Target Heart Rate Zone Calculator
Maximum heart rate and five training zones, by the Karvonen method if you know your resting rate.
Training zones turn "go easy" and "go hard" into numbers you can hold yourself to. If you know your resting heart rate, the Karvonen method personalises the zones to your heart rate reserve rather than just scaling your maximum.
How this is worked out
The familiar 220 − age comes from a rough line drawn through a handful of small studies in the 1970s and carries a standard deviation of about 10 to 12 beats. Tanaka's 208 − 0.7 × age, from a meta-analysis of 351 studies, fits better across ages and is the default here. Gulati's equation was derived specifically in women, in whom the classic formula tends to overestimate.
Karvonen zones are calculated on heart rate reserve — maximum minus resting — and then added back to resting, which shifts the zones up for fitter people with low resting rates. The five zones used here are 50–60% (very light), 60–70% (light, fat-burning), 70–80% (moderate, aerobic), 80–90% (hard, anaerobic) and 90–100% (maximum).
Any formula for maximum heart rate is a population estimate. Individuals can sit 20 beats either side of it. If you train seriously, a supervised test gives a real number; if you have a heart condition or take beta blockers, the zones here do not apply and your cardiologist's do.
This calculator runs entirely in your browser. Nothing you enter is transmitted to us, saved on our servers, or shared with anyone.
Common questions
Is the fat-burning zone real?
The proportion of energy coming from fat is highest at low intensity, but the total calories burned are lower. For weight loss, total energy burned over the week matters more than which fuel you used during the session.
What is a good resting heart rate?
60 to 100 bpm is the normal adult range, and trained endurance athletes are often in the 40s. A resting rate that has climbed noticeably over weeks is worth mentioning to a doctor.