How to Calculate Heart Rate Zones
Step-by-step instructions for calculating your personal heart rate training zones using max heart rate formulas and zone percentages.
Step-by-Step: Calculate Your Zones from Scratch
The full calculation from two inputs (age and, optionally, resting HR) to five zone ranges takes about a minute.
Step 1 — Estimate HRmax
Pick one formula and stick with it. We default to Tanaka (208 − 0.7 × age) for men and Gulati (206 − 0.88 × age) for women; Nes / HUNT is a good alternative if you are highly trained. Fox (220 − age) is only a historical reference and tends to overestimate.
Step 2 — Decide %HRmax or %HRR
If you don't know your resting HR, use %HRmax: Target = HRmax × Intensity%. If you have measured HRrest carefully, use %HRR (Karvonen): Target = HRrest + (HRmax − HRrest) × Intensity%. Karvonen personalises the zones to your fitness level; %HRmax is the quicker shortcut.
Step 3 — Apply the five intensity bands
Zone 1: 50–60%. Zone 2: 60–70%. Zone 3: 70–80%. Zone 4: 80–90%. Zone 5: 90–100%.
Worked example — 35-year-old male, HRrest 55
- HRmax (Tanaka) = 208 − 0.7 × 35 = 184 bpm
- HRR = 184 − 55 = 129 bpm
- Zone 2 (60–70% HRR) = 55 + 0.60·129 to 55 + 0.70·129 = 132–145 bpm
- Zone 4 (80–90% HRR) = 55 + 0.80·129 to 55 + 0.90·129 = 158–171 bpm
Compare to %HRmax: Zone 2 (60–70% of 185) = 111–130 bpm — clearly too low for a trained 35-year-old. This is why Karvonen matters when HRrest is well below the population average.
Maximum Heart Rate Formulas
- Tanaka (2001) — our default for men: HRmax = 208 − 0.7 × age. Meta-analysis of 18,712 participants.
- Gulati (2010) — our default for women: HRmax = 206 − 0.88 × age. Developed on 5,437 women.
- Gellish (2007): HRmax = 207 − 0.7 × age. Developed on regularly active adults.
- Nes / HUNT (2013): HRmax = 211 − 0.64 × age. Norwegian HUNT Fitness Study on 3,320 healthy adults.
- Fox (1971) — historical reference: HRmax = 220 − age. Simple and widely quoted, but a 1970s approximation with ±10–12 bpm variability that overestimates for active adults.
No formula is universally “correct.” The only way to know your true HRmax is a supervised maximum-effort test.
Heart Rate Zones (reference: age 30, HRmax ≈ 187 bpm, Tanaka)
| Zone |
Name |
% HRmax |
BPM (age 30) |
Primary use |
| 1 | Recovery | 50–60% | 94–112 | Warm-up, recovery, active rest |
| 2 | Endurance | 60–70% | 112–131 | Aerobic base, fat oxidation |
| 3 | Aerobic | 70–80% | 131–150 | Tempo, aerobic capacity |
| 4 | Threshold | 80–90% | 150–168 | Lactate threshold intervals |
| 5 | Maximum | 90–100% | 168–187 | VO₂ max, neuromuscular power |
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