Heart Rate Zone Calculator.
Find your five training zones in beats per minute. Enter your age - and your resting heart rate if you have it - and this heart rate zone calculator estimates your max heart rate with the Tanaka formula, then splits it into recovery, aerobic, tempo, threshold, and VO2max zones.
Add your resting heart rate to unlock the Karvonen method - it personalises zones to your fitness.
Measure it first thing in the morning, before getting out of bed.
Your max heart rate (Tanaka)
187 bpm
208 - 0.7 x age · classic 220 - age = 190 bpm · % of max HR
Z1 Recovery
50-60% · easy warm-ups, cool-downs, and active recovery
112-131 bpm
Z2 Aerobic
60-70% · aerobic base and fat-burning endurance
112-131 bpm
Z3 Tempo
70-80% · sustained aerobic power and stamina
112-131 bpm
Z4 Threshold
80-90% · lactate threshold and race pace
112-131 bpm
Z5 VO2max
90-100% · top-end speed and maximal oxygen uptake
112-131 bpm
Estimates in beats per minute. Your true max can sit 10-20 bpm off any formula - let how the effort feels be the tiebreaker.
the short answer
Heart rate zones are percentages of your maximum heart rate. Estimate your max with Tanaka (208 - 0.7 x age), then multiply by each zone band: Z1 recovery 50-60%, Z2 aerobic 60-70%, Z3 tempo 70-80%, Z4 threshold 80-90%, Z5 VO2max 90-100%. For a 30-year-old, max is 187 bpm, so Z2 lands at 112-131 bpm. Add a resting heart rate to switch to the Karvonen method for more personal zones.
What heart rate zones are and how they are calculated.
Heart rate zones split your training into five intensity bands, each anchored to a percentage of your maximum heart rate. Training in the right zone is how you make sure easy days stay easy and hard days are actually hard - the single biggest mistake in endurance work is grinding every session in a grey middle that builds neither base nor speed.
This calculator works in two steps. First it estimates your maximum heart rate with the Tanaka formula, which is more accurate across the age range than the old 220 minus age rule:
Classic (shown for reference): max HR = 220 - age
Then it sets each zone. With the percent-of-max method, the target is simply the zone percentage times your max heart rate. If you add a resting heart rate, the tool switches to the Karvonen method, which works from your heart rate reserve - the gap between max and rest - for zones tuned to your fitness:
Karvonen: target = (max HR - resting HR) x percentage + resting HR
The five bands are Z1 recovery 50-60%, Z2 aerobic 60-70%, Z3 tempo 70-80%, Z4 threshold 80-90%, and Z5 VO2max 90-100%. For a 30-year-old, Tanaka gives a max of 187 bpm, so Z2 sits at 112-131 bpm by percent-of-max. Add a resting heart rate of 60 and Karvonen shifts that same Z2 up to 136-149 bpm, because it accounts for the floor your heart never drops below.
How coaches program by zone.
Coaches use heart rate zones to write conditioning that actually has a shape. The bulk of a client's easy work lives in Z2 - long, conversational sessions that build the aerobic base - while the hard intervals sit in Z4 and Z5 to push threshold and VO2max. A common split is roughly 80% of training time easy and 20% hard, and zones are what stop a client from blurring the two together.
The friction is keeping each client's zones current as their max and resting heart rate shift with fitness, and translating those numbers into the right session at the right time. A coaching platform stores each client's zones, programs the week around them, and shows the targets inside the workout - so you spend your time adjusting intensity based on real check-ins instead of recalculating bands by hand. Pair this with the running pace calculator and the calories burned calculator to round out a conditioning block.
Program conditioning by zone for every client.
Coachway lets you build training in a workout builder, set intensity targets, and deliver the week inside a branded client app - then adjust as each check-in comes in. It is the operating system for online fitness and nutrition coaches, so you stop stitching together calculators, spreadsheets, and chat.
See how Coachway worksFrequently asked.
What are the 5 heart rate zones?
The five heart rate zones are percentages of your maximum heart rate. Zone 1 (50-60%) is recovery, Zone 2 (60-70%) is aerobic fat-burning, Zone 3 (70-80%) is tempo, Zone 4 (80-90%) is threshold, and Zone 5 (90-100%) is VO2max. Each zone trains a different system, from easy endurance up to all-out speed.
How do I calculate my heart rate zones?
First estimate your maximum heart rate with the Tanaka formula: 208 minus 0.7 times your age. Then multiply that max by each zone percentage. For a 30-year-old, max is 208 minus 21, or 187 bpm, so Zone 2 at 60-70% is 112-131 bpm. This calculator runs both steps for you and shows every zone in beats per minute.
What is the Karvonen method?
The Karvonen method uses your heart rate reserve, the gap between your maximum and resting heart rate. The target is max minus resting, times the zone percentage, plus resting again. It personalises zones to your fitness, so a fitter person with a low resting heart rate gets slightly different numbers than the simple percent-of-max approach.
Which heart rate zone burns the most fat?
Zone 2, at 60-70% of your maximum heart rate, is the classic fat-burning zone because the body uses a high proportion of fat for fuel at that easy, conversational pace. Total calories burned still climb in higher zones, but Zone 2 lets you train longer and builds the aerobic base most endurance plans are built on.
What is the difference between Tanaka and 220 minus age?
The 220 minus age rule is the old shortcut for maximum heart rate, but it overestimates for younger people and underestimates for older ones. Tanaka, 208 minus 0.7 times age, is more accurate across the age range. This tool uses Tanaka as the primary estimate and shows 220 minus age alongside it for reference.
How accurate are heart rate zone calculators?
A heart rate zone calculator gives a solid estimate, but your true maximum can vary by 10-20 bpm from any formula based on genetics and training. For precise zones, use a lab test or a hard field test rather than a prediction. Treat these numbers as a starting point and adjust by how the effort actually feels.
This calculator is general information, not medical advice. Predicted heart rate zones are estimates - if you are new to exercise, are managing a heart condition, or take medication that affects heart rate, talk to a qualified professional before training to these numbers.
Keep going: use the running pace calculator to set pace targets for each zone, or the calories burned calculator to estimate the energy cost of a session.
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Open calculator ->See what Coachway can do for your coaching business
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