Heart rate zones
Enter your age (and, if you know it, your resting heart rate for the Karvonen method) to get your 5 training zones with the beats per minute for each one.
| Zone | Intensity | Heart rate | What it's for |
|---|
These figures are estimates: your true max heart rate can differ from the formulas by ±10 bpm or more.
What the 5 zones are and what each one does
Training zones split effort into heart rate bands: zone 1 (50–60% of maximum intensity) is active recovery and warming up; zone 2 (60–70%) is the easy, conversational pace where your body burns mostly fat and builds base endurance — it's where coaches recommend spending most of your training time; zone 3 (70–80%) improves aerobic efficiency; zone 4 (80–90%) works close to your threshold and raises the pace you can sustain in a race; zone 5 (90–100%) is for sprints and short intervals, sustainable for only a few minutes at a time.
Simple formula or the Karvonen method?
With no other data, the zones are calculated as percentages of your estimated max heart rate (220 minus your age). If you also enter your resting heart rate, the tool switches to the Karvonen method, which works on your "heart rate reserve" (max HR minus resting HR) and produces more personal zones: at the same age, fitter people have a lower resting heart rate and their zones shift accordingly. This tool provides estimates only and is not medical advice. Before starting intense exercise — especially past age 40 or with any medical condition — talk to your doctor or a sports medicine specialist.