Estimated heart-rate ranges
Ranges use 220 minus age as an average maximum-heart-rate estimate. Decimal endpoints are displayed to one decimal place, not as precise individual thresholds. The custom percentages are your chosen comparison range.
For a separate weight-and-duration estimate of activity energy, use the Calories Burned Calculator .
The formula
The moderate guide uses 50–70% and the vigorous guide uses 70–85% of the estimated maximum. These ranges share the 70% boundary. This is a percentage-of-maximum model; it does not use resting heart rate or calculate heart-rate reserve.
An age-30 estimate
For age 30, estimated maximum is 220 − 30 = 190 bpm. The 50–70% moderate guide is 95.0–133.0 bpm. The 70–85% vigorous guide is 133.0–161.5 bpm. A custom 60–75% range is 114.0–142.5 bpm.
How to use this calculator
- Enter your adult age in whole years.
- Choose the lower and upper percentages of the estimated maximum for your custom range.
- Calculate and compare the custom result with the moderate and vigorous guides.
Understand what the maximum estimate represents
Subtracting age from 220 provides a convenient population-level approximation. It does not measure your own maximum during an exercise test. People of the same age can have different heart-rate responses. The calculator uses the age you enter and performs no fitness assessment, so a clean numeric result should be read as a model output rather than evidence about your cardiovascular health.
Keep percentage models separate
A percentage of maximum multiplies one maximum estimate directly. Heart-rate-reserve approaches subtract a resting rate first, apply an intensity percentage to that reserve, and then add the resting rate back. The same written percentage therefore produces a different result in those models. This page implements only the direct percentage-of-maximum method, with explicit labels so it is easier to compare a training plan’s terminology.
Read custom ranges as arithmetic choices
The two percentage inputs let you reproduce a range supplied elsewhere or compare nearby assumptions. They do not determine which intensity is appropriate for you. Both endpoints use the unrounded maximum estimate; displayed decimal precision is only a formatting choice. Medication and health conditions can change heart-rate response and suitable exercise targets. Use an individually established exercise target when one has been provided instead of replacing it with this age formula.
Assumptions & limitations
What this calculation assumes
- Uses the AHA general guide of 220 minus age and direct percentages of that estimate.
What to keep in mind
- Adult ages of 18–100 are supported; the formula is an average and may differ from a measured maximum.
- No heart-rate-reserve calculation, individual training prescription, medication adjustment, or diagnostic interpretation.
Common questions
Why do the two guide ranges meet at 70 percent?
The AHA guide uses 50–70% for moderate and 70–85% for vigorous intensity. The boundary belongs to both displayed ranges rather than creating a one-bpm gap.
Is 220 minus age my exact maximum?
No. It is an age-based average estimate. A measured or clinically established value can differ.
Does entering a higher percentage recommend harder exercise?
No. The custom inputs simply multiply the estimate by the percentages entered. They do not assess your appropriate exercise intensity.