Understanding & Tracking Your Target Heart Rate
Monitoring your heart rate during physical activity is an effective way to gauge exercise intensity, track your fitness level, and ensure you get the maximum benefit from every step, swing, and squat safely.
1. Resting Heart Rate: The Baseline
Your resting heart rate (RHR) is the number of times your heart beats per minute when you are completely at rest.
How to measure: Check it first thing in the morning after a good night's sleep, before getting out of bed or having coffee.
Normal range:60 to 100 beats per minute (bpm) for most adults. Highly active individuals or athletes may have heart rates in the 40s and 50s.
Why it matters: Lower resting rates generally indicate better cardiovascular condition, meaning your heart doesn't have to work as hard to maintain a steady beat.
2. Maximum Heart Rate & Target Zones
Your maximum heart rate is the peak workload your cardiovascular system can safely handle. There are two standard ways to estimate it:
Standard Formula: (Karvonen Method): Subtract your age from 220 (220-Age).
Tanaka Formula (For Healthy Adults): Multiply your age by 0.7 and subtract that number from 208 (208-0.7×Age).
Target Heart Rate Zones
Once you know your estimated maximum, aim for these ranges during workouts:
Moderate Intensity: 50% to 70% of your maximum heart rate
Vigorous Intensity: 70% to 85% of your maximum heart rate
Heart Rate Reserve (HRR) Method: For a precise vigorous exercise target, subtract your resting heart rate from your maximum heart rate. Multiply this HRR by 0.70 (lower limit) and 0.85 (upper limit), then add your resting heart rate back to each figure.
Target Heart Rates by Age
Age Target HR Zone (50%–85%) Age-Predicted Maximum HR
20 years 100–170 bpm 200 bpm
30 years 95–162 bpm 190 bpm
35 years 93–157 bpm 185 bpm
40 years 90–153 bpm 180 bpm
45 years 88–149 bpm 175 bpm
50 years 85–145 bpm 170 bpm
55 years 83–140 bpm 165 bpm
60 years 80–136 bpm 160 bpm
65 years 78–132 bpm 155 bpm
70 years 75–128 bpm 150 bpm
Note: These figures are general population averages to use as a baseline guide. (The American Heart Association.)
3. How to Check Your Pulse During Workouts
While wearable trackers automatically measure heart rate, you can also check manually:
Locate your pulse: Place the tips of your index and middle fingers (not your thumb) on the inside of your wrist, below the thumb.
Count the beats:
Count for 15 seconds and multiply by 4, OR
Count for 30 seconds and multiply by 2.
4. Adjusting Your Workout Intensity
If your heart rate is too high: You are straining—slow your pace down.
If your heart rate is too low: If intensity feels light and your goal is fitness or weight loss, gradually increase your effort.
For beginners: Aim for the lower end of your target zone (50%) and build up over time.
Medication Note: Certain medications (such as blood pressure drugs) lower heart rate limits.
