Heart rate zone calculator
Health & fitnessHow fast should your heart beat when you train?
Your estimated maximum heart rate and five training zones from your age and resting heart rate, by the Karvonen heart-rate reserve method.
Your heart rate
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Maximum heart rate
184 bpm
Estimated as 208 − 0.7 × age. Heart-rate reserve above rest: 124 bpm.
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Training zones
Five zones by heart-rate reserve (Karvonen): rest 60 bpm plus a share of the gap up to the maximum 184 bpm.
| Zone | Share of reserve | Heart rate |
|---|---|---|
| Zone 1 | 50%–60% | 122–134 bpm |
| Zone 2 | 60%–70% | 134–146 bpm |
| Zone 3 | 70%–80% | 146–159 bpm |
| Zone 4 | 80%–90% | 159–171 bpm |
| Zone 5 | 90%–100% | 171–184 bpm |
Before you train by these numbers
- Age formulas give the average of many people. Your own maximum can be 10 or more beats higher or lower, so a measured maximum gives truer zones.
- Measure your resting heart rate in the morning, lying down, before you get up; take the lowest of a few days.
- Some medicines, such as beta blockers, and heart conditions change your heart rate. Ask your doctor before hard training if you have a heart condition or symptoms.
Your estimated maximum heart rate and five training zones from your age and resting heart rate, by the Karvonen heart-rate reserve method.
How to use
- Enter your age and your resting heart rate.
- Keep the Tanaka estimate of your maximum, choose 220 − age, or enter a maximum you have measured.
- Read your maximum heart rate and the five training zones in beats per minute.
How it works
Your heart can beat only so fast: that is your maximum heart rate. Training zones are bands between your resting heart rate and that maximum. Easy endurance training sits in the lower zones and hard intervals in the upper ones, so a zone tells you how hard you are working.
Without a test, the maximum is estimated from age. Tanaka, Monahan and Seals (2001) combined 351 studies and found 208 − 0.7 × age a better average than the older 220 − age. The zones follow Karvonen's method (1957): zone heart rate = rest + share × (maximum − rest), where maximum − rest is your heart-rate reserve. For example, at 35 years the maximum is 208 − 0.7 × 35 = 183.5 bpm; with a resting heart rate of 60 the reserve is 123.5, and 70 % of it gives 60 + 0.7 × 123.5 ≈ 146 bpm.
The zones here are five equal steps from 50 % to 100 % of the reserve; coaches and watch makers use slightly different bands and names. Age formulas describe groups, not you: a measured maximum, for example from a supervised exercise test, makes the zones far more accurate.
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Frequently asked questions
Why use the resting heart rate?
Two people of the same age can have very different resting heart rates. Counting from your own rest, as the Karvonen method does, fits the zones to your fitness better than a plain percentage of the maximum.
Which maximum formula should I choose?
Tanaka's 208 − 0.7 × age is based on far more people than 220 − age and fits older adults better. Both are averages: if you know your measured maximum, use it instead.
How do I measure my resting heart rate?
Lie still for a few minutes after waking, then count your pulse for 60 seconds or read it from a heart-rate monitor. Do it on a few mornings and use the lowest typical value.
Is 70% of heart-rate reserve the same as 70% of maximum?
No. The reserve method first subtracts resting heart rate, takes the percentage, then adds resting heart rate back.
Why do my watch’s zones differ?
Watches may use a percentage of maximum, a different maximum estimate or different zone boundaries. Compare the method as well as the numbers.
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