Understanding Your Target Heart Rate 

Whenever you are exercising, your heart rate increases as your body craves oxygen-filled blood. Most people have probably noticed this, but perhaps you are wondering if there is an ideal number that you want your heart rate to reach when exercising. There is, and it is called your target heart rate (THR). In this post, we will explain what your target heart rate is, how to find it, and how to reach it safely.

What Is Your Target Heart Rate?

Your heart rate is simply the amount of times your heart beats per minute (bpm). When you exert any physical energy, your heart rate increases. That’s why when you exercise, you can feel your heart beating harder and faster than normally. 

Your target heart rate is the range in which your heart should be beating when you are exercising. When you reach your target rate, then you are exerting the optimal amount of effort for an exercise. When you hit your this rate, that’s how you know that you aren’t just wasting time with an easy exercise and helps to let you know when you are pushing yourself too hard. 

How to Find Your Target Heart Rate

Your target heart rate is simple enough to find. As you get older, you’ll notice that this target rate will steadily decrease. Before you can find your target rate, you’ll need to figure out your maximum heart rate. For most relatively healthy people, this can be done by subtracting your age from 220. So for a 20 year old, the maximum heart rate will be 200. For a 30 year old, it’s 190. For a 50 year old, it’s 170. And so on. 

Your target rate will usually be around 50-85% of your maximum heart rate. So, to find this, just multiply your maximum heart rate by .5 and .85. For a 20 year old, with a maximum heart rate of 200, their target rate would be between 100 and 170 bpm. 

Take a look at our table below for example of sample target heart rates for different age groups. Remember that this is just a guide, so always aim to speak with a physician before starting a new exercise program so you can remain safe. 

Sample THR’s

Age	Maximum Heart Rate (bpm)	Target Heart Rate (bpm)
20	200	100-175
30	190	95-162
40	180	90-153
50	170	85-145
60	160	80-136

Keep Your Heart Healthy With Brookhaven Heart 

Of course, everyone is different. If you have a heart or other health condition, then you should speak with your primary care provider to determine what your THR should be. Exercising should always be about bettering yourself and should never be dangerous. With that said, if you have any heart condition or are curious about how you can keep your heart healthy, give Brookhaven Heart a call. Our staff is dedicated to keeping your heart health in top shape so that you can enjoy your life. Give us a call or visit one of our offices so we can keep your heart in shape!