Heart Rate Zones for Training, Explained
How to find your maximum heart rate, what the five training zones mean, how the Karvonen method personalises them, and how to use them to train smarter for fitness and endurance.
Karvonen Heart Rate Calculator
Verified formula Updated Jun 2026 Private — runs on your device
Verified formula
Private
Target heart rate
151
- Heart rate reserve
- 130
For general information only — not financial, tax, legal or medical advice. Verify before you rely on it.
How to use the Karvonen Heart Rate Calculator
The Karvonen Heart Rate Calculator works out your target heart rate, along with 1 related figure in an instant. Enter age, resting heart rate and training intensity and the result updates as you type — it is free, needs no sign-up, and runs entirely in your browser so your figures stay private.
- Enter the age.
- Enter the resting heart rate.
- Enter the training intensity.
- Read off your target heart rate, together with heart rate reserve — the calculator updates automatically, with no button to press.
Formula
The Karvonen Heart Rate Calculator uses the formula:
Target heart rate = ((220 - Age) - Resting heart rate) × Training intensity ÷ 100 + Resting heart rate
Worked example
For example, with age of 30 years, resting heart rate of 60 bpm and training intensity of 7%, the target heart rate is 151.
| Age | 30 years |
|---|---|
| Resting heart rate | 60 bpm |
| Training intensity | 7% |
| Target heart rate | 151 |
|---|---|
| Heart rate reserve | 130 |
Results are estimates for educational use, not professional advice.
Frequently asked questions
It finds target heart rate using heart rate reserve: target = (max HR − resting HR) × intensity + resting HR, where max HR is about 220 − age.
It includes your resting heart rate, so it personalises the target to your fitness rather than using a flat percentage of maximum.
It is the gap between your maximum and resting heart rates — the range your heart rate can work across during exercise.
Roughly 50–70% for moderate effort and 70–85% for vigorous training. Pick a value to match your goal and fitness.
Enter the age. Enter the resting heart rate. Enter the training intensity. Read off your target heart rate, together with heart rate reserve — the calculator updates automatically, with no button to press.
Related guides
Karvonen Heart Rate Table: Target heart rate by Age
Reference table of target heart rate for Karvonen Heart Rate across a range of age values — exact, engine-computed figures you can read off at a glance.
How to Calculate Karvonen Heart Rate: Formula, Steps & Examples
Learn how to calculate Karvonen Heart Rate — the formula explained step by step, with worked examples and a free calculator to check your answer.