Karvonen Formula
A heart-rate-zone formula that accounts for resting heart rate, more accurate than percent-of-max-HR alone.
Definition
Karvonen uses heart rate reserve (HRR = HRmax − HRrest) to scale intensity targets. More accurate than simple percent of HRmax because it accounts for individual fitness — a lower resting heart rate means a larger reserve and a higher absolute target HR.
Formula
target_HR = ((HRmax − HRrest) × intensity%) + HRrest
Related body terms
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