Exercise heart rates for 66 year olds

Target heart rate

77–131 bpm

At 66, your heart rate for moderate exercise is about 77 to 107 bpm. For vigorous exercise, it's about 108 to 131 bpm.

ModerateVigorousAbove target range
Estimated maximum
154 bpm
Moderate
50–70% of maximum
Vigorous
70–85% of maximum
Your maximum heart rate is an estimate, not a limit. Stop exercising and get help if you have chest pain, feel faint or have trouble breathing.

Check your workout heart rate

Choose a number to see your result.

Heart rate zones at 66

Your estimated maximum heart rate is 220 minus your age, or 154 bpm. For women, a second formula from a 2010 study (206 − 0.88 × age) gives 148 bpm at 66. The zones below use the first estimate.

Zone% of maximumHeart rate
LightUnder 50%Under 77 bpmUnder 50%
Moderate50–70%77–107 bpm50–70%
Vigorous70–85%108–131 bpm70–85%
Above target rangeOver 85%132–154 bpmOver 85%
Above estimated maximumOver 100%Over 154 bpmOver 100%

What it means

How your zones are set. Your zones are based on an estimated maximum heart rate of 220 minus your age, the same for women and men. This is the estimate on the American Heart Association target heart rate chart. Moderate exercise is 50% to 70% of that maximum, and vigorous exercise is 70% to 85%.

A second estimate for women. A 2010 study by Gulati and colleagues estimated a woman's maximum heart rate as 206 minus 0.88 times her age. We show that number for comparison. It doesn't change your zones.

Zones describe effort, not results. Moderate and vigorous describe how hard you're working. They don't promise any particular result from a workout.

How to check your heart rate during exercise

  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.

Nearby ages

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