The Karvonen method improves on a simple age-based max heart rate estimate by also factoring in your resting heart rate, which reflects your current fitness level. Two people the same age with different resting heart rates end up with meaningfully different target zones.
| Intensity | Target BPM range |
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Use this instead of a simple age-based heart rate zone if you know your resting heart rate, since it accounts for your current fitness level rather than just your age. It's particularly worth using if you're notably more or less fit than average for your age, where a simple percentage-of-max method tends to be less accurate.
Heart rate reserve (HRR) is your estimated max heart rate (220 minus age) minus your resting heart rate. Target heart rate at a given intensity is: (HRR x intensity%) + resting heart rate. Because it starts from your actual resting rate rather than age alone, it adjusts for individual fitness differences that a simple percentage-of-max method misses.
Health Calc