Inputs
Heart rate zone panelHeart rate zone panel
Enter age and an optional resting heart rate to estimate your target training zones.
What this calculator helps you understand
What this tool answers
This target heart rate calculator helps you understand what heart rate you should train at for easier steady sessions, harder cardio sessions, and short peak efforts. It is the right first step when you want a planned training zone rather than a live workout reading.
Heart rate guide
Heart rate zones breakdown
The fat burn zone is usually the easier end of the range, the cardio zone is the middle effort band, and the peak zone is for short high-intensity bursts. Those ranges are broad planning tools, not exact performance labels.
- Fat burn: easier steady work, often around 50% to 60% of reserve.
- Cardio: moderate-to-hard effort, often around 60% to 75% of reserve.
- Peak: short bursts, often around 80% to 90% of reserve.
Training
Training intensity explanation
Training intensity changes how hard your heart works relative to your baseline. A resting heart rate gives the estimate more context, while age helps shape the maximum heart rate side of the calculation.
Use case
How to use zones for fitness
If you are building endurance, zone targets help you avoid working harder than the session needs. If you are training for speed or conditioning, the zone labels help you decide when to stay controlled and when to push.
Comparison
Calculator vs real tracking methods
A calculator gives you a planning range, while a watch or chest strap gives live feedback during the workout. The calculator is best for the starting plan and the tracker is best for checking whether you actually stayed in the zone.
Next step
What this means for you
Use the fat burn zone for steady work, the cardio zone for harder aerobic sessions, and the peak zone only for short intervals. In practice, the zone should guide your training target, not replace a live reading.
- Use the result to pick a session target.
- Check resting heart rate for a baseline view.
- Use VO2 max if you want cardio fitness context.
Interpretation
Is this good or bad?
Neither result is inherently good or bad on its own. A target zone is “good” when it matches the workout goal. Use it to stay controlled, stay hard, or stay easy depending on the session you planned.