About the Heart Rate Zone Calculator
This heart rate zone calculator turns your age — and, if you know it, your resting heart rate — into a maximum heart rate and five training zones in beats per minute. The zones range from easy recovery work to all-out efforts, so you can pace runs, rides and cardio sessions by heart rate instead of guesswork.
Choose the Karvonen (heart rate reserve) method if you know your resting pulse; it personalises the zones because a fitter person with a lower resting rate gets different targets from someone the same age. The simpler percent-of-max method uses maximum heart rate alone, which is what many gyms and fitness watches show by default.
Max heart rate can be estimated with the classic 220 − age formula, the more accurate Tanaka formula (208 − 0.7 × age), the Gulati formula developed for women, or entered directly if you have measured it in a hard test. Age-based formulas can be off by 10–12 beats per minute for an individual, so a measured value always gives better zones.
With the default inputs, the maximum heart rate is 185 bpm. Change any value above to recalculate instantly.
How to use the heart rate zone calculator
- 1Enter your age.
- 2Measure your resting heart rate on waking and enter it.
- 3Choose Karvonen for personalised zones, or percent of max for the simple method.
- 4Pick a max heart rate formula, or enter a measured maximum if you have one.
- 5Use the zone ranges to set targets on your watch or cardio machine.
Formula and method
Maximum heart rate (MHR) is estimated from age unless you enter a measured value. The Tanaka formula (2001) fits large datasets better than 220 − age, especially for older adults, and the Gulati formula (2010) was derived from women. All of them are population averages with a standard deviation of roughly 10 bpm.
The Karvonen method applies each zone percentage to your heart rate reserve (MHR minus resting heart rate) and adds the resting rate back. This shifts zones upward for fit people with low resting pulses. The percent-of-max method simply multiplies MHR by the zone percentage, which gives lower targets. Zones are rounded to whole beats per minute.
- MHR
- Maximum heart rate (bpm)
- RHR
- Resting heart rate (bpm)
- intensity
- Zone percentage, e.g. 0.60–0.70 for zone 2
Worked examples
35-year-old, resting HR 60, Karvonen method
Max heart rate is 220 − 35 = 185 bpm and the reserve is 185 − 60 = 125. Zone 2 runs from 60 + 125 × 0.60 = 135 to 60 + 125 × 0.70 = 147.5, rounded to 148 bpm.
50-year-old, Tanaka formula, percent of max
Tanaka gives 208 − 0.7 × 50 = 173 bpm. Zone 1 is 50–60% of that, 86.5 to 103.8, rounded to 87–104 bpm. The CDC moderate-intensity band of 64–76% is about 111–131 bpm.
Trained runner with a measured max of 196
With a measured max of 196 and resting rate of 52, the reserve is 144 beats. Zone 3 is 52 + 144 × 0.70 = 152.8 to 52 + 144 × 0.80 = 167.2, so 153–167 bpm.
Frequently asked questions
What is my fat-burning heart rate?+
The so-called fat-burning zone is zone 2, roughly 60–70% of heart rate reserve or max heart rate. You burn a higher share of fat at that intensity, although harder workouts burn more total calories per minute.
What is the Karvonen formula?+
Karvonen calculates target heart rate as resting HR + (max HR − resting HR) × intensity. Because it uses your resting pulse, it adjusts zones to your fitness level better than a straight percentage of max.
Is 220 minus age accurate?+
It is a rough population average. Individuals commonly differ from it by 10–12 bpm either way, and it tends to underestimate max heart rate in older adults. Tanaka’s 208 − 0.7 × age is generally more accurate.
What is a good resting heart rate?+
For most adults a resting heart rate of 60–100 bpm is considered normal, and well-trained endurance athletes often sit between 40 and 60. A sudden rise in your usual resting rate can signal fatigue or illness.
What heart rate counts as moderate exercise?+
The CDC describes moderate-intensity activity as about 64–76% of maximum heart rate and vigorous activity as 77–93%. Adults are advised to get 150 minutes of moderate activity each week.
How do I find my true max heart rate?+
A supervised exercise test is the most accurate way. Many athletes estimate it from the highest reading on a chest strap during a hard hill repeat or race finish. Check with a doctor before maximal testing if you have heart concerns.
This tool gives general estimates and is not medical advice. Talk to a doctor or qualified professional about your health, diet or training.