Heart Rate Zone Calculator: Training Zones
Find your max heart rate and five personalized training zones using the Karvonen method, so you train at the right intensity for your goal.
Your max heart rate
- HRmax
- 187 bpm
- Resting
- 60 bpm
- Reserve
- 127 bpm
- Method
- Tanaka
| Zone | Label | bpm |
|---|---|---|
| Z1 | Recovery | 124-136 |
| Z2 | Easy / fat burn | 136-149 |
| Z3 | Aerobic | 149-162 |
| Z4 | Threshold | 162-174 |
| Z5 | Max | 174-187 |
How heart rate zones are calculated
This calculator uses the Karvonen method, which is more personalized than simple percent-of-max. Karvonen works from your heart rate reserve, the difference between your max heart rate and your resting heart rate, and adds a percentage of that reserve back to your resting rate.
HRmax = 208 − 0.7 × age (Tanaka)HRR = HRmax − HRrestZone target = HRR × intensity + HRrest
Karvonen makes a meaningful difference for fit people with low resting HR. A 30-year-old with a resting HR of 50 has a much wider usable range than the same person at 75.
What each zone is for
- Z1, recovery (50-60%): Warm-up, cool-down, walking after a hard session.
- Z2, easy / fat burn (60-70%): Conversation pace. Long aerobic base work belongs here, this is where most weekly volume should sit.
- Z3, aerobic (70-80%): Steady cardio, tempo. Useful but easy to overuse; many runners live here and never improve.
- Z4, threshold (80-90%): Hard but sustainable for 20-60 minutes. Lactate threshold work, cruise intervals.
- Z5, max (90-100%): Short max-effort intervals, 30s to 5 min. VO₂ max territory.
How to use zones
The classic polarized approach is roughly 80% of training time in Z1-Z2 and 20% in Z4-Z5, with very little in Z3. This sounds backwards if you've been pushing every run, but elite endurance athletes have trained this way for decades. The slow stuff builds the engine, the hard stuff sharpens it.
Worked example
A 35-year-old with a resting HR of 55 bpm. Tanaka HRmax = 208 − 0.7 × 35 = 184. HRR = 184 − 55 = 129. Z2 (60-70%): 132-145 bpm. Z4 (80-90%): 158-171 bpm. That's a meaningfully different Z2 target than 60-70% of HRmax alone (110-129), which would be too easy.
Common mistakes
- Training too hard, too often. Most amateurs spend 80% of training in grey-zone Z3 and wonder why they plateau.
- Trusting wrist HR for intervals. Optical sensors lag and drift. Use a chest strap for hard work.
- Treating formulas as exact. Tanaka and Fox both have ±10-15 bpm individual variance. If you've measured a true max, use it.
- Ignoring resting HR changes. A 10 bpm rise in resting HR is a clear overtraining or illness signal.
- Using HR for strength work. Heart rate during lifting reflects effort and rest, not stimulus. Use RPE and sets/reps instead.
FAQ
Which max heart rate formula is best?+
Tanaka (208 − 0.7 × age) is more accurate across adult age ranges than the older 220 − age. We use Tanaka by default and offer 220 − age for comparison.
What's the Karvonen method?+
It calculates zones from your heart rate reserve (HRmax minus resting HR), not just from HRmax. This personalizes zones based on your fitness, fitter people have lower resting heart rates and therefore more usable range.
Which zone should I train in?+
Most endurance volume should be in Z2 (easy, conversation pace). Add 1-2 weekly sessions in Z4 (threshold) or short Z5 (intervals). Z1 is recovery, Z3 is grey-zone, often overused.
How do I find my resting heart rate?+
Measure first thing in the morning before getting out of bed for 3 consecutive days and average. Typical adult range is 50-80 bpm; trained endurance athletes are often 40-55.
Why is my HR higher than the calculated max?+
These formulas have ±10-15 bpm individual variance. If you've hit a higher HR during all-out efforts and it was reproducible, use that as your true max.
Should I use a chest strap or watch?+
Chest straps are more accurate, especially for intervals. Wrist-based optical HR drifts during high-intensity work and weight training. For zone training, accuracy matters.
Related calculators
- TDEE CalculatorEstimate the calories you burn each day from your basal metabolic rate plus activity. Use the result as the starting line for cutting, bulking, or maintaining.
- BMR CalculatorFind the calories your body burns at complete rest using the Mifflin-St Jeor equation, the modern gold standard for BMR estimation.
- Calories Burned CalculatorEstimate the calories you burn for an activity and duration, based on your bodyweight and the activity's intensity.
- Macro CalculatorTurn a calorie target into clear protein, carb, and fat grams. Pick a goal and we handle the math, including a sensible protein floor.
- Calorie Deficit CalculatorPick a realistic weekly fat loss rate and see the daily calorie target that gets you there without wrecking your training.
- Protein Intake CalculatorGet a daily protein target in grams based on bodyweight, activity level, and whether you're cutting, maintaining, or building muscle.
- Body Fat CalculatorEstimate body fat percentage with the US Navy tape method. All you need is a soft tape measure and one minute.
- Ideal Weight CalculatorGet a healthy weight range using BMI plus the classic Devine and Robinson formulas. Useful as a sanity check, not a verdict.
- One Rep Max CalculatorEstimate your one rep max from a set you've already done, plus a full percentage table for programming your next block.
- Lean Body Mass CalculatorEstimate the weight of everything in your body that isn't fat, muscle, bone, organs and water, using the Boer and Hume formulas.
- Water Intake CalculatorGet a personalized daily water target based on bodyweight, activity, and climate, in cups, ounces, or liters.
- Strength Standards CalculatorEnter a lift and your bodyweight to see where you rank, from untrained to elite, plus exactly how much more you need for the next level.
- Powerlifting Score CalculatorEnter your bodyweight and best squat, bench and deadlift to get your DOTS and Wilks scores, the standard way to compare strength across weight classes.
- Race Time PredictorEnter a recent race time and distance to predict your finish time and pace at another distance, using the proven Riegel formula.
- FFMI CalculatorEstimate your fat-free mass index from weight, height and body fat to gauge your muscularity and where you sit relative to natural limits.
- Reverse Dieting CalculatorPlan a gradual week-by-week calorie increase after a cut, easing from your current intake back up toward maintenance while limiting fat regain.
- Weight Loss Timeline CalculatorSee how long it takes to reach your goal weight at a given calorie deficit, with a week-by-week curve and an estimated goal date.
- Keto Macro CalculatorGet keto-friendly daily macros, low carbs, moderate protein, high fat, based on your calorie target and goal, with a sensible carb cap.
- Body Recomposition CalculatorGet calorie and high-protein targets designed to lose fat and gain muscle at once, with optional higher-calorie training days and lower rest days.
Related guides
- How Many Calories Should I Eat to Lose Weight?A practical answer with the math, the trade-offs of aggressive vs slow deficits, and the calories most people actually need.
- TDEE Explained: How Your Body Burns CaloriesWhat TDEE actually is, the four components that make it up, and why two calculators can give you different numbers.