To improve your cardiovascular fitness, you need to raise your heart rate to a certain level and keep it there for 20 minutes. Ideally, you should be working within the 50 to 75 percent of your maximum heart rate, a range called your target heart rate.
Age 20 Years
- Target Heart Rate: (50-75%) 100-150 beats per minute
- Ave. Maximum Heart Rate (100%): 200
Age 25 Years
- Target Heart Rate: (50-75%) 98-146 beats per minute
- Ave. Maximum Heart Rate (100%): 195
Age 30 Years
- Target Heart Rate: (50-75%) 95-142 beats per minute
- Ave. Maximum Heart Rate (100%): 190
Age 35 Years
- Target Heart Rate: (50-75%) 93-138 beats per minute
- Ave. Maximum Heart Rate (100%): 185
Age 40 Years
- Target Heart Rate: (50-75%) 90-135 beats per minute
- Ave. Maximum Heart Rate (100%): 180
Age 45 Years
- Target Heart Rate: (50-75%) 88-131 beats per minute
- Ave. Maximum Heart Rate (100%): 175
Age 50 Years
- Target Heart Rate: (50-75%) 85-127 beats per minute
- Ave. Maximum Heart Rate (100%): 170
Age 55 Years
- Target Heart Rate: (50-75%) 83-123 beats per minute
- Ave. Maximum Heart Rate (100%): 165
Age 60 Years
- Target Heart Rate: (50-75%) 80-120 beats per minute
- Ave. Maximum Heart Rate (100%): 160
Age 65 Years
- Target Heart Rate: (50-75%) 78-116 beats per minute
- Ave. Maximum Heart Rate (100%): 155
Age 70 Years
- Target Heart Rate: (50-75%) 75-113 beats per minute
- Ave. Maximum Heart Rate (100%): 150
When you're exercising, stop occasionally to check your pulse and make sure your activity level isn't too high or too low. Take your pulse within five seconds after stopping because your heart rate starts dropping when you stop moving. Count your pulse for 10 seconds and multiply that number by six to get your rate per minute.
If you're new to exercise or haven't worked out in a while, start slow! During the first weeks, aim for reaching the number at the lower end of the range for your target rate. Slowly build up your intensity level to the higher end of the range.
