Heart Rate Zone Calculator
Zones steer your effort — most training should feel easy, with just enough hard work to stretch you.
Turn your age into a maximum heart rate and five color-coded training zones. Choose the more accurate Tanaka formula (208 − 0.7 × age) or the classic 220 − age, add your resting heart rate for personalized Karvonen zones, and see the beats-per-minute range for every session.
Zones are estimated from your age — a guide to steer effort, not medical advice. Real maximums vary by 10–20 bpm; pair the numbers with how you feel.
How your max heart rate and zones are worked out
Start with your maximum heart rate
Everything flows from an estimate of your maximum heart rate — the fastest your heart can beat during all-out effort. The classic rule of thumb is 220 − age, but research found it overstates the maximum for younger adults and understates it for older ones. The Tanaka formula, 208 − 0.7 × age, fits the population better and is the default here. For a 30-year-old, Tanaka gives about 187 bpm versus 190 from 220 − age.
Split the maximum into five zones
The five training zones are simply bands of your maximum heart rate: Zone 1 (50–60%) recovery, Zone 2 (60–70%) easy aerobic, Zone 3 (70–80%) moderate aerobic, Zone 4 (80–90%) threshold and Zone 5 (90–100%) maximum. The calculator turns each percentage into a beats-per-minute range so you know exactly what to aim for.
Worked example
A 30-year-old: Tanaka gives a maximum of 208 − 0.7 × 30 ≈ 187 bpm. Zone 2 at 60–70% of that is roughly 112–131 bpm — an easy, conversational pace — while Zone 4 at 80–90% is about 150–168 bpm. Add a resting heart rate and the tool switches to the Karvonen method, nudging those targets a little higher.
This is an estimate and a training guide, not medical advice. Age-based formulas are population averages, so your true maximum can be 10–20 bpm either side. If you are new to exercise, over 40, or have a heart condition, get medical clearance before training hard, and pair the numbers with how you feel.
The five heart rate zones — and the 80/20 rule
Each zone trains something slightly different. Knowing which one you are in stops easy days drifting too hard and makes hard days count.
- Zone 1 — recovery (50–60%). Very light. Warm-ups, cool-downs and active recovery between harder sessions.
- Zone 2 — easy aerobic (60–70%). A conversational pace you could hold for hours. Builds your aerobic base and fat-burning efficiency — the workhorse of endurance training.
- Zone 3 — moderate aerobic (70–80%). "Comfortably hard." Useful in moderation, but easy to overuse — the gray zone that is neither truly easy nor truly hard.
- Zone 4 — threshold (80–90%). Hard, sustainable for tens of minutes. Lifts your lactate threshold and race pace.
- Zone 5 — maximum (90–100%). All-out intervals lasting seconds to a few minutes. Sharpens top-end power and VO₂ max.
A well-tested approach is the 80/20 rule: keep about 80% of your training easy (Zones 1–2) and only 20% hard (Zones 4–5), spending little time in Zone 3. It sounds too gentle, yet it is how most endurance athletes build fitness without burning out.
The Karvonen method and training safely
The Karvonen (heart-rate-reserve) method
Plain %MaxHR zones ignore how fit you already are. The Karvonen method fixes that by working from your heart-rate reserve — the gap between your resting and maximum heart rate. The target for a given intensity is resting HR + intensity% × (max − resting). A fitter person with a lower resting heart rate gets zones tuned to them, and the targets sit a little higher than the plain %MaxHR method. For a 30-year-old with a maximum of about 187 bpm and a resting heart rate of 60, Karvonen puts Zone 2 at roughly 136–149 bpm — noticeably higher than the 112–131 bpm the plain percentage method gives. Add your resting heart rate above to see Karvonen zones.
Measuring resting heart rate
Take it first thing in the morning before getting up, or read it from a fitness watch overnight. A typical adult sits around 60–80 bpm; regular endurance training often lowers it. Caffeine, poor sleep, illness and stress all push it up, so use a settled average rather than one reading.
Training safely
These zones are a guide, not a prescription. Estimated maximums vary by 10–20 bpm, and beta-blockers and some other medications lower heart rate so the numbers no longer apply. If you are new to exercise, over 40, pregnant, or have a heart condition or symptoms such as chest pain, dizziness or unusual breathlessness, speak to your doctor before training hard. Whatever the watch says, stop if something feels wrong.
❓ Frequently asked Frequently asked questions
How do I calculate my maximum heart rate?
The simplest estimate is 220 minus your age, but the more accurate Tanaka formula is 208 − 0.7 × age. For a 30-year-old that gives about 187 bpm rather than 190. These are population averages — an individual's true maximum can be 10–20 bpm higher or lower, so treat the number as a guide. A supervised maximal exercise test is the only way to measure it precisely.
What are the five heart rate zones?
Training zones are bands of your maximum heart rate. Zone 1 (50–60%) is recovery, Zone 2 (60–70%) is easy aerobic, Zone 3 (70–80%) is moderate aerobic, Zone 4 (80–90%) is threshold, and Zone 5 (90–100%) is maximum effort. Most endurance plans keep roughly 80% of training easy (Zones 1–2) and 20% hard (Zones 4–5).
What is Zone 2 training?
Zone 2 is easy aerobic training at roughly 60–70% of your maximum heart rate — a conversational pace you could hold for a long time. For a 30-year-old with a max of about 187 bpm that is around 112–131 bpm. It builds your aerobic base and fat-burning efficiency, and makes up the bulk of the easy 80% in the 80/20 approach.
What is the Karvonen method?
The Karvonen method sets zones from your heart-rate reserve — the gap between your resting and maximum heart rate — rather than max HR alone. The target is resting HR + intensity% × (max − resting). Because it uses your resting heart rate, it personalizes the zones to your fitness and generally gives slightly higher targets than the plain %MaxHR method.
Are heart rate zones accurate?
They are a useful guide, not a precise measurement. Both 220 − age and Tanaka are population averages, so your real maximum may differ by 10–20 bpm, which shifts every zone. Resting heart rate, medications such as beta-blockers, caffeine, heat and stress all affect the reading too. Use zones to steer effort but pair them with how you feel. This is general fitness information, not medical advice.
Where these figures come from
The method here reflects mainstream exercise-physiology guidance, not a country-specific rule. Age-based maximums and percentage zones are widely used planning tools; individual responses vary, so treat every number as a starting point.
- Maximum heart rate — Tanaka's 208 − 0.7 × age (a research-based population formula) or the traditional 220 − age.
- Five zones — standard bands at 50–60%, 60–70%, 70–80%, 80–90% and 90–100% of maximum heart rate.
- Karvonen method — target = resting HR + intensity% × (max − resting), using your heart-rate reserve.
- 80/20 training — a widely used easy-to-hard split for endurance training (about 80% easy, 20% hard).
Last checked: July 2026. This is general fitness information, not medical advice. Estimated maximums vary by 10–20 bpm and some medications change heart rate. If you are new to exercise, over 40, or have a heart condition, get medical clearance before training hard.
Select the question that matches where you are right now.
The headline number is your estimated maximum heart rate in beats per minute. The breakdown turns it into five training zones, each with a bpm range from recovery through to maximum effort.
Use the zone ranges to steer each session — keep easy days genuinely easy in Zone 2, and save the high zones for hard efforts. A heart-rate strap or watch lets you check where you are in real time.
It is not a measured maximum or medical advice. Age formulas are averages, so your true numbers may differ. Medications such as beta-blockers change heart rate and make the zones unreliable.
Without a resting heart rate, zones are simple percentages of your maximum. Add resting HR and the tool switches to Karvonen, personalizing the ranges to your fitness.
Three things move your zones the most: your age, the formula you pick, and your resting heart rate.
Maximum heart rate falls by roughly 0.7 bpm a year on Tanaka (a full beat on 220 − age), so every zone drifts down slowly as you get older — about 194 bpm at 20 versus 173 bpm at 50.
Tanaka and 220 − age agree near age 40 but diverge at the extremes. Tanaka is generally the better fit for younger and older adults alike.
Only the Karvonen method uses it. A lower resting heart rate — often a sign of good fitness — widens your heart-rate reserve and lifts the target for each intensity.
A few habits make heart-rate training work in the real world.
Most sessions should sit in Zones 1–2 at a conversational pace. If you can't chat, you're drifting too hard — ease off.
Rate your effort out of 10 alongside the numbers. Heat, caffeine, stress and poor sleep all raise heart rate, so trust how you feel when they disagree.
If you ever measure your true max in a hard effort or test, use it in place of the estimate for sharper zones.
Training zones are one piece of the picture. Explore the rest of your health and fitness numbers with these related calculators.