Heart Rate Zone Calculator

Calculate your target heart rate zones for different exercise intensities based on your age, resting heart rate, and fitness level. Training in the right heart rate zones helps optimize your workouts for specific fitness goals like fat burning, cardiovascular improvement, or endurance building.

Age (years)

Resting Heart Rate (bpm) Measure your heart rate when you're completely at rest, ideally in the morning before getting out of bed.

Fitness Level

Calculation Method

Your Heart Rate Zones

Maximum Heart Rate: 0 bpm

Heart Rate Reserve: 0 bpm

Zone	Intensity	Heart Rate Range	Training Benefit
Zone 1	Very Light (50-60%)	0-0 bpm	Warm-up, Recovery, Improved overall health
Zone 2	Light (60-70%)	0-0 bpm	Fat burning, Endurance building
Zone 3	Moderate (70-80%)	0-0 bpm	Aerobic fitness, Cardiovascular improvement
Zone 4	Hard (80-90%)	0-0 bpm	Anaerobic endurance, Lactate threshold improvement
Zone 5	Maximum (90-100%)	0-0 bpm	Maximum performance, Speed development

Understanding Your Heart Rate Zones

Zone 1 (50-60%): Very light intensity, ideal for warm-up, cool-down, and recovery. Good for beginners and active recovery days.
Zone 2 (60-70%): Light intensity, optimal for fat burning and building endurance. Sustainable for longer workouts.
Zone 3 (70-80%): Moderate intensity, improves aerobic capacity and cardiovascular health. Good for tempo training.
Zone 4 (80-90%): Hard intensity, increases anaerobic threshold and lactate tolerance. Challenging to maintain for extended periods.
Zone 5 (90-100%): Maximum intensity, develops speed and power. Only sustainable for short intervals.

Note: This calculator provides estimates based on standard formulas. Individual heart rates can vary. For the most accurate results, consider consulting with a fitness professional or using a heart rate monitor during exercise.

How the Heart Rate Zone Calculator Works

This calculator determines your target heart rate zones using several established methods:

Maximum Heart Rate (MHR) Formulas

Standard Formula: MHR = 220 - Age
Tanaka Formula: MHR = 208 - (0.7 × Age)

The Standard formula is widely used for its simplicity, while the Tanaka formula is considered more accurate, especially for older adults.

Karvonen Method (Heart Rate Reserve)

This method incorporates your resting heart rate for more personalized zones:

Heart Rate Reserve (HRR) = Maximum Heart Rate - Resting Heart Rate
Target HR = (HRR × Intensity%) + Resting Heart Rate

The Karvonen method provides more individualized training zones by accounting for your current fitness level as reflected by your resting heart rate.

Heart Rate Zone Calculations

Once your maximum heart rate is determined, your training zones are calculated as percentages:

Zone 1: 50-60% of MHR (or HRR + Resting HR)
Zone 2: 60-70% of MHR (or HRR + Resting HR)
Zone 3: 70-80% of MHR (or HRR + Resting HR)
Zone 4: 80-90% of MHR (or HRR + Resting HR)
Zone 5: 90-100% of MHR (or HRR + Resting HR)

Fitness Level Adjustments

The calculator makes slight adjustments based on your fitness level:

Beginner: Zones are shifted slightly lower to accommodate lower fitness levels
Intermediate: Standard zone calculations
Advanced: Zones are shifted slightly higher to accommodate higher fitness levels
Athlete: Zones are shifted higher to reflect athletic conditioning

Remember that heart rate training is just one approach to exercise intensity. Other methods include Rate of Perceived Exertion (RPE), talk test, and power-based training. The most effective approach often combines multiple methods to gauge intensity.