Zone 2 heart rate calculator.
Zone 2 is the easy aerobic intensity where the endurance base gets built - and every formula for it gives a slightly different number. This calculator shows your range by all three common methods, %HRmax, Karvonen and MAF, and lets you replace the age estimate with your real tested max.
your numbers
your zone 2 range
The feel check
Full sentences possible, breathing steady, could keep going. If you cannot talk, you are above zone 2 no matter what the number says.
Formulas are estimates around the same idea - the talk test is the tiebreaker. Definitions of zone 2 genuinely differ between schemes; this tool shows the most widely used version of each method.
the short answer
Zone 2 heart rate is most commonly calculated as 60-70% of your maximum heart rate, with max HR estimated as 220 minus your age. A 40-year-old gets 180 x 0.60 to 0.70 = 108-126 bpm. The Karvonen method personalizes the range with your resting heart rate ((max - resting) x 0.60-0.70 + resting), and the MAF method uses 180 minus age as an aerobic ceiling. The methods disagree by design - the talk test settles it.
Zone 2 heart rate by age.
Estimated with the default method (60-70% of 220 minus age). If you know your real max heart rate, use the calculator above instead - the table is a population average, your tested max is you.
| Age | Est. max HR | Zone 2 range (bpm) |
|---|---|---|
| 20 | 200 | 120-140 |
| 25 | 195 | 117-137 |
| 30 | 190 | 114-133 |
| 35 | 185 | 111-130 |
| 40 | 180 | 108-126 |
| 45 | 175 | 105-122 |
| 50 | 170 | 102-119 |
| 55 | 165 | 99-115 |
| 60 | 160 | 96-112 |
| 65 | 155 | 93-109 |
| 70 | 150 | 90-105 |
Three methods, three numbers - why that is fine.
%HRmax is the default because it needs only your age: zone 2 = 60-70% of maximum heart rate. Some schemes place it higher, at 73-80%, which is worth knowing when two calculators disagree - they are describing different zone models, not making an arithmetic error. Karvonen works from heart rate reserve - the gap between your resting and maximum heart rate - which personalizes the range: two 40-year-olds with resting rates of 50 and 75 get meaningfully different zones. MAF, Phil Maffetone's method, skips percentages entirely: 180 minus age is your aerobic ceiling, and training happens in the 10 beats below it (the full method adjusts this ceiling for health and training history).
All three approximate the same physiological target: staying below the intensity where breathing deepens sharply and speaking becomes hard. One transparency note: max-HR formulas themselves differ - this page uses the classic 220 minus age that zone 2 references use, while our five-zone tool uses the newer Tanaka formula (208 - 0.7 x age), which runs a few beats different at most ages. That is one more reason the talk test, not any formula, is the tiebreaker. That is why the talk test outranks every formula. For your full five-zone breakdown, use our heart rate zone calculator; for what a zone 2 session can look like in practice, the interval walking calculator plans the gentlest version, and the VO2 max calculator estimates the ceiling all this base work is raising, and the VO2 max by age chart shows what a strong number looks like for your bracket.
How coaches use zone 2 with clients.
The coaching value of zone 2 is that it gives easy cardio a number, and numbers get done. "Go for an easy jog" produces wildly different sessions from different clients; "keep it between 108 and 126, walk if you drift over" produces the session you actually programmed. The most common correction runs downward: recreational clients do most cardio too hard to build an aerobic base but too easy to be real interval work, and a zone 2 cap fixes that middle-ground drift.
In practice: set the range with a method you can defend, teach the talk test as the sanity check, and track sessions plus how the range felt in the weekly check-in - resting heart rate trending down over months is the base building. The full coaching method, including how to keep clients from drifting hard, is in our guide to zone 2 cardio for coaches. On a platform like Coachway you can program the cardio alongside strength work in the client app and watch adherence and check-in data come back automatically.
Give every client their zones - and see the sessions happen.
A calculator sets the range once. Coachway lets coaches program the whole cardio and strength week in a branded client app, with completed sessions and weekly check-ins flowing back - alongside nutrition targets, messaging, and payments in one place.
Zone 2 heart rate FAQ.
What is zone 2 heart rate?
Zone 2 is the easy aerobic intensity: hard enough to count as training, easy enough to hold a conversation. In the most common five-zone model it sits at roughly 60-70% of your maximum heart rate. It is where endurance athletes build their aerobic base, and where most people should spend the bulk of their cardio time.
How do I calculate my zone 2 heart rate?
The quick method: estimate your max heart rate as 220 minus your age, then take 60-70% of it. A 40-year-old gets 180 x 0.60 to 0.70 = 108-126 bpm. The Karvonen method personalizes this with your resting heart rate, and the MAF method simply uses 180 minus age as your aerobic ceiling. The three methods give different numbers - that is normal, and the calculator shows all three so you can see the spread.
Why do different zone 2 calculators give different numbers?
Because there is no single agreed definition. Some sources place zone 2 at 60-70% of max heart rate, others at 73-80%; Karvonen-based schemes use percentages of heart rate reserve, which shifts the range upward for anyone with a low resting heart rate; MAF uses 180 minus age. All of them are estimates around the same physiological idea - staying below the intensity where breathing deepens sharply. Pick one method, and calibrate it with the talk test rather than treating any formula as exact.
What should zone 2 training feel like?
Comfortable but purposeful. You can speak in full sentences, breathe through your nose most of the time, and finish feeling like you could do it again. If you need to pause mid-sentence to breathe, you have drifted above zone 2 - which is the most common mistake, because the pace feels almost too easy at first.
How much zone 2 training should I do per week?
Endurance practice commonly puts most weekly cardio volume at easy intensity, with a smaller share at hard intensity. For general fitness, two to four zone 2 sessions of 30-60 minutes a week is a sensible base alongside strength work. More matters less than consistency: the aerobic base builds over months, not sessions.
Is 220 minus age accurate for max heart rate?
It is a population average with wide individual spread - real max heart rates at any age can vary by 10-20 beats in either direction. If you know your actual max from a race, a hard test, or a chest-strap monitor, enter it in the calculator and every method that uses max heart rate becomes personal instead of statistical.
This calculator gives general fitness estimates, not medical advice. Max-heart-rate formulas are population averages with wide individual variation, and some medications (notably beta blockers) change heart-rate response entirely. Anyone with a heart condition should get medical guidance on training intensity rather than using age-based formulas.
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