How to Calculate Heart Rate Zones: The Formulas, Worked Examples, and Weekly Plan
If you want to learn how to calculate heart rate zones, you need two numbers: your maximum heart rate and your resting heart rate. Everything else is arithmetic. A watch can do it for you, but most watches use the roughest formula and never tell you which method they picked.
This guide shows you how to calculate heart rate zones by hand, with three maximum heart rate formulas, both zone methods, and full worked examples for a man and a woman. By the end, you will know your own zones and how to train in each one.
Quick Answer: How to Calculate Heart Rate Zones?
Here is how to calculate heart rate zones in two steps. First, estimate your maximum heart rate with the Tanaka formula: 208 minus (0.7 times your age). Second, multiply that maximum by the zone percentages: Zone 1 is 50 to 60 percent, Zone 2 is 60 to 70 percent, Zone 3 is 70 to 80 percent, Zone 4 is 80 to 90 percent, and Zone 5 is 90 to 100 percent.
A 35 year old has a maximum of about 184 beats per minute, so Zone 2 is roughly 110 to 129 beats per minute. If you know your resting heart rate too, the Karvonen method gives more personal zones, and the worked examples below show both methods side by side. If you want to skip the arithmetic, our heart rate zone calculator does the same math instantly. Harvard Health explains the same five zones and the Karvonen method in its guide to exercise heart rate zones (Harvard Health, Understanding exercise heart rate zones).
What Are Heart Rate Zones?
Heart rate zones are five intensity bands, each defined as a percentage of your maximum heart rate. Each band trains something different. Low zones build endurance and burn a higher share of fat. High zones build speed and raise your ceiling. A good plan uses all five, but most of your time belongs in the low zones.
| Zone | Name | % of max heart rate | Main benefit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zone 1 | Very light | 50 to 60 percent | Recovery, warm up, general health |
| Zone 2 | Light | 60 to 70 percent | Endurance base, fat burning, mitochondrial fitness |
| Zone 3 | Moderate | 70 to 80 percent | Aerobic fitness, tempo work |
| Zone 4 | Hard | 80 to 90 percent | Lactate threshold, speed endurance |
| Zone 5 | Maximum | 90 to 100 percent | Peak speed and power, short efforts only |
These percentages are the standard five-zone model used by Polar, Garmin, and most coaching systems. Learning how to calculate heart rate zones means learning where your body crosses from one band to the next. That is why a guide to how to calculate heart rate zones starts with the five bands, not with a single number.
Step 1: How Do You Find Your Maximum Heart Rate?
Maximum heart rate is the highest your heart can beat during all-out effort. You either estimate it from your age or measure it in a hard test, covered later in this guide. Here are the three formulas, and which one to use.
220 minus age (Fox). The oldest and simplest formula. Maximum heart rate = 220 minus your age. A 35 year old gets 185. It is easy to remember, but it is the least accurate, with a typical error of about 10 to 12 beats per minute in either direction. Use it only for a rough guess when you first learn how to calculate heart rate zones.
Tanaka: 208 minus (0.7 times age). The best default for most adults. Maximum heart rate = 208 minus (0.7 times age). A 35 year old gets 208 minus 24.5, which is 183.5, about 184. It was built from a large meta-analysis and tracks real maximum heart rates better than 220 minus age. If you use one formula, use this one.
Gulati: 206 minus (0.88 times age). The best formula for women. Maximum heart rate = 206 minus (0.88 times age). A 32 year old woman gets 206 minus 28.16, which is 177.84, about 178. The classic 220 minus age formula overestimates maximum heart rate for many women, so Gulati corrects for that.
| Formula | Equation | Best for | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fox (220 minus age) | 220 minus age | Quick rough estimate | Age 35: 185 |
| Tanaka | 208 minus (0.7 times age) | Most adults, default pick | Age 35: 184 |
| Gulati | 206 minus (0.88 times age) | Women | Age 32 woman: 178 |
Notice how close Fox and Tanaka are at age 35, only one beat apart. At age 20 they differ by 6 beats, and at age 60 by 8 beats. Once you have your maximum, you are halfway through how to calculate heart rate zones. The next step is turning it into zones, and that is where the two zone methods split.
Step 2: How Do You Calculate Heart Rate Zones With Percent of Max?
The simplest way to learn how to calculate heart rate zones is the percent of max method. Multiply your maximum heart rate by each zone percentage. No resting heart rate needed.
Target heart rate = maximum heart rate times zone percentage.
Worked example: a 35 year old man. His Tanaka maximum is 184 beats per minute. His zones are:
| Zone | Calculation | Zone range |
|---|---|---|
| Zone 1 | 184 times 0.50 to 0.60 | 92 to 110 |
| Zone 2 | 184 times 0.60 to 0.70 | 110 to 129 |
| Zone 3 | 184 times 0.70 to 0.80 | 129 to 147 |
| Zone 4 | 184 times 0.80 to 0.90 | 147 to 166 |
| Zone 5 | 184 times 0.90 to 1.00 | 166 to 184 |
Check Zone 2 by hand: 184 times 0.60 = 110.4, about 110. Upper bound: 184 times 0.70 = 128.8, about 129. The method is simple, and it is what most watches use by default. That is the whole percent of max method, and it is the fastest way to learn how to calculate heart rate zones. Its weakness is that it ignores fitness. Two 35 year olds with the same maximum get the same zones, even if one is a trained runner with a resting heart rate of 45 and the other is a beginner at 75. That is the gap the Karvonen method fills.
How Do You Calculate Heart Rate Zones With the Karvonen Method?
The Karvonen method is the second way to learn how to calculate heart rate zones, and it uses your resting heart rate to personalize your zones. Heart rate reserve is your maximum minus your resting heart rate. It is the range your heart actually works across, from rest to all-out effort.
Target heart rate = resting heart rate plus (zone percentage times heart rate reserve).
Worked example: the same 35 year old man, resting heart rate 60. His maximum is 184, so his heart rate reserve is 184 minus 60 = 124. His Karvonen zones are:
| Zone | Calculation | Zone range |
|---|---|---|
| Zone 1 | 60 plus (0.50 to 0.60 times 124) | 122 to 134 |
| Zone 2 | 60 plus (0.60 to 0.70 times 124) | 134 to 147 |
| Zone 3 | 60 plus (0.70 to 0.80 times 124) | 147 to 159 |
| Zone 4 | 60 plus (0.80 to 0.90 times 124) | 159 to 172 |
| Zone 5 | 60 plus (0.90 to 1.00 times 124) | 172 to 184 |
Check Zone 2 by hand: 60 plus (0.60 times 124) = 60 plus 74.4 = 134.4, about 134. Upper bound: 60 plus (0.70 times 124) = 60 plus 86.8 = 146.8, about 147. Compare that with the percent of max Zone 2 of 110 to 129. Karvonen puts Zone 2 about 20 beats higher for this man, because his resting heart rate of 60 pulls every zone upward. That is not an error. It is the method doing its job: a fitter heart with more reserve trains at higher absolute numbers for the same relative effort.
| Zone | Percent of max (184 max) | Karvonen (184 max, 60 resting) |
|---|---|---|
| Zone 1 | 92 to 110 | 122 to 134 |
| Zone 2 | 110 to 129 | 134 to 147 |
| Zone 3 | 129 to 147 | 147 to 159 |
| Zone 4 | 147 to 166 | 159 to 172 |
| Zone 5 | 166 to 184 | 172 to 184 |
Which method should you use? If you train casually and do not know your resting heart rate, use percent of max. If you train three or more times a week and know your resting heart rate, use Karvonen. That is the core trade-off in how to calculate heart rate zones: simple versus personal. To measure resting heart rate, take it first thing in the morning, lying down, before coffee, and average three mornings.
Worked Example: How to Calculate Heart Rate Zones for a Woman
Now the full picture for a woman, with both methods, so you can see how to calculate heart rate zones when the Gulati formula applies. Meet Sara: age 32, resting heart rate 65.
Step 1: maximum heart rate. Gulati gives 206 minus (0.88 times 32) = 206 minus 28.16 = 177.84, about 178. The old 220 minus age formula would give 188, a full 10 beats too high. That 10 beat error would push every zone up and make her easy runs harder than planned.
Step 2: percent of max zones (maximum 178).
| Zone | Calculation | Zone range |
|---|---|---|
| Zone 1 | 178 times 0.50 to 0.60 | 89 to 107 |
| Zone 2 | 178 times 0.60 to 0.70 | 107 to 125 |
| Zone 3 | 178 times 0.70 to 0.80 | 125 to 142 |
| Zone 4 | 178 times 0.80 to 0.90 | 142 to 160 |
| Zone 5 | 178 times 0.90 to 1.00 | 160 to 178 |
Step 3: Karvonen zones (maximum 178, resting 65). Heart rate reserve is 178 minus 65 = 113.
| Zone | Calculation | Zone range |
|---|---|---|
| Zone 1 | 65 plus (0.50 to 0.60 times 113) | 122 to 133 |
| Zone 2 | 65 plus (0.60 to 0.70 times 113) | 133 to 144 |
| Zone 3 | 65 plus (0.70 to 0.80 times 113) | 144 to 155 |
| Zone 4 | 65 plus (0.80 to 0.90 times 113) | 155 to 167 |
| Zone 5 | 65 plus (0.90 to 1.00 times 113) | 167 to 178 |
Check Zone 2 Karvonen by hand: 65 plus (0.60 times 113) = 65 plus 67.8 = 132.8, about 133. Upper bound: 65 plus (0.70 times 113) = 65 plus 79.1 = 144.1, about 144. Her percent of max Zone 2 is 107 to 125, while her Karvonen Zone 2 is 133 to 144. If she followed the percent of max numbers while her watch used Karvonen, or the reverse, she would train in the wrong zone all week without knowing it. That mismatch is the most common reason people say Zone 2 feels wrong.
How to Calculate Heart Rate Zones for Women?
To learn how to calculate heart rate zones for women, use the Gulati formula for maximum heart rate: 206 minus (0.88 times age). A 32 year old woman gets about 178 beats per minute. Then apply the same five zone percentages as everyone else: Zone 2 is 60 to 70 percent, which is 107 to 125 by percent of max. With a resting heart rate of 65, Karvonen Zone 2 is 133 to 144. The zone percentages do not change by sex, only the maximum formula does.
What Are Your Heart Rate Zones by Age?
This table gives a fast lookup for how to calculate heart rate zones at any age. It uses the Tanaka formula and the percent of max method, and shows maximum heart rate plus the Zone 2 range, since Zone 2 is where most training time belongs.
| Age | Max heart rate (Tanaka) | Zone 2 range (60 to 70 percent) |
|---|---|---|
| 20 | 194 | 116 to 136 |
| 30 | 187 | 112 to 131 |
| 40 | 180 | 108 to 126 |
| 50 | 173 | 104 to 121 |
| 60 | 166 | 100 to 116 |
Check one row: age 40 gives 208 minus 28 = 180. Zone 2 is 180 times 0.60 = 108 to 180 times 0.70 = 126. Two notes on this table. First, it is a population average, and your true maximum can sit 10 to 12 beats on either side. Second, women should use Gulati instead of Tanaka for the maximum column. Use the table as a starting point, then confirm with a field test if you train seriously.
What Is Each Zone For?
Zones only help if each one has a job. Here is what belongs in each band when you know how to calculate heart rate zones for yourself.
| Zone | What it trains | Example workouts |
|---|---|---|
| Zone 1 | Recovery, blood flow, warm up | Easy walk, gentle cycling, cool down jog |
| Zone 2 | Aerobic base, endurance, fat use | Long easy run, steady bike ride, long hike |
| Zone 3 | Tempo, sustained effort | Tempo run, brisk hill walk, steady swim |
| Zone 4 | Threshold, race pace | Intervals, hill repeats, 10K race pace |
| Zone 5 | Peak speed, power | Short sprints, all-out intervals, finish kick |
Zone 1 sessions should feel almost too easy. Zone 2 should feel comfortable enough to hold a conversation. Zone 3 is comfortably hard. Zone 4 is hard, with broken speech. Zone 5 is all-out, and you can only hold it for seconds to a few minutes. If you can chat easily in Zone 4, your zones are set too high. If you cannot speak in Zone 2, they are set too low.
Why Is Zone 2 So Important?
Zone 2 is the base of all endurance training, and it is the zone most people get wrong. At 60 to 70 percent of maximum, your body builds mitochondria, the tiny engines inside muscle cells, and improves fat burning. Those adaptations make every higher zone faster later. Endurance coaches often assign 80 percent of weekly training time to Zones 1 and 2, with only 20 percent hard. That 80/20 split is the single most repeated rule in endurance training.
The catch is that real Zone 2 feels slow. Most beginners run it 20 to 30 seconds per kilometer too fast, because easy running feels like wasted time. If you only remember one thing about how to calculate heart rate zones, remember this: Zone 2 should feel easy, and slowing down until the talk test passes is the fix.
How do you know you are in Zone 2? Use the talk test. You should be able to speak in full sentences, but not sing. A second check is nose breathing: if you can breathe through your nose comfortably, you are usually at or below the top of Zone 2. A third check is drift: if your heart rate climbs steadily at the same pace, you started too fast.
Common Zone 2 mistakes. Training at the top of Zone 3 while calling it Zone 2. Comparing your Zone 2 pace to faster runners. Quitting Zone 2 work after two weeks because it feels slow. All three come from judging the workout by pace instead of by heart rate. Zone 2 pace improves on its own when the base is built, usually over 8 to 12 weeks of consistent easy work.
How Do You Find Your Real Maximum Heart Rate?
Formulas estimate your maximum, but if you want to know how to calculate heart rate zones precisely, a field test measures it. Individual maximums scatter 10 to 12 beats around the formula average. Here is a simple field test for runners and cyclists.
- Warm up easy for 15 minutes, then do two or three short hard bursts to wake your legs up.
- Do three 3-minute efforts, each one harder than the last, with 2 minutes easy between them. The third effort should be all-out.
- On the final effort, go as hard as you can for the last minute, ideally uphill. The highest number your monitor shows is close to your true maximum.
- Cool down easy for 10 minutes.
Safety first: get a doctor’s clearance before an all-out test if you are over 40, have a heart condition, take heart medication, or have been inactive for months. Stop at once if you feel chest pain, dizziness, or faint. A lab test with ECG monitoring is the safest option if any risk factor applies. Once you have a measured maximum, plug it into the same formulas for how to calculate heart rate zones in place of the estimate.
How Accurate Are Heart Rate Zones?
Zones are only as good as the maximum behind them and the monitor reading them. Three things move the numbers when you learn how to calculate heart rate zones for real life.
Wrist monitors vs chest straps. Wrist optical sensors are convenient but less accurate during hard intervals, arm movement, and cold weather, and they can lag behind real heart rate by 10 to 20 seconds. Chest straps measure the heart’s electrical signal directly and are the standard for zone training. If your watch shows a jumpy or delayed reading, a chest strap is the fix.
Medications. Beta blockers lower maximum heart rate, sometimes by 20 beats or more. If you take one, formula zones are wrong for you, and your doctor should set your targets. Some asthma medications and stimulants push heart rate up instead.
Heat, altitude, caffeine, illness, and sleep. Heat and altitude raise heart rate at the same pace. Caffeine adds a few beats. A cold, poor sleep, or dehydration does the same. On a hot day, expect Zone 2 at a slower pace than usual. That is normal physiology, not lost fitness. Judge the workout by heart rate and effort together, not by pace alone.
A final limit: zones describe effort, not fitness by themselves. Two people with the same zones can have very different speeds, because speed also depends on running economy, muscle, and training history. Zones tell you how hard you are working. Pace tells you what that work produces.
Why Does My Watch Show Different Zones Than My Hand Calculation?
Watches usually default to the percent of max method with 220 minus age as the maximum, while your hand calculation may use Tanaka or Karvonen. Those choices alone can shift Zone 2 by 10 to 20 beats per minute. Check your watch settings: set the maximum formula or enter a measured maximum, and pick the zone method you want. Until the watch and your hand calculation use the same inputs, they will keep disagreeing.
Your Weekly Zone Plan
Once you know how to calculate heart rate zones, turn them into a week. The 80/20 rule is the simplest template that works: about 80 percent of training time easy (Zones 1 and 2), about 20 percent hard (Zones 4 and 5), with Zone 3 used sparingly as tempo work.
| Day | Session | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Monday | Rest or easy walk | Zone 1 |
| Tuesday | Intervals, 4 times 4 minutes hard | Zone 4 |
| Wednesday | Easy run or ride, 40 to 60 minutes | Zone 2 |
| Thursday | Tempo, 20 to 30 minutes steady | Zone 3 |
| Friday | Rest or easy walk | Zone 1 |
| Saturday | Long easy session, 60 to 90 minutes | Zone 2 |
| Sunday | Easy recovery, 20 to 30 minutes | Zone 1 |
That week is about 80 percent easy and 20 percent hard by time, and it works for running, cycling, and swimming alike. It is the simplest payoff from learning how to calculate heart rate zones. Beginners can drop the Zone 4 day and add another Zone 2 day. Recalculate your zones when your resting heart rate falls by 5 beats or more, when you retest your maximum, or every three months.
Zones also connect to the rest of your fitness plan. Your calorie needs rise with training volume, so once your zones are set, our guide to how many calories a day shows how to size your intake. To split those calories into protein, carbs, and fat, learn how to calculate macros. And if you want the full calorie picture, start with your resting burn in our guide to how to calculate BMR and add activity with our guide to what is TDEE. If fat loss is the goal and the scale is stuck, our guide to why am i not losing weight covers the other reasons a stall happens.
How Often Should I Recalculate My Heart Rate Zones?
Recalculate when your resting heart rate falls by 5 beats per minute or more, when you measure a new maximum in a field test, or every three months as a routine check. Fitness changes your resting heart rate and sometimes your maximum, so the numbers behind how to calculate heart rate zones drift over time. If Zone 2 starts to feel too easy at the same pace, or your heart rate at a fixed pace falls by 5 to 10 beats, your zones are due for an update.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. How to calculate heart rate zones from age?
To learn how to calculate heart rate zones from age, first estimate your maximum heart rate with the Tanaka formula: 208 minus (0.7 times your age). Then multiply that maximum by each zone percentage: Zone 1 is 50 to 60 percent, Zone 2 is 60 to 70 percent, Zone 3 is 70 to 80 percent, Zone 4 is 80 to 90 percent, and Zone 5 is 90 to 100 percent. For example, a 40 year old has a maximum of 180, so Zone 2 is 108 to 126 beats per minute.
2. What is Zone 2 heart rate?
Zone 2 heart rate is 60 to 70 percent of your maximum heart rate. It is the easy aerobic band where you can hold a full conversation and build endurance. For a 35 year old with a maximum of 184, Zone 2 is 110 to 129 beats per minute by the percent of max method. It feels slow, but it is where most training time belongs, about 80 percent of weekly volume in the 80/20 model.
3. Is the 220 minus age formula accurate?
The 220 minus age formula is a rough average, not a precise number. Individual maximum heart rates scatter about 10 to 12 beats per minute around the formula, and the formula overestimates maximum heart rate for many women. The Tanaka formula, 208 minus (0.7 times age), is more accurate for most adults, and the Gulati formula, 206 minus (0.88 times age), is better for women. A field test or lab test beats every formula for anyone serious about how to calculate heart rate zones.
4. How to calculate heart rate zones with the Karvonen formula?
To learn how to calculate heart rate zones with Karvonen, first find your heart rate reserve: maximum heart rate minus resting heart rate. Then use the formula: target heart rate equals resting heart rate plus (zone percentage times heart rate reserve). For a maximum of 184 and a resting heart rate of 60, the reserve is 124, so Karvonen Zone 2 is 60 plus (0.60 to 0.70 times 124), which is 134 to 147 beats per minute.
5. What heart rate zone burns the most fat?
Zone 2 burns the highest share of its energy from fat, but total calories matter more than the share. A hard Zone 4 session burns more total calories per minute, even though a smaller share comes from fat. For fat loss, a mix of long Zone 2 sessions and short Zone 4 intervals beats staying in one zone, and that mix is the practical answer to how to calculate heart rate zones for weight loss, as long as total weekly calories burned stay high and food intake stays in check.
