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Calcimator

Target Heart Rate (Clinical) Calculator

Calculate target heart rate using the Karvonen formula with heart rate reserve. Includes all five training zones.

Inputs

years
bpm
%

Results

Target Heart Rate (Karvonen)

130 bpm

HRmax (Fox: 220 - age)170 bpm
HRmax (Tanaka: 208 - 0.7×age)173 bpm
Heart Rate Reserve100 bpm
Target HR (%HRmax method)102 bpm
Aerobic Zone (70-80% HRR)140 bpm
Aerobic Zone Upper150 bpm
How to Use This Calculator
  1. Enter patient age and resting heart rate (bpm).
  2. Set target exercise intensity as a percentage of heart rate reserve (HRR).
  3. Review Target HR (Karvonen), HRmax by Fox and Tanaka formulas, HR Reserve, and HR Zones.
  4. Use Zone 3 aerobic range (70–80% HRR) for standard cardiac rehab exercise prescription.

How the result changes with Target intensity

Target intensityTarget Heart Rate (Karvonen)
1080 bpm
35105 bpm
65135 bpm
90160 bpm

What each input means

Age
Patient age in years for HRmax estimation.
Resting heart rate
Resting heart rate measured after 5 minutes of seated rest.
Target intensity
Desired exercise intensity as % of heart rate reserve (HRR).

What each result means

Target Heart Rate (Karvonen)
THR = ((HRmax - HRrest) × intensity%) + HRrest.
HRmax (Fox: 220 - age)
Age-predicted maximum heart rate (Fox formula).
HRmax (Tanaka: 208 - 0.7×age)
Tanaka formula, more accurate for older adults.
Heart Rate Reserve
HRmax - resting HR. The working range for exercise prescription.
Target HR (%HRmax method)
Simpler %HRmax method for comparison. Less accurate than Karvonen.
Aerobic Zone (70-80% HRR)
Zone 3 lower bound. Typical cardiac rehab target zone.
Aerobic Zone Upper
Zone 3 upper bound.

How this is calculated

Worked example, using the default values

  1. Identify Input Parameters
    Age = 50, Resting heart rate = 70, Target intensity = 60 = 3 input(s) provided
  2. Calculate Target Heart Rate
    Target Heart Rate = hrReserve * (targetIntensity / 100) + restingHR
    130 = 130
  3. Calculate HRmax
    HRmax
    170 = 170
  4. Calculate HRmax
    HRmax
    173 = 173

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