Heart Rate Zone Calculator
Find your five training heart rate zones to guide smarter workouts. Use the basic method or the Karvonen formula for personalised zones based on your resting heart rate.
This heart rate zones calculator works out your five training zones from your age, using your estimated maximum heart rate as the starting point. Each zone, from a gentle warm-up to peak effort, corresponds to a percentage of that maximum and trains your body in a different way. Lower zones build endurance and burn fat efficiently, while higher zones improve speed and cardiovascular power. Knowing your zones takes the guesswork out of how hard to push.
It is for anyone who exercises with a heart rate monitor or fitness watch and wants their training to be more effective, whether you are a beginner starting brisk walks or a runner chasing a personal best. Using zones helps you avoid the common trap of always training at a moderate, in-between pace that is neither easy enough to recover from nor hard enough to build fitness.
To use your result, match your workouts to the right zone for your goal. Most of your weekly training should sit in the easier zones two and three, with shorter, harder efforts in zones four and five. This balance, often called easy most of the time and hard occasionally, produces better results than pushing hard every session. Beginners should build a base in the lower zones first. For how much activity adults in the region should aim for each week, read our exercise recommendations for Asian adults.
Your Details
❤️ Your Heart Rate Training Zones
⚚️ Health disclaimer: This calculator gives general estimates for educational purposes only. It is not medical advice and is not a substitute for guidance from a qualified doctor or dietitian. Results are based on general formulas and population averages, and individual needs vary. If you have any health concerns, or before changing your diet, exercise, or lifestyle, please speak with a healthcare professional.
How to Use Heart Rate Zones
Enter your age
Your maximum heart rate is estimated at 220 minus your age. This is a population average and individual results may vary by 10-20 BPM.
Optional: use Karvonen
The Karvonen formula adds your resting heart rate for more personalised zones. Measure your resting HR first thing in the morning before getting up.
Train by zone
Use a heart rate monitor to keep your effort in the target zone. Zone 2 builds aerobic base; Zone 4-5 builds speed and peak capacity.
Frequently Asked Questions
How are heart rate zones calculated?
The basic method uses max HR (220 - age) and defines zones as percentages: Zone 1 at 50-60%, Zone 2 at 60-70%, Zone 3 at 70-80%, Zone 4 at 80-90%, Zone 5 at 90-100%. The Karvonen method incorporates resting HR to calculate heart rate reserve, giving more personalised targets.
What is Zone 2 training and why does it matter?
Zone 2 (60-70% max HR) is aerobic base training where your body primarily burns fat for fuel. It builds cardiovascular endurance and mitochondrial density with low fatigue and fast recovery. Most endurance coaches recommend spending 70-80% of total training time in Zone 2.
What is the Karvonen formula?
Karvonen calculates heart rate reserve (HRR = max HR minus resting HR) and applies: target HR = resting HR + (HRR x zone percentage). This accounts for individual fitness level and gives more accurate personalised zones than age-based max HR alone.
How do I find my resting heart rate?
Measure it first thing in the morning before getting out of bed. Count your pulse for 60 seconds or count for 30 seconds and multiply by 2. A healthy adult resting HR is typically 60-100 BPM. Fit individuals are often 40-60 BPM.
Which zone burns the most fat?
Zone 2 uses the highest proportion of fat as fuel. Higher zones burn more total calories per minute but rely more on carbohydrates. For sustainable fat loss combined with cardiovascular health, a mix of Zone 2 aerobic training with some higher-intensity sessions tends to be most effective long-term.
How heart rate zones work
Heart rate zones are ranges that describe how hard your heart is working during exercise, usually given as a percentage of your maximum heart rate. Lower zones suit easy, sustainable effort and recovery, middle zones build aerobic fitness, and higher zones are short, hard efforts. Training across different zones, rather than always pushing hard, is what builds endurance over time.
Your maximum heart rate is commonly estimated as 220 minus your age, though this is only a rough guide. A more accurate estimate many researchers prefer is 208 minus 0.7 times your age. Either way, real maximums vary a lot between people of the same age, so treat the zones this calculator produces as a starting framework, not exact limits.
Listen to your body too
Numbers are useful, but how you feel matters just as much. If you can hold a conversation, you are in an easy zone; if you can only manage short phrases, you are working hard. Medications, caffeine, heat, illness, and stress all shift your heart rate, so the same effort can read differently on different days. If you have a heart condition, are new to exercise, or feel dizzy, breathless, or unwell while training, stop and speak with a doctor before continuing.
Sources: Tanaka et al. maximum heart rate formula; general exercise-physiology guidance.