Heart Rate Zone Calculator
Enter your age to estimate your maximum heart rate and see the five training zones in beats per minute. Add your resting heart rate to switch to the more personal Karvonen method.
Result
- Method
- Percentage of maximum
- Zone 1 · Very light (50–60%)
- 93 – 111 bpm
- Zone 2 · Light (60–70%)
- 111 – 130 bpm
- Zone 3 · Moderate (70–80%)
- 130 – 148 bpm
- Zone 4 · Hard (80–90%)
- 148 – 167 bpm
- Zone 5 · Maximum (90–100%)
- 167 – 185 bpm
| Zone | Intensity | % of max | Heart rate | What it trains |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zone 1 | Very light | 50 – 60% | 93 – 111 bpm | Recovery, warm-up and cool-down |
| Zone 2 | Light | 60 – 70% | 111 – 130 bpm | Fat burning, endurance base |
| Zone 3 | Moderate | 70 – 80% | 130 – 148 bpm | Aerobic fitness and stamina |
| Zone 4 | Hard | 80 – 90% | 148 – 167 bpm | Anaerobic capacity and speed |
| Zone 5 | Maximum | 90 – 100% | 167 – 185 bpm | Peak effort, short intervals |
What are heart rate zones?
Heart rate zones divide the range between rest and your maximum heart rate into five bands of effort. Because heart rate tracks how hard your body is working, each band corresponds to a different mix of fuel use and training stimulus: easy zones build endurance and aid recovery, hard zones raise your anaerobic threshold and VO2 max. Training by zone lets you make easy days genuinely easy and hard days hard, which is the basis of most running, cycling and triathlon plans.
Maximum heart rate formulas
Maximum heart rate (HRmax) falls gradually with age and is estimated from it. Three widely used equations are offered:
| Formula | Equation | Age 35 |
|---|---|---|
| Haskell & Fox (1970) | 220 − age | 185 bpm |
| Tanaka (2001) | 208 − 0.7 × age | 183.5 bpm |
| Gellish (2007) | 207 − 0.7 × age | 182.5 bpm |
"220 minus age" is the best known but was never derived from a formal study. Tanaka's equation came from a meta-analysis of 351 studies and Gellish's from a 25-year longitudinal study; both are slightly more accurate for people over 40. Whichever you choose, the standard deviation around the estimate is about 10 to 12 bpm, so roughly a third of people have a true maximum more than 10 bpm away from the formula. A maximum measured in a hard race, a supervised test or a wearable's record over a season is better than any formula.
The Karvonen method
A plain percentage of maximum ignores fitness: two 35-year-olds with resting rates of 50 and 80 bpm get the same zones. The Karvonen method fixes this by working with your heart rate reserve (HRR = HRmax − HRrest) and adding the resting rate back:
Target HR = (HRmax − HRrest) × intensity + HRrest
Example: age 35 and a resting rate of 60 bpm. HRmax = 220 − 35 = 185, so HRR = 185 − 60 = 125. Zone 2 (60 to 70%) runs from 125 × 0.6 + 60 = 135 bpm to 125 × 0.7 + 60 = 148 bpm. Using a plain percentage of maximum, the same zone would be 111 to 130 bpm, noticeably lower. Karvonen zones match perceived effort more closely, which is why most coaches prefer them when a resting rate is available.
What each zone trains
| Zone | Intensity | Feels like | Main benefit |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 (50–60%) | Very light | Easy walk; can sing | Warm-up, cool-down, active recovery |
| 2 (60–70%) | Light | Comfortable; full sentences | Aerobic base, fat metabolism, long sessions |
| 3 (70–80%) | Moderate | Breathing harder; short sentences | Cardiovascular efficiency, tempo runs |
| 4 (80–90%) | Hard | A few words at a time | Lactate threshold, race pace, speed |
| 5 (90–100%) | Maximum | Cannot talk; under 5 minutes | VO2 max, sprint intervals |
Most endurance plans put about 80% of weekly time in zones 1 and 2 and the remaining 20% in zones 4 and 5, with zone 3 used sparingly. Pair the zones with the pace calculator to translate effort into running speed.
How to use this calculator
- Enter your age and, if you have no preference, leave the formula on 220 − age.
- Measure your resting heart rate (see below) and enter it to switch to Karvonen zones. Leave it blank for a simple percentage of maximum.
- Read the bpm range for each zone from the panel or the table, and program them into your watch or chest strap.
- Check the zones against how sessions feel for a couple of weeks and adjust the maximum if hard efforts consistently exceed it.
How to measure your resting heart rate
- Timing: first thing in the morning, before getting up, coffee or checking your phone.
- Method: count your pulse at the wrist or neck for a full 60 seconds, or read it from a chest strap or watch.
- Repeat: take it on 3 to 5 mornings and use the average; a single bad night can raise it by 5 to 10 bpm.
- Common mistakes: measuring after caffeine, late in the day, or during illness all give values that are too high and shrink your zones.
Age-based maximum heart rates and zones are estimates for healthy adults and are not medical advice.
Frequently asked questions
What is a normal resting heart rate?
For adults, 60 to 100 beats per minute is the usual range, and most healthy active people sit between 55 and 75. Well trained endurance athletes often have resting rates in the 40s. A resting rate that is unusually high for you, or that rises over several days, is an early sign of illness or overtraining.
Which zone burns the most fat?
Zone 2 uses the highest proportion of fat for fuel, which is why it is called the fat-burning zone, but harder zones burn more total calories per minute and so more fat in absolute terms. For weight loss, the zone you can sustain for the longest is usually the best choice. Combine this with the calorie calculator to set an intake target.
Why does my watch give different zones?
Devices use different formulas for maximum heart rate, and some use heart rate reserve or lactate threshold instead of a percentage of max. Many also let you enter a measured maximum, which overrides the age estimate. If your watch has a tested max from a hard race or workout, prefer that number.
Is it dangerous to train in zone 5?
For healthy people, short efforts at or near maximum heart rate are safe and are how interval training improves VO2 max. Anyone with a heart condition, chest pain on exertion, or who is new to exercise should check with a doctor before adding high-intensity work.