Heart rate zones calculator
Enter your age to estimate your maximum heart rate and the beats-per-minute range of five training zones. Add your resting heart rate to use the Karvonen method, which sets zones as a share of your heart rate reserve.
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How to use it
- Enter your age and choose the maximum heart rate formula.
- Choose how zones are calculated. For Karvonen, enter your resting heart rate.
- Read your estimated maximum and the beats-per-minute range of each zone.
How it works
Maximum heart rate is estimated from age:
- Tanaka (Tanaka, Monahan and Seals, Journal of the American College of Cardiology, 2001): 208 − 0.7 × age
- Classic: 220 − age
Zones are five bands of 10 percentage points, from 50% to 100%:
- percent of max: heart rate = max × percentage
- Karvonen (1957): heart rate = (max − resting) × percentage + resting
Beats are rounded to whole numbers. The five-zone split is a widely used convention, not a single official standard; the AHA’s moderate (50–70%) and vigorous (70–85%) ranges overlap zones 1–4.
Worked example
A 40-year-old with the Tanaka formula: max = 208 − 0.7 × 40 = 180 bpm.
- Percent of max, zone 2 (60–70%): 108–126 bpm
- Karvonen with resting 60 bpm: reserve = 120, zone 2 = 120 × 0.6 + 60 to 120 × 0.7 + 60 = 132–144 bpm
Limits and tips
- Formula maximums are averages. Wearables and a supervised test give better numbers.
- Heat, sleep, caffeine, stress and medication change your heart rate for the same effort. Use the perceived effort as a second guide.
- This is general information, not medical advice. If you have heart disease, are new to hard exercise or feel chest pain or dizziness, speak to a doctor first.
Frequently asked questions
How do I find my maximum heart rate?
The only precise way is a supervised maximal test. Formulas give an estimate: the classic rule is 220 minus your age, and the Tanaka formula (Tanaka, Monahan and Seals, 2001) is 208 minus 0.7 times your age. Individual maximums vary by 10 beats or more either way.
Which formula should I use?
Tanaka was derived from a large analysis of healthy adults and is generally considered a better fit, especially for people over 40. The 220 − age rule is the one most people know and is traced to a 1971 paper by Fox and colleagues. Both are estimates.
What is the Karvonen method?
Karvonen (1957) sets a target as resting heart rate plus a share of the reserve: target = (max − resting) × intensity + resting. Because it uses your resting rate, the zones shift with your fitness. Measure resting heart rate in the morning before getting up.
Which zone should I train in?
The American Heart Association describes moderate intensity as roughly 50–70% of maximum heart rate and vigorous intensity as 70–85%. Much of endurance training is done in zones 2 and 3, with a smaller share in the harder zones.
Can I use this if I take medication or have a heart condition?
Beta blockers and some other drugs lower your heart rate, so formula zones do not apply. Ask your doctor before using heart rate targets.