Target Heart Rate Calculator

Percent of Maximum Versus Percent of Reserve

The simple target method takes a percentage of your estimated maximum heart rate. A moderate target might be 70 percent of maximum, so a person with a maximum of 190 beats per minute would aim for about 133 beats per minute. The arithmetic is a single multiplication, which is why it appears on gym charts and machine displays.

The catch is that percent of maximum ignores your resting heart rate, so the same percentage means different things to different people. Someone with a low resting pulse is working harder at 70 percent of maximum than someone with a high resting pulse, because a larger share of their range sits above rest. The Karvonen method, which uses heart rate reserve instead, corrects for this and usually gives a higher and more honest target for fit people.

Choosing a Target Percentage

The right percentage depends on the goal. Easy, conversational work sits near 60 to 70 percent of maximum, aerobic tempo near 70 to 80, and hard intervals climb above 85. Because these bands are conventions rather than sharp physiological switches, moving a few beats either way does not change the training effect. Pick a percentage that matches your intended effort and adjust by feel.