calculate your target heart rate with a formula called the "heart rate reserve" method recommends richard weil med cde. use a watch with a second hand to keep track of how many times your heart beats per minute. you can feel your heartbeat at the underside of your wrist or along the side of your neck. here's how to use the formula: determine your maximum heart rate (mhr) by subtracting your age from 220. then subtract your resting heart rate (it's best to take this when you first wake up in the morning) from your maximum heart rate to find your heart rate reserve (hrr). multiply your hrr by the percentage of your mhr at which you wish to train (60% to 85% is the usual range for people looking to increase fitness and health). add your resting heart rate back to that result to get your target rate. so assuming an age of 27 a resting heart rate of 70 beats per minute and a desired training range of 70% the calculation would look like this: 220 - 27 = 193 193 - 70 = 123 123 x. 70% = 86 86 + 70 = 156 remember this is an estimate not an absolute. also keep in mind that athletes may exceed the training zone and even the maximum heart rate during high-intensity training.
what should my heart rate be during exercise?