Results are estimates for healthy adults unless stated, and are not medical advice. Your doctor or a registered dietitian can give advice for your situation.
Heart rate zones help you train at the right effort: easy enough to recover on easy days, hard enough to improve on hard days. This calculator estimates your maximum heart rate and your five training zones in beats per minute.
How to use the heart rate zone calculator
- Enter your age.
- For more personal zones, add your resting heart rate. Count your pulse for 60 seconds after waking, before you get up.
- Choose a max heart rate formula. Tanaka is more accurate for most adults.
How it works
Maximum heart rate is estimated with either 208 − 0.7 × age (Tanaka, 2001) or the classic 220 − age. If you add your resting heart rate, the calculator uses the Karvonen (heart rate reserve) method: zone = resting HR + (max HR − resting HR) × intensity. This adjusts the zones to your fitness level.
| Zone | Intensity | Feels like |
|---|---|---|
| 1 – Very light | 50–60% | Very easy; warm-ups and recovery |
| 2 – Light | 60–70% | Easy; you can chat in full sentences |
| 3 – Moderate | 70–80% | Comfortably hard; talking gets harder |
| 4 – Hard | 80–90% | Hard; only short phrases |
| 5 – Maximum | 90–100% | All-out; only short bursts |
Example
A 40-year-old has an estimated max heart rate of 208 − 28 = 180 bpm. Their zone 2 is 108–126 bpm. With a resting heart rate of 60, the Karvonen zone 2 becomes 132–144 bpm.
Frequently asked questions
How accurate are max heart rate formulas?
They are averages and can be off by 10–12 bpm either way. A supervised exercise test gives a true maximum.
What is a good resting heart rate?
For adults, 60–100 bpm is the normal range. Fit people often sit lower, sometimes in the 40s or 50s.
Which zone burns the most fat?
Lower zones use a higher share of fat for fuel, but higher zones burn more total calories per minute. For weight loss, total activity matters more than the zone.
Sources
- Tanaka H, Monahan KD, Seals DR, Journal of the American College of Cardiology (2001)
- American Heart Association – target heart rates
- Karvonen MJ et al. (1957) – heart rate reserve method
If you take beta-blockers or other heart medicines, or have a heart condition, ask your doctor for safe exercise limits.