of-max method gives them identical zones regardless.
The Karvonen method fixes this by working from heart-rate reserve, the difference between your maximum and resting rates. It adds a percentage of that reserve to your resting rate, so a fitter person with a lower resting heart rate gets zones tuned to their larger reserve. The result is usually a set of zones a little higher than the plain percentage method, and generally more appropriate for the individual. If you have measured your resting heart rate, Karvonen is the better choice; if not, the percentage method is a reasonable default.
The limits of an age-based maximum
Every zone here rests on an estimate of your maximum heart rate, and the familiar 220 − age formula is only a population average. Real maximums scatter widely around it — studies find a standard deviation of around 10 to 12 beats per minute, which means a substantial minority of people have a true maximum 20 or more beats above or below the estimate. Someone whose actual maximum is well off the average will find these zones systematically too high or too low.
The only way to know your true maximum is to measure it, either in a supervised maximal exercise test or by noting the highest rate you reach during an all-out effort. For most recreational exercisers the estimate is close enough to be useful, especially when combined with perceived effort — if a 'moderate' zone feels brutally hard, trust your body over the number. Heart-rate zones are a guide to be calibrated against how you actually feel, not a law to be obeyed to the beat.
Preguntas frecuentes
How do I calculate my target heart rate?
First estimate your maximum heart rate as 220 minus your age. Then multiply by the intensity you want — for example 70% to 80% for the aerobic zone. The Karvonen method refines this by using your heart-rate reserve (max minus resting) instead of the raw maximum.
What is the fat-burning heart rate zone?
It is roughly 60–70% of maximum heart rate, where a larger share of energy comes from fat. But total calories burned per minute are lower than at higher intensities, so it is not a weight-loss shortcut. Its real use is as a sustainable pace for long, easy sessions.
Is the Karvonen method better?
Usually, if you know your resting heart rate. Karvonen uses your heart-rate reserve, so it personalises the zones to your fitness — a fitter person with a lower resting rate gets appropriately higher zones. The plain percentage-of-max method ignores resting rate and is a fine default otherwise.
How accurate is the 220 minus age formula?
It is a population average with a wide spread — individual maximums can be 10 to 20 bpm higher or lower. It is close enough for most recreational training, but if a zone feels far too hard or easy, trust your perceived effort. A supervised test gives your true maximum.