Heart Rate Zone Calculator: Find Your Zone 2 and Training Zones
Enter your age and morning resting heart rate to get an estimated max heart rate and five training zones, from easy recovery walks to all-out sprints.
Your results
Estimates for healthy adults, for education only. Not a medical assessment. Built and reviewed by Umair Hazrami.
How this calculator works
Two inputs. Three steps.
1. Estimate max heart rate. We use the Tanaka equation: 208 - (0.7 × age). In a meta-analysis of 351 studies (18,712 people), max heart rate tracked age closely, and a follow-up lab study of 514 healthy adults produced almost the same line (Tanaka et al., 2001). The authors found the old 220 - age rule underestimated max heart rate in older adults.
2. Find your heart rate reserve. Reserve = max HR - resting HR. This is the Karvonen approach.
3. Build the zones. Each zone is resting HR + (reserve × a percentage):
| Zone | % of reserve | What it is for |
|---|---|---|
| 1 Recovery | 50-60% | Walks, active recovery |
| 2 Aerobic base | 60-70% | Easy cardio that will not hurt leg day |
| 3 Tempo | 70-80% | Steady conditioning |
| 4 Threshold | 80-90% | Hard intervals |
| 5 Max | 90-100% | Short sprints |
Worked example: a 30-year-old with a resting HR of 65. Max HR is about 187 bpm, reserve is 122, so Zone 2 lands around 138-150 bpm.
Using the zones as a lifter
Most people lifting four days a week do not need five zones. They need two.
- Zone 2 for the bulk of your cardio: incline walks, cycling, easy rowing. It builds an aerobic base and is easy enough that it usually costs little recovery before your next squat session. Our guide to Zone 2 cardio for lifters covers how much to do.
- Zones 4-5 for one short interval session a week, if your goal includes fitness or VO2 max.
Worried cardio will cost you muscle? The interference effect guide explains where the real limits sit. And if your cardio is part of a cut, plug sessions into the calories burned calculator rather than trusting your watch’s number.
The most common mistake here is treating the zone numbers as exact. Use them as a range, then cross-check with how you feel. In Zone 2 you should be able to speak in full sentences.
Limitations and who this is not for
Any age formula predicts an average. Individual max heart rates scatter widely around it, so your zones could be off by several beats or more. Validation studies in young adults (Roy and McCrory, 2015) and in overweight or obese adults (Franckowiak et al., 2011) both found Tanaka the most accurate of the equations they tested. Still, both were single-lab studies, and the young-adult study had just 52 people. A supervised max test, or a hard field test if you are healthy and already training, beats any formula.
Heat matters too. Training outdoors in a humid Indian summer will usually push heart rate higher for the same pace, so expect to slow down to stay in Zone 2.
These zones are not suitable if you take beta-blockers or other heart-rate-lowering medication. In one study of cardiac patients, heart-rate targets often fell outside the intended intensity range, and the right target differed between patients on and off beta-blockers (Diaz-Buschmann et al., 2014). They are also not built for under-18s, pregnancy, or anyone with a known heart condition.
See a doctor before hard training if you get chest pain, fainting, a racing or irregular pulse, or breathlessness out of proportion to effort. The same goes if your resting heart rate is regularly above 100 bpm.
Frequently Asked Questions
How is my max heart rate calculated?
The calculator uses the Tanaka equation, 208 minus 0.7 times your age. It came from a meta-analysis of 351 studies covering 18,712 people and was then checked in a lab study of 514 healthy adults. It is still an average, so your real max can sit well above or below it.
What is the Karvonen method?
Karvonen zones are percentages of your heart rate reserve, which is max heart rate minus resting heart rate. Each zone is resting HR plus a slice of that reserve, so two people of the same age with different resting heart rates get different zones, unlike a plain percentage of max. That is why the calculator asks for your resting heart rate.
What heart rate is Zone 2?
In this calculator, Zone 2 is 60-70% of your heart rate reserve added to your resting heart rate. For a 30-year-old with a resting HR of 65, that works out to roughly 138-150 bpm. You should be able to talk in full sentences at that effort, and if you cannot, slow down regardless of what the watch says.
Why is 208 - 0.7 x age used instead of 220 - age?
In the Tanaka meta-analysis, 220 minus age underestimated max heart rate in older adults. Two smaller validation studies, one in 18-25 year olds and one in overweight or obese adults, also found 208 minus 0.7 times age gave the closest predictions of the equations they tested. Neither formula replaces a real maximal test.
How do I measure my resting heart rate?
Take it in the morning on waking, before you get out of bed or drink tea or coffee. Count your pulse for 60 seconds, or use a chest strap or watch, and average three to five mornings. A single reading after a bad night or a heavy leg day can be several beats high.
Do these zones work if I take blood pressure medicine?
Not reliably. Beta-blockers lower both resting and peak heart rate, and in a study of cardiac patients the usual heart-rate targets often landed above or below the intended intensity range depending on whether people took them. If you are on a beta-blocker or any heart medication, ask your doctor or cardiac rehab team for your target zone instead.
My watch says I am in Zone 4 on an easy jog. Is something wrong?
Usually the estimate is the problem, not you. If your true max is higher than the formula predicts, every zone will feel easier than its label, and heat, humidity, poor sleep and dehydration push heart rate up for the same pace too. Check your effort with the talk test, and see a doctor if a high heart rate comes with chest pain, dizziness or unusual breathlessness.
Sources & References
Every claim above is checked against peer-reviewed research (PubMed, U.S. National Library of Medicine) or guidance from established health bodies. How we fact-check.
- Tanaka H, et al. Age-predicted maximal heart rate revisited. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2001. PMID: 11153730
- Roy S, et al. Validation of Maximal Heart Rate Prediction Equations Based on Sex and Physical Activity Status. Int J Exerc Sci. 2015. PMID: 27182419
- Franckowiak SC, et al. Maximal heart rate prediction in adults that are overweight or obese. J Strength Cond Res. 2011. PMID: 21116203
- Diaz-Buschmann I, et al. Programming exercise intensity in patients on beta-blocker treatment: the importance of choosing an appropriate method. Eur J Prev Cardiol. 2014. PMID: 23918838