Target heart rate by age
Train too easy and you waste the session; too hard and you cannot keep it up. Your target heart rate zone is the sweet spot, and it is set almost entirely by your age.
Find your max heart rate and the training zones for moderate and vigorous exercise.
The difference between a workout that pays off and one that does not is often invisible: it is your heart rate. Push too gently and you barely stress the system; push too hard and you burn out before the session does its job. Your target heart rate is the band in between, the range where cardio actually improves, and the good news is that it is set almost entirely by one number you already know: your age. Here is how to work it out, a chart by age, what the zones mean, and how to check you are in the right one.
What target heart rate means
Your target heart rate is a percentage of your maximum heart rate, the fastest your heart can safely beat. For general fitness, the target zone sits between about 50% and 85% of that maximum. Below 50% you are barely working; above 85% you are into hard, unsustainable effort. Staying inside the zone is what makes cardio efficient: enough stress to improve your heart and lungs, not so much that you have to stop.
The reason age matters so much is that your maximum heart rate falls as you get older. That is normal and has nothing to do with fitness. It simply means a 25-year-old and a 55-year-old doing the same run should be aiming at different numbers on the monitor.
The formula in one line
Start with the most widely used estimate of maximum heart rate:
Maximum heart rate = 220 minus your age.
Then take the percentages of that number to get your zone. For moderate exercise aim for 50 to 70% of your maximum, and for vigorous exercise aim for 70 to 85%. So a 40-year-old has an estimated maximum of 180 beats per minute (bpm), a moderate zone of roughly 90 to 126 bpm, and a vigorous zone of about 126 to 153 bpm.
Target heart rate by age
Using 220 minus age, here is the moderate-to-vigorous target zone (50 to 85% of maximum) at a few ages, rounded to whole beats:
Age 20: max 200 bpm, target zone about 100 to 170 bpm.
Age 30: max 190 bpm, target zone about 95 to 162 bpm.
Age 40: max 180 bpm, target zone about 90 to 153 bpm.
Age 50: max 170 bpm, target zone about 85 to 145 bpm.
Age 60: max 160 bpm, target zone about 80 to 136 bpm.
Age 70: max 150 bpm, target zone about 75 to 128 bpm.
Find your own age rather than rounding to the nearest ten, because every year shifts the numbers. The free target heart rate calculator does the exact maths and prints each zone for you.
The zones, and the fat-burn myth
Within the target range, coaches talk about lighter and harder zones. The lower part, roughly 60 to 70% of maximum, is often labelled the fat-burn zone because a larger share of the calories you burn there comes from fat. That label causes a lot of confusion. It is true that the percentage from fat is higher at lower intensity, but the total calories burned are lower too. Work harder in the cardio zone, roughly 70 to 85%, and you burn more calories overall, including more fat in absolute terms, in the same time.
So which should you use? Both. Easy zone-2 sessions build endurance and are easy to recover from, while harder sessions drive fitness up faster. For weight loss it is the total calories and the consistency that matter, not chasing a magic fat-burn number. If your goal is fat loss, our guide on how many calories to lose weight is the piece that actually moves the needle, and the calories burned calculator estimates what a session costs.
How to measure your heart rate
You have two easy options. A chest strap or wrist fitness watch shows your beats per minute live, which is the simplest way to hold a zone. Without a device, pause and count your pulse at the wrist or neck for 15 seconds, then multiply by four. If the number is below your zone, lift the effort; if it is above, ease off until it settles back in range.
Do not obsess over a single reading. Heart rate drifts with heat, caffeine, sleep and stress, so treat the zone as a target to hover around, not a line to hit exactly.
Where the simple formula falls short
The 220 minus age rule is a population average, and individuals vary by around 10 to 12 bpm either way. Very fit people, or those on certain medications such as beta blockers, can sit well outside the estimate. If you are new to exercise, pregnant, or managing a heart condition, check with a doctor before training hard, and use how you feel alongside the number: you should be working, but still in control of your breathing.
For a quick, personalised set of zones, put your age into the target heart rate calculator. It applies the formula, shows your moderate and vigorous ranges in beats per minute, and takes the guesswork out of your next session, whether you are building base fitness or pushing for a personal best.
Frequently asked questions
How do I calculate my target heart rate?
Estimate your maximum heart rate as 220 minus your age, then take 50 to 85% of it for the general target zone. For moderate exercise use 50 to 70%, and for vigorous exercise 70 to 85%. For example, at age 40 the maximum is 180 bpm and the target zone is roughly 90 to 153 bpm.
What is a good target heart rate by age?
As a rough guide using 220 minus age, the 50 to 85% target zone is about 100 to 170 bpm at age 20, 90 to 153 bpm at 40, and 80 to 136 bpm at 60. The maximum, and therefore the zone, drops by about one beat per year, so use your exact age.
What is the fat-burning heart rate zone?
It is the lower part of the target range, roughly 60 to 70% of your maximum heart rate. A higher share of calories burned there comes from fat, but the total calories are lower than at higher intensity. For overall fat loss, total calories and consistency matter more than staying in this one zone.
Is 220 minus age accurate?
It is a useful average, not an exact figure. Individual maximum heart rates vary by around 10 to 12 bpm in either direction, and medications such as beta blockers can shift it further. Use it as a starting point and adjust to how you feel and to any advice from your doctor.
How do I check my heart rate during exercise?
Use a chest strap or wrist fitness watch for a live reading, or pause and count your pulse at the wrist or neck for 15 seconds and multiply by four. Adjust your effort to bring the number into your target zone.