Heart Rate Zone Calculator
Enter your age, and your resting heart rate if you know it. With a resting rate this uses the Karvonen method, which is noticeably more accurate than percentages of maximum.
How the math works
Maximum heart rate: Tanaka is 208 - 0.7 x age, the classic is 220 - age, and Gulati is 206 - 0.88 x age for women. With a resting heart rate, zones use Karvonen: target = resting + (max - resting) x intensity. Without one, they are plain percentages of maximum.
Common questions
- What is my maximum heart rate?
- The estimate above, though individuals vary by 10 to 20 beats either side of any formula. 220 minus age is the famous one and also the least accurate; Tanaka fits real data better, particularly over 40.
- Which zone should I train in?
- Mostly zone 2. The common approach across endurance sports puts around 80 percent of training easy and 20 percent hard, with little in between. Zone 3 feels productive and is the most commonly overused.
- How do I measure my resting heart rate?
- Take your pulse for a full minute first thing in the morning, before getting out of bed, across several days. A wearable that tracks overnight does this more reliably. Adults typically sit between 60 and 100, and trained athletes well below.