Target heart rate for walking
How fast should your heart beat on a brisk walk? Brisk walking counts as moderate-intensity exercise, so your walking target is the moderate range for your age. Enter your age to see it.
Walking heart rate calculator
Enter your age to see the results. Everything is calculated in this page; nothing is sent.
Brisk walking is moderate exercise
The CDC lists walking briskly, at 2.5 miles per hour or faster, as a moderate-intensity activity[1], and the Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans describe moderate activity as 3.0 to less than 6.0 METs, with brisk walking at 2.5 to 4 mph as an example[2]. The AHA also names brisk walking, at 2.5 miles per hour or more, as moderate[3].
So the heart rate to aim for on a walk is the moderate range. The American Heart Association puts it at about 50–70% of maximum heart rate[4]; the American College of Sports Medicine at 64–76% of maximum or 40–59% of heart rate reserve[5]. The calculator shows all three. Most people walking briskly land somewhere inside the AHA range; the ACSM version is a narrower, higher band.
Walking targets by age
Moderate range using 220 − age, rounded:
| Age | AHA 50–70% of max | ACSM 64–76% of max |
|---|---|---|
| 30 | 95–133 bpm | 122–144 bpm |
| 40 | 90–126 bpm | 115–137 bpm |
| 50 | 85–119 bpm | 109–129 bpm |
| 60 | 80–112 bpm | 102–122 bpm |
| 70 | 75–105 bpm | 96–114 bpm |
| 80 | 70–98 bpm | 90–106 bpm |
220 − age is preselected because both guideline bodies use it in their charts. Choose another equation in the calculator to see the difference; the maximum heart rate page explains them.
Is my walk brisk enough?
You don’t need a monitor. Use the talk test: at moderate intensity you can talk but not sing[1]. On a 0-to-10 scale of effort, where 0 is sitting and 10 is all-out, moderate effort feels like a 5 or 6[2]. If you can sing, pick up the pace or find a hill. If you can only manage a few words at a time, you have moved into vigorous effort, which is fine too.
To check your heart rate on the move, stop for a moment and count your pulse for 30 seconds, then double it[4]. The counting timer on the tap pulse page keeps time for you. Your rate drops quickly once you stop, so count straight away.
How much walking
The U.S. guidelines recommend at least 150 to 300 minutes of moderate-intensity activity per week[2]; 30 minutes of brisk walking on five days reaches the lower end. Shorter walks count toward the total as well.
Fitness changes the picture over time. As you get fitter, the same walking speed raises your heart rate less, and you may need to walk faster or uphill to reach the same range. Adding your resting heart rate to the calculator gives a reserve-based range that adjusts for this.
If you take medicine that slows your heart, such as a beta blocker[6], heart rate targets may not apply to you; the talk test still does. Stop and get help if walking brings on chest pain, faintness or unusual shortness of breath.
Questions people ask
What heart rate should I walk at?
For brisk walking, the moderate range: about 50–70% of your maximum heart rate according to the AHA[4]. At age 50 that is roughly 85–119 bpm using 220 − age.
How fast is brisk walking?
At least 2.5 miles per hour, according to the CDC[1], which is about a 24-minute mile.
My heart rate stays low when I walk. Is that bad?
Not necessarily. Fit walkers may need a faster pace or hills to reach the moderate range, and some medicines keep heart rate low. The talk test is a good second opinion.
Does walking uphill count as vigorous?
It can. If you can only say a few words before pausing for breath, you are at vigorous intensity.
Should I use my resting heart rate?
If you know it, entering it adds ACSM’s reserve-based moderate range, which adjusts for fitness.
Sources
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. How to Measure Physical Activity Intensity (updated Dec 4, 2025). cdc.gov. Checked 2026-10-09.
- U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans, 2nd edition, 2018 (pp. 20, 56, 60, 109). odphp.health.gov. Checked 2026-10-09.
- American Heart Association. American Heart Association Recommendations for Physical Activity in Adults and Kids (last reviewed Jan 19, 2024). heart.org. Checked 2026-10-09.
- American Heart Association. Target Heart Rates Chart (last reviewed Aug 12, 2024). heart.org. Checked 2026-10-09.
- Bishop DJ, et al. Physical activity and exercise intensity terminology: a joint ACSM Expert Statement and ESSA Consensus Statement. Med Sci Sports Exerc 2025;57(11):2599–2613 — Table 1, column “ACSM (2020)”, i.e. ACSM’s Guidelines for Exercise Testing and Prescription, 11th ed. doi:10.1249/mss.0000000000003795. Checked 2026-10-09.
- American Heart Association. All About Heart Rate (Pulse) (last reviewed May 13, 2024). heart.org. Checked 2026-10-09.