Heart Rate Zones Calculator
Instantly calculate your 5 personalised heart rate training zones based on your age and resting heart rate. Optimise your cardio workouts for endurance, fat loss, or peak performance.
Calculate Target Zones
Enter your age and resting heart rate below to instantly generate your personalised heart rate reserve (HRR) and 5 targeted training zones in beats per minute (bpm).
Heart Rate Zone Calculator
Get precise, personalised bpm ranges for your workouts.
Understanding Heart Rate
Key concepts for effective cardiovascular training
Maximum Heart Rate (MHR)
The highest number of times your heart can beat in a minute during maximum exertion. A common estimate is 220 minus your age, though individual variation exists.
Heart Rate Reserve (HRR)
Your MHR minus your Resting Heart Rate (RHR). This represents the “working” capacity of your heart and is the foundation of the Karvonen formula.
The Karvonen Formula
Target HR = ((MHR − RHR) × %Intensity) + RHR. This method is more accurate than simple percentage-of-max calculations because it accounts for your baseline fitness level.
Measuring Resting Heart Rate
For the most accurate RHR, measure your pulse for 60 seconds first thing in the morning, before getting out of bed, drinking caffeine, or experiencing daily stress.
The 5 Training Zones
A breakdown of what each heart rate zone feels like and the primary physiological benefits of training within it.
| Zone | Intensity (HRR) | Name | Primary Benefit | How it Feels |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 50% – 60% | Recovery | Active recovery, warm-up, cool-down | Very light, easy breathing, can hold a full conversation | |
| 60% – 70% | Endurance | Fat metabolism, aerobic base building | Comfortable, steady pace, can speak in full sentences | |
| 70% – 80% | Tempo | Improved aerobic capacity and efficiency | Moderately hard, breathing deeper, can speak short phrases | |
| 80% – 90% | Threshold | Lactate threshold improvement, speed endurance | Hard, heavy breathing, can only manage a few words at a time | |
| 90% – 100% | Maximum | Peak power, neuromuscular adaptation, VO2 max | Maximum effort, unsustainable for more than 1–3 minutes |
Heart Rate FAQ
Answers to the most frequently asked questions about heart rate training, zones, and fitness tracking.
Heart rate training zones are specific ranges of heartbeats per minute (bpm) that correspond to different levels of exercise intensity. Training in specific zones helps target different fitness goals, such as fat burning, endurance building, or peak performance.
The Karvonen formula is a method for calculating target heart rate zones that factors in your resting heart rate (RHR). It is considered more accurate than simple percentage-of-max methods because it accounts for individual fitness levels. The formula is: Target HR = ((Max HR − Resting HR) × %Intensity) + Resting HR.
Zone 2 (60–70% of your heart rate reserve) is traditionally known as the ‘fat-burning zone’. In this zone, your body primarily uses fat as its main energy source. However, higher zones burn more total calories per minute, so a balanced mix of zones is often best for overall weight management.
Measure your resting heart rate first thing in the morning, before getting out of bed, drinking caffeine, or experiencing daily stress. You can check your pulse at your wrist or neck for 60 seconds, or use a fitness tracker or smartwatch that records your overnight resting heart rate for a more reliable average.
Heart rate can be elevated by many factors besides fitness level, including dehydration, lack of sleep, high stress, caffeine intake, hot/humid weather, or impending illness. If your heart rate is consistently abnormally high or low, consult a healthcare professional.