Heart Rate Zone Calculator
What are Heart Rate Zones?
Heart rate zones tell you how hard your heart is working during exercise, helping you train at the right intensity for your goal - whether that is fat burning, building endurance, or improving speed. A heart rate zone calculator finds your personal zones from your age and resting heart rate.
Enter your age and resting heart rate, and choose a method. The Karvonen method uses your heart rate reserve (max minus resting) and is more personalized; the simpler max heart rate method uses 220 minus age. The calculator returns all five zones as beats per minute ranges.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I calculate my heart rate zones?
First find your max heart rate (220 - age) and your heart rate reserve (max - resting heart rate). Each zone is a percentage of that reserve added to your resting rate (Karvonen), or a percentage of max. For example, Zone 2 is 60-70% of the reserve.
What is the best heart rate zone for fat burning?
Zone 2 (60-70% of max) is often called the fat-burning zone because a higher proportion of energy comes from fat at that intensity. However, total calories burned matter more - higher-intensity zones burn more calories overall, including after exercise.
Is the 220 minus age formula accurate?
It is a rough population average that becomes less accurate with age and fitness level. The Karvonen method is more accurate because it factors in your resting heart rate. For precise numbers, a lab test or an exercise physiologist is the gold standard.