Find your five heart rate training zones in beats per minute, based on your age and maximum heart rate — with the option to use your resting heart rate for greater accuracy.
Heart rate zones divide your effort into five ranges, each tied to a percentage of your maximum heart rate. Training in the right zone for your goal — fat burning, endurance, or speed — makes every workout more effective. This calculator builds your personal zones in beats per minute.
First the calculator estimates your maximum heart rate. The Tanaka formula (208 − 0.7 × age) is more accurate across ages than the classic 220 − age. Each zone is then a percentage band of that maximum. If you enter your resting heart rate, it switches to the Karvonen (heart rate reserve) method for more personalized zones.
Zones 1–2 are easy efforts that build aerobic base and aid recovery — the bulk of most training should live here. Zone 3 develops aerobic capacity. Zone 4 raises your lactate threshold and race pace. Zone 5 is all-out interval work used sparingly. Most endurance plans follow a roughly 80/20 split of easy to hard.
The Karvonen formula uses your heart rate reserve — the gap between your maximum and resting heart rates — to set zones. Because a fitter person has a lower resting heart rate, this method tailors zones to your conditioning. Measure your resting heart rate first thing in the morning for the best input.
Tip: Wear a chest-strap monitor for accurate readings during exercise; wrist optical sensors can lag during intervals. If a zone feels too easy or hard, trust your body — formulas estimate max HR and can be off by 10–15 bpm.