Target Heart Rate Calculator
Karvonen zones using your resting heart rate.
Measured on waking, before getting out of bed, averaged over several mornings.
Target heart rate
146 bpm
70% of heart rate reserve
Karvonen works from the gap between resting and maximum, so a fitter heart with a lower resting rate gets appropriately different targets.
How the Target Heart Rate Calculator works
Percentage-of-maximum zones ignore how fit you already are. The Karvonen method works from heart rate reserve — the gap between resting and maximum — so a well-trained person with a resting pulse of 45 gets different targets from someone at 75, as they should.
Not medical advice. This calculator gives a general estimate, not medical advice. It cannot account for your individual health, medical history, or medication. Talk to a qualified healthcare professional before acting on any result.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Karvonen formula?
Target = ((max HR − resting HR) × intensity) + resting HR. The bracket is your heart rate reserve. At 70% intensity with a max of 190 and a resting rate of 60, the target is ((190 − 60) × 0.7) + 60 = 151 bpm.
How do I measure resting heart rate properly?
Immediately on waking, before getting out of bed, for several consecutive mornings — then average them. Anything measured after coffee, movement or stress reads high. A wearable that samples overnight generally does this better than a manual count.
Is the fat burning zone real?
It is real but widely misunderstood. At low intensity a higher proportion of energy comes from fat, yet the total energy burned is small. Harder work burns more fat in absolute terms per session. Zone choice should follow your training goal, not a label on a treadmill.
Karvonen or percentage of max heart rate?
Karvonen, if you know your resting heart rate reasonably accurately. It accounts for individual fitness and generally gives targets closer to lab-measured thresholds. Plain percentage-of-max is fine when you have no reliable resting figure.
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