Heart Rate Zone Calculator
Calculate your personalised 5-zone heart rate training ranges. Use these during workouts to ensure you're training at the right intensity for your goal — fat burning, aerobic development, or high-intensity performance.
| Zone | % Max HR | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Zone 1 | 50–60% | Very light activity. Warm-up, cool-down, active recovery. |
| Zone 2 | 60–70% | Conversational pace. Burns fat, builds aerobic base. Ideal for long slow distance training. |
| Zone 3 | 70–80% | Moderate effort. Improves cardiovascular efficiency. |
| Zone 4 | 80–90% | Hard effort. Raises lactate threshold and VO₂max. Race pace for most. |
| Zone 5 | 90–100% | All-out sprint. Only sustainable for short bursts. |
The Karvonen formula uses Heart Rate Reserve (HRR) and produces personalised zones that account for your fitness level. A lower resting heart rate (fitter individual) results in wider zones.
Calculates zones as a simple percentage of your estimated maximum heart rate (220 − age). Easy to use but less personalised.
A more accurate method that accounts for your resting heart rate. It uses the Heart Rate Reserve (HRR = Max HR − Resting HR) and adds back resting HR, giving a personalised training zone.
Measure first thing in the morning before getting out of bed, ideally after several minutes of lying still. Average is 60–80 bpm. Trained athletes often have resting HR of 40–50 bpm.
- •Zone 2 (aerobic base) training is under-rated — most of your training volume should be here.
- •A heart rate monitor or smartwatch gives real-time feedback during workouts.
- •Your actual max HR may differ from 220−age by ±10–12 bpm — a maximal effort test is more accurate.