Heart Rate Zone Calculator
Heart rate zone calculator: your five training zones from age and resting rate Free, no sign-up, and it runs in your browser.
Dedicated page: /en/heart-rate-zone-calculator
Estimate only, not medical advice. Age-predicted maximum heart rate is a population average and can be 10 to 20 beats off your true maximum. Heart medicines such as beta blockers change it further: clear new training intensities with a clinician if you have any heart concern.
Measure first thing in the morning, before getting out of bed, for 60 seconds.
The Gulati formula was derived for women.
Karvonen uses your resting rate, so a fitter person with a low resting pulse gets wider, lower-anchored zones.
Enter a heart rate you measured during exercise to see which zone it is in.
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Quick answer
A heart rate zone calculator works out your five training zones from your age and your resting heart rate. It estimates your maximum heart rate, applies the Karvonen method or percent of maximum, and shows each zone in beats per minute, plus the CDC moderate and vigorous ranges and a checker for any heart rate you measure.
About this Heart Rate Zone Calculator
Heart rate zone calculator: your five training zones from age and resting rate It is one of the Health and Family on ToolUstad, and like every tool here it runs entirely in your browser: nothing you type, paste or open is uploaded to a server, and there is no sign-up or usage limit.
What is a heart rate zone calculator?
A heart rate zone calculator turns your age and resting heart rate into training zones in beats per minute. Zones tie intensity to your own heart, so Zone 2 is always the same effort for you, whether you are fresh or tired, running or cycling. This tool gives all five zones by two methods, plus the official CDC and American Heart Association ranges.
How maximum heart rate is estimated
Maximum heart rate cannot be known without a lab test or an all-out effort, so calculators estimate it from age. The Tanaka formula, 208 minus 0.7 times age, comes from a meta-analysis of more than 18,000 people and is the most accurate for most adults. The classic Fox formula, 220 minus age, is simpler and close for young adults. The Gellish formula, 207 minus 0.7 times age, is a close cousin of Tanaka.
Karvonen vs percent of maximum
Percent of maximum is the simple method: multiply the maximum by the zone percent. Karvonen is better for most people: it uses heart rate reserve, maximum minus resting heart rate, and adds the resting rate back. A 35-year-old with a 184 maximum and a 65 resting rate has a reserve of 119 beats, so Zone 2 at 60 to 70% is 136 to 148 bpm by Karvonen, against 110 to 128 by percent of maximum.
The five zones
Zone 1, recovery, at 50 to 60%, is warm-up, cool-down and easy recovery days. Zone 2, fat burn, at 60 to 70%, is long easy sessions that build the aerobic base: about 80% of weekly cardio should be in zones 1 and 2. Zone 3, cardio, at 70 to 80%, builds aerobic fitness. Zone 4, threshold, at 80 to 90%, is hard tempo work. Zone 5, maximum, at 90 to 100%, is short all-out repeats that build VO2 max.
Official target ranges
The CDC defines moderate intensity as 64% to 76% of maximum and vigorous as 77% to 93%. The American Heart Association uses 50% to 70% for moderate and 70% to 85% for vigorous. Both point to the same target: 150 minutes of moderate or 75 minutes of vigorous activity a week.
Best practices
- Measure your resting heart rate properly: first thing in the morning, before getting out of bed, averaged over three days.
- Use the Tanaka formula unless you have a measured maximum, and prefer Karvonen over percent of maximum.
- Keep about 80% of weekly cardio in zones 1 and 2: easy training builds the base that hard training stands on.
Common mistakes
- Training mostly in Zone 3, the grey zone: too hard to recover, too easy to build speed.
- Trusting the age formula to the beat: it can be 20 beats off, so use feel and the talk test as well.
- Using percent of maximum when your resting rate is very low or very high: Karvonen fits better.
Learn: how to use the Heart Rate Zone Calculator
- Enter your age and your resting heart rate, measured in the morning.
- Pick a maximum heart rate formula: Tanaka is the most accurate.
- Pick Karvonen or percent of maximum, then set your target intensity.
- Read your five zones, the official ranges, and check any measured heart rate.
Features
- Maximum heart rate by Tanaka, Fox, Gulati, Gellish or a measured value
- Zones 1 to 5 by Karvonen heart rate reserve or percent of maximum
- Custom target intensity range in beats per minute
- CDC moderate and vigorous ranges for your age
- American Heart Association moderate and vigorous ranges
- Zone checker: enter a measured heart rate to find its zone
- Talk test guide for judging intensity without a monitor
Worked example
A 35-year-old with a resting heart rate of 65 bpm: the Tanaka formula gives a maximum of 184 bpm (208 minus 0.7 times 35), and a heart rate reserve of 119 bpm. By Karvonen, Zone 1 is 124 to 136 bpm, Zone 2 is 136 to 148, Zone 3 is 148 to 160, Zone 4 is 160 to 172, and Zone 5 is 172 to 184. A 65% to 85% target is 142 to 166 bpm. The CDC moderate range is 117 to 139 bpm and vigorous is 141 to 171 bpm. A measured 150 bpm during a run sits in Zone 3, the cardio zone.
Frequently asked questions
What is my maximum heart rate?
An estimate from your age. The Tanaka formula, 208 minus 0.7 times age, is the most accurate for most adults: 184 bpm at 35. The classic Fox formula, 220 minus age, gives 185. Your true maximum can be 10 to 20 beats off either number.
What is the Karvonen method?
It builds zones from your heart rate reserve, which is maximum minus resting heart rate. A target of 70% is resting plus 70% of the reserve. It accounts for fitness, so a fitter person with a low resting pulse gets wider, lower-anchored zones.
What are the five heart rate zones?
Zone 1 recovery at 50 to 60%, Zone 2 fat burn at 60 to 70%, Zone 3 cardio at 70 to 80%, Zone 4 threshold at 80 to 90%, and Zone 5 maximum at 90 to 100%. Each zone trains a different system, from recovery to VO2 max.
Which zone burns the most fat?
Zone 2 burns the highest share of calories from fat, but higher zones burn more calories in total, so they burn more fat in absolute terms too. Zone 2 is best for long easy sessions and building an aerobic base, not for maximum fat loss per minute.
What is the CDC target heart rate?
Moderate intensity is 64% to 76% of maximum, and vigorous is 77% to 93%. For a 35-year-old with a 184 maximum, that is 117 to 139 bpm moderate and 141 to 171 vigorous. The CDC suggests 150 minutes moderate or 75 minutes vigorous a week.
How do I measure my resting heart rate?
First thing in the morning, before getting out of bed, count your pulse for 60 seconds, or use a watch. Do it for three mornings and average the results. Caffeine, illness and poor sleep all raise it.
Do heart medicines change my zones?
Yes. Beta blockers and some other heart medicines lower heart rate, so age-based zones do not apply. If you take heart medicine or have any heart concern, clear new training intensities with a clinician first.
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