Target Heart Rate Calculator
Calculate your target heart rate zones for different exercise intensities to optimize your training.
Providing your resting heart rate enables more accurate calculations using the Karvonen method
Very Light (50-60%)
Recovery, warm-up, and cool-down activities
Light (60-70%)
Fat burning, base aerobic fitness
Moderate (70-80%)
Aerobic base building, steady-state cardio
Hard (80-90%)
Lactate threshold, tempo training
VO2 Max (90-100%)
Maximum effort, interval training
Karvonen Formula (Recommended)
Uses your heart rate reserve (maximum HR minus resting HR) for more personalized calculations.
Target HR = (Max HR - Resting HR) × Intensity% + Resting HR
Haskell & Fox Method
Simple percentage-based calculation using maximum heart rate.
Target HR = Max HR × Intensity%
Step-by-Step Guide
Choose Your Maximum Heart Rate Method
Select "Estimate from age" for a quick calculation or "Test result" if you've had a fitness assessment or stress test.
Enter Your Age or Test Result
If estimating from age, enter your current age. If using test results, enter your measured maximum heart rate.
Add Your Resting Heart Rate (Optional but Recommended)
Measure your resting heart rate first thing in the morning before getting out of bed. Count your pulse for 60 seconds or use a heart rate monitor. This enables the more accurate Karvonen formula.
Review Your Results
The calculator automatically generates your personalized heart rate zones. Focus on the moderate to hard zones (70-90%) for most training sessions.
Tips for Accurate Results
- • Measure resting heart rate for 3-5 consecutive mornings and use the average
- • If you're on beta-blockers or other heart medications, consult your physician
- • Athletes may have lower resting heart rates (40-60 bpm) which is normal
- • Dehydration, caffeine, and stress can temporarily elevate heart rate
Heart rate training is based on the principle that different training intensities elicit specific physiological adaptations. By monitoring and controlling exercise intensity through heart rate, athletes can optimize training effectiveness while minimizing the risk of overtraining.
Understanding Heart Rate Zones
Zone 1: Recovery Zone (50-60% HRmax)
Physiological Effects: Enhanced blood flow, improved recovery, minimal lactate production. Research shows this zone promotes active recovery by increasing circulation without significant metabolic stress (Laursen & Buchheit, 2019).
Training Purpose: Recovery between hard sessions, warm-up, cool-down, rehabilitation from injury.
Zone 2: Aerobic Base Zone (60-70% HRmax)
Physiological Effects: Increased mitochondrial density, enhanced fat oxidation, improved capillarization. Studies demonstrate that Zone 2 training maximizes fat metabolism and builds aerobic enzymatic capacity (Seiler, 2010).
Training Purpose: Building aerobic base, long slow distance runs, fat burning optimization. Elite endurance athletes typically spend 80-90% of training time in this zone.
Zone 3: Aerobic Threshold Zone (70-80% HRmax)
Physiological Effects: Improved cardiac output, increased stroke volume, enhanced oxygen delivery to muscles. This zone corresponds to the first lactate threshold (LT1) where lactate begins to accumulate but is still cleared efficiently (Faude et al., 2009).
Training Purpose: Tempo runs, steady-state cardio, marathon pace training. Improves the body's ability to clear lactate and utilize oxygen efficiently.
Zone 4: Anaerobic Threshold Zone (80-90% HRmax)
Physiological Effects: Training at lactate threshold (LT2), improved lactate buffering capacity, increased glycolytic power. Research indicates this zone maximizes improvements in VO2max and lactate threshold (Billat, 2001).
Training Purpose: Threshold runs, 10K to half-marathon race pace, time trials. Critical for improving sustained high-intensity performance.
Zone 5: VO2 Max Zone (90-100% HRmax)
Physiological Effects: Maximal oxygen uptake improvements, enhanced neuromuscular power, increased anaerobic capacity. Training in this zone elicits the greatest improvements in maximal aerobic power (Midgley et al., 2006).
Training Purpose: High-intensity interval training (HIIT), 3K-5K race pace, peak performance development. Limited to 5-10% of total training volume due to high stress.
Scientific Basis for Heart Rate Training
The Lactate Threshold Concept
The lactate threshold represents the exercise intensity at which lactate production exceeds clearance. Training at or near this threshold (Zone 4) has been shown to be one of the best predictors of endurance performance and can be improved through targeted training (Jones & Carter, 2000).
Polarized Training Distribution
Research on elite endurance athletes reveals a polarized training distribution: approximately 80% of training in Zones 1-2 (low intensity) and 20% in Zones 4-5 (high intensity), with minimal time in Zone 3. This distribution optimizes adaptation while minimizing fatigue (Stöggl & Sperlich, 2014).
Heart Rate Variability and Recovery
Heart rate variability (HRV) reflects autonomic nervous system balance. Training in appropriate heart rate zones maintains optimal HRV, indicating good recovery and adaptation. Excessive high-intensity training without adequate recovery can suppress HRV, signaling overtraining (Plews et al., 2013).
Individual Variation
Maximum heart rate shows significant individual variation (standard deviation ±10-12 bpm) even among people of the same age. Factors including genetics, fitness level, altitude, and environmental conditions affect heart rate response. This underscores the importance of using actual measured values when possible (Robergs & Landwehr, 2002).
Key Research References
- • Billat, L. V. (2001). Interval training for performance: A scientific and empirical practice. Sports Medicine, 31(1), 13-31.
- • Faude, O., Kindermann, W., & Meyer, T. (2009). Lactate threshold concepts. Sports Medicine, 39(6), 469-490.
- • Laursen, P. B., & Buchheit, M. (2019). Science and application of high-intensity interval training. Human Kinetics.
- • Seiler, S. (2010). What is best practice for training intensity and duration distribution in endurance athletes? International Journal of Sports Physiology and Performance, 5(3), 276-291.
- • Stöggl, T., & Sperlich, B. (2014). Polarized training has greater impact on key endurance variables than threshold, high intensity, or high volume training. Frontiers in Physiology, 5, 33.