Your Target Heart Rate

Hitting your target heart rate just got easier


By David Muir/Getty Images
Your Target Heart Rate

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This is the pulse rate that tells you whether you're exercising hard enough to promote heart fitness. Target heart rate (THR) has always been based on a unisex formula, but now researchers say that works out to be too high for women. The new calculations are in this chart. Why the big range? If you're a newcomer to exercise (or a return visitor), aim for the lowest part of the zone (50 percent) for the first few weeks. Then you can gradually build up; 85 percent (the top number) is considered the maximum, which you might want to try for after six months.

Age (in years) Target HR Zone (50-85%) in beats per minute
20 94-160
25 92-156
30 90-153
35 88-149
40 85-145
45 83-141
50 81-138
55 79-134
60 77-130
65 74-126
70 72-123

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