Heart Rate Zone Calculator
Heart Rate Zone Calculator
Work out your maximum heart rate and the five training zones in beats per minute from your age, with a choice of formulas, the Karvonen method if you know your resting pulse, and the moderate and vigorous ranges the American Heart Association uses.
The five zones in beats per minute
Maximum heart rate by age and formula
Maximum heart rate formulas: 220 minus age, the American Heart Association’s rule of thumb; Tanaka, Monahan and Seals (2001), 208 minus 0.7 x age; Gellish and colleagues (2007), 207 minus 0.7 x age; Nes and colleagues (2013), 211 minus 0.64 x age. All are averages, and a given person can be 10 to 20 beats above or below them; a measured maximum from a supervised test is better. The five zones are a common training scheme at 50, 60, 70, 80 and 90 percent. The Karvonen method applies the percentages to the heart rate reserve, maximum minus resting, and adds the resting rate back. The American Heart Association puts moderate activity at about 50 to 70 percent of maximum and vigorous activity at about 70 to 85 percent. This is general fitness information, not medical advice; some medicines, such as beta blockers, lower heart rate. The CSV, image and printed report contain the values you entered, nothing preloaded.
How to use this tool
Enter your age and pick a formula for your maximum heart rate, or type a maximum you have measured. Add your resting heart rate and choose heart rate reserve if you want zones by the Karvonen method. Your maximum and the five zones appear at once, in beats per minute, with the American Heart Association's moderate and vigorous ranges beside them.
The band shows all five zones at a glance, and the line chart shows how the formulas differ with age.
How the zones are worked out
Your maximum heart rate falls with age. The oldest rule of thumb is 220 minus your age; research formulas such as Tanaka, Monahan and Seals' 208 minus 0.7 times age fit large groups a little better. None of them is exact for one person, which is why a measured maximum, from a supervised test, beats any formula.
Training zones are slices of that maximum: 50 to 60 percent for zone 1, then 60 to 70, 70 to 80, 80 to 90 and 90 to 100. The Karvonen method takes the slices of your heart rate reserve instead, the gap between resting and maximum, and adds the resting rate back, so a fit person with a low resting pulse gets zones that match their effort better.
Heart rate zones by age
| Age | Max | Zone 1 | Zone 2 | Zone 3 | Zone 4 | Zone 5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 | 200 | 100 to 120 | 120 to 140 | 140 to 160 | 160 to 180 | 180 to 200 |
| 25 | 195 | 98 to 117 | 117 to 137 | 137 to 156 | 156 to 176 | 176 to 195 |
| 30 | 190 | 95 to 114 | 114 to 133 | 133 to 152 | 152 to 171 | 171 to 190 |
| 35 | 185 | 93 to 111 | 111 to 130 | 130 to 148 | 148 to 167 | 167 to 185 |
| 40 | 180 | 90 to 108 | 108 to 126 | 126 to 144 | 144 to 162 | 162 to 180 |
| 45 | 175 | 88 to 105 | 105 to 123 | 123 to 140 | 140 to 158 | 158 to 175 |
| 50 | 170 | 85 to 102 | 102 to 119 | 119 to 136 | 136 to 153 | 153 to 170 |
| 55 | 165 | 83 to 99 | 99 to 116 | 116 to 132 | 132 to 149 | 149 to 165 |
| 60 | 160 | 80 to 96 | 96 to 112 | 112 to 128 | 128 to 144 | 144 to 160 |
| 65 | 155 | 78 to 93 | 93 to 109 | 109 to 124 | 124 to 140 | 140 to 155 |
| 70 | 150 | 75 to 90 | 90 to 105 | 105 to 120 | 120 to 135 | 135 to 150 |
Beats per minute by percent of maximum, with maximum as 220 minus age. Zones 50 to 60, 60 to 70, 70 to 80, 80 to 90 and 90 to 100 percent.
A worked example you can check on paper
A 40 year old has an estimated maximum of 220 minus 40, 180 beats a minute. Zone 2 at 60 to 70 percent is 108 to 126 bpm, and zone 3 at 70 to 80 percent is 126 to 144. The American Heart Association's moderate range, 50 to 70 percent, is 90 to 126.
With a resting heart rate of 50, the reserve is 180 minus 50, 130 beats. Karvonen zone 2 is 50 plus 0.6 times 130 to 50 plus 0.7 times 130, 128 to 141 bpm, noticeably higher than the plain percentages.
Mistakes that catch people out
Treating the formula as fact. If your heart rate often sits above your supposed maximum, your real maximum is higher; use a measured figure.
Measuring resting rate after coffee or exercise. Take it in the morning before getting up, and average a few days.
Chasing numbers from a wrist sensor. Optical sensors lag and can misread during intervals; a chest strap is steadier, and how the effort feels still counts.
Ignoring medicines. Beta blockers and some other drugs lower heart rate, so zones from age alone will not fit; ask your doctor.
Popular calculations
Each opens the calculator with its own address, and every value can be changed once it is open.
By age, 220 minus age
Karvonen, with resting heart rate
Tanaka formula
Measured maximum
How this was checked
The engine was tested in Node against hand calculations and the American Heart Association's table, which lists 90 to 153 bpm as the 50 to 85 percent target zone at age 40 and 85 to 145 at age 50. The Tanaka, Gellish and Nes formulas were checked at several ages, and Karvonen zones were worked by hand for resting rates of 50, 60 and 70.
Every address in the lists above was then opened and checked for a distinct title, the right answer, charts that render, and clean CSV, image and print output containing only that calculation, at desktop, tablet and phone widths.
Common questions
How do I calculate my heart rate zones?
Estimate your maximum heart rate, most simply as 220 minus your age, then take percentages of it: zone 1 is 50 to 60 percent, zone 2 60 to 70, zone 3 70 to 80, zone 4 80 to 90 and zone 5 90 to 100. At 40 the maximum is about 180, so zone 2 is 108 to 126 beats a minute.
What is zone 2 heart rate?
Zone 2 is 60 to 70 percent of your maximum heart rate, easy enough to hold a conversation. It is the pace most endurance training is built on. For a 40 year old using 220 minus age that is 108 to 126 bpm, or about 128 to 141 bpm by the Karvonen method with a resting rate of 50.
What is the Karvonen formula?
It sets zones as a share of your heart rate reserve, maximum minus resting, added to your resting rate. With a maximum of 180 and a resting rate of 60, zone 2 at 60 to 70 percent is 60 plus 0.6 to 0.7 times 120, which is 132 to 144 bpm. It suits fit people with low resting rates better than plain percentages.
Is 220 minus age accurate?
It is a rough average. Studies such as Tanaka and colleagues in 2001 found 208 minus 0.7 times age fits large groups better, reading lower for young people and higher for older ones. Any formula can be 10 to 20 beats off for an individual.
What heart rate counts as moderate exercise?
The American Heart Association puts moderate intensity at about 50 to 70 percent of maximum heart rate and vigorous at about 70 to 85 percent. For a 50 year old, with a maximum of about 170, that is 85 to 119 bpm for moderate and 119 to 145 bpm for vigorous.
What is a normal resting heart rate?
For most adults it is between 60 and 100 beats a minute, according to the American Heart Association. Well trained athletes are often lower. Measure it in the morning before getting up, over a full minute.
Related Calculators and Reference
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- American Heart Association: Target Heart Rates: the moderate and vigorous ranges used here.