Exercise zones by age

What heart rate should you aim for during exercise? Choose your age to see your moderate and vigorous zones.

Your numbers

Your result appears as soon as you choose. Select See full answer for details.

Zones use an estimated maximum heart rate of 220 minus your age, for women and men.

Choose a number to see your result.

How the zones are set

Moderate exercise is about 50% to 70% of your estimated maximum heart rate. Vigorous exercise is about 70% to 85%. Exactly 70% counts as vigorous.

How to read your result

220 minus your age

Your estimated maximum heart rate is 220 minus your age, for women and men. This is the estimate on the American Heart Association chart.

Moderate and vigorous

Moderate exercise is about 50% to 70% of your maximum. Vigorous exercise is about 70% to 85%. Exactly 70% counts as vigorous.

A second estimate for women

A 2010 study estimated a woman's maximum as 206 minus 0.88 times her age. We show it for comparison. It doesn't change your zones.

Choose an age

Choose an age to see its full answer.

Under 20

Under 1 year1 year2 years3 years4 years5 years6 years7 years8 years9 years10 years11 years12 years13 years14 years15 years16 years17 years18 years19 years

Ages 20 to 59

20 years21 years22 years23 years24 years25 years26 years27 years28 years29 years30 years31 years32 years33 years34 years35 years36 years37 years38 years39 years40 years41 years42 years43 years44 years45 years46 years47 years48 years49 years50 years51 years52 years53 years54 years55 years56 years57 years58 years59 years

Ages 60 to 90

60 years61 years62 years63 years64 years65 years66 years67 years68 years69 years70 years71 years72 years73 years74 years75 years76 years77 years78 years79 years80 years81 years82 years83 years84 years85 years86 years87 years88 years89 years90 years

How to measure

  1. Count the beats for 15 seconds, then multiply by 4.
  2. Compare that number with the zones for your age.
  3. Stop and get help if you have chest pain, feel faint or have trouble breathing.

Common questions

Short answers about how these calculators work.

The American Heart Association target heart rate chart uses 220 minus age for everyone. We show the second estimate for women so you can compare the two.

No. A zone is an estimate of how hard you're working. Chest pain, fainting or trouble breathing needs medical help, whatever your heart rate.

Sources

Where these numbers come from

  1. Target heart rates chart (opens in a new tab) - American Heart AssociationTarget heart rate zones by age
  2. Heart rate response to exercise stress testing in asymptomatic women (opens in a new tab) - Circulation (American Heart Association journal), 2010A second maximum heart rate estimate for women
Medical disclaimer Healthly is for general information only. It isn't medical advice and can't diagnose or treat any condition. Talk with your doctor about your own numbers. If you think you're having a medical emergency, call 911 or your local emergency number. How we get our numbers