Heart Rate Calculator for Cardio Workouts

Calculate your maximum heart rate and percentages to make all of your cardio exercises and workouts more effective!

Heart Rate Calculator for Cardio Workouts

Doing cardio without knowing your heart rate is like lifting weights without knowing how much they weigh. You're training without crucial information! But once you calculate your maximum heart rate and heart rate percentages, you can customize your cardio for maximum fat loss, calorie burn, and overall health!

Max Heart Rate Calculator

Your Age

Your Max Heart Rate: ?


95%: ?
90%: ?
85%: ?
80%: ?
75%: ?
70%: ?
65%: ?
60%: ?
55%: ?
50%: ?

Now that you know your maximum heart rate and percentages, here are your next steps:

1. Pick a workout plan

A strategic approach to cardiovascular training is great. Cardiovascular training alongside resistance training is even better! Following a well-designed lifting program will help you reach your fitness and physique goals faster.

2. Calculate Your Macros

Alongside how you train and perform cardio, how you eat will play a major part in your success! The Bodybuilding.com Macronutrient Calculator will give you a daily target for not only protein, but also carbohydrates, dietary fats, and calories.

3. Learn About the Best Supplements for Your Goals

Supplements can help you accelerate your results once you have your training, calories, and protein intake nailed down. Krissy Kendall, Ph.D., shares her recommendations in the articles, "8 Proven Supplements for Muscle Growth and Strength" and "5 Ways to Up Your Supplement Fat-Loss Game."

4. Join a Fitness Community

For over 10 years, members of BodySpace have been helping each other build their best bodies. Join the world's strongest fitness community!


What is the best heart rate for cardio workouts?

To perform steady-state, moderate-intensity cardio, try to stay in the range of 65-70 percent of your maximum heart rate for 30-45 minutes per session. If you are performing high-intensity interval training (HIIT), your heart rate can go as high as 80-95 percent of your max. These workouts are shorter and can range from as little as 4 minutes for a Tabata workout to 20 minutes. Each of these styles of cardio has their benefits and disadvantages.

What is a normal heart rate?

A resting heart rate can vary from as low as 40 BPM to as high as 100 BPM. Around 70 BPM is the average heart rate for a man, and 75 BPM is average for a woman. The resting heart rate can be used as an index to improve your cardiovascular fitness level with a focus on decreasing it.

How do I test my heart rate?

Heart rate monitors, many cardio machines, and smart watches all offer heart rate tracking. But you can also test it yourself.

To test your heart rate, place the tips of your index and middle fingers over the radial artery, in line with the base of the thumb, and apply light pressure to it. Do not use your thumb because it has a pulse of its own. Either count the beats for one full minute to get your heart rate, or for 30 seconds, then multiply by two to calculate your BPM.

Skip the fasted cardio. Hydrate and give your muscles fuel to perform with BCAAs before early-morning training.

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Get Systematic About Your Results

Once you have your cardio approach nailed down, it's time to take the same kind of strategic approach to the rest of your training and nutrition. These popular calculators can help you dial in your plan!

Contributing Writer

Contributing Writer

Bodybuilding.com's authors include many of the top coaches, nutritionists, and physique athletes in the world today.