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Heart rate zones calculator

Training by heart rate zones keeps easy days easy and hard days hard. The Karvonen method personalizes five zones from your max and resting heart rate.

Heart rate zones

Karvonen method: max HR and resting HR.

Your 5 training zones
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Enter max and resting heart rate.

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Resting HR
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HR reserve
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Karvonen formula: Target = (max HR - resting HR) x intensity% + resting HR. No max HR? Estimate 220 - age.
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The Karvonen advantage

Simple percent-of-max zones ignore fitness: two people with 190 max but resting rates of 50 and 75 have different engines. Karvonen uses heart rate reserve (max minus resting) so zones reflect your actual aerobic capacity.

What each zone trains

Zone 1 recovers, Zone 2 builds the aerobic base where most training should live, Zone 3 is comfortably hard tempo, Zone 4 is threshold, Zone 5 is short max efforts. Polarized training means lots of Zone 2 with a little Zone 4 and 5.

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Heart Rate Zones FAQs

What is the Karvonen formula?
Target HR = (max HR - resting HR) x intensity + resting HR. For 60 to 70% with max 190 and resting 60: (130 x 0.6 + 60) to (130 x 0.7 + 60) = 138 to 151 bpm.
How do I find my max heart rate?
Best: a hard hill or track test with a chest strap. Estimate: 220 - age is rough; the Tanaka formula 208 - 0.7 x age is better.
How do I measure resting heart rate?
First thing in the morning, lying still, before coffee. Take it 3 mornings and average; wrist sensors are fine at rest.
What zone should most training be in?
Zone 2, about 80 percent of endurance volume. It builds mitochondria and fat burning with minimal fatigue.
Why are my zones different from my watch defaults?
Watches often use plain percent of max, which misplaces zones for very fit or unfit people. Karvonen zones from real max and resting values are more accurate.
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