Health & Fitness
Heart Rate Zones Calculator
Calculate your 5 personalized heart rate training zones using maximum heart rate or the more accurate Karvonen (heart rate reserve) method. Optimize fat burn, endurance, and VO2max workouts.
Enter Your Numbers
Morning, lying down, before coffee. Use a monitor for best accuracy.
Active recovery, warm-up
Very easy, conversational
Build endurance, improve fat oxidation
Comfortable, can talk easily
Improve lactate threshold
Challenging but sustainable
Raise anaerobic threshold
Hard, short sentences only
Max oxygen uptake & speed
Very hard, unsustainable > few min
Wear a chest strap or good optical sensor for live training feedback.
Training advice: 80% of your cardio volume should be in Zones 1–2. Use Zones 4–5 sparingly for quality sessions.
Why Train in Specific Heart Rate Zones?
Different intensities produce different adaptations. Easy aerobic work (Zones 1–2) builds your engine and teaches your body to burn fat efficiently. Higher zones (4–5) improve your ability to sustain hard efforts and increase your VO2 max. Most recreational athletes spend too much time in the “grey zone” (Zone 3) and see slower progress.
Max HR vs Karvonen (Recommended)
The simple “220 minus age” formula is easy but can be off by more than 10 bpm for many people. The Karvonen (Heart Rate Reserve) method uses your actual resting heart rate and is considered significantly more accurate for setting training zones. If you have a decent heart rate monitor, take the time to measure your true resting HR for 4–5 mornings.
Practical Training Guidelines
- Zone 1–2: The majority of your weekly volume. You should be able to speak in full sentences.
- Zone 3: “Tempo” or “steady state” — use for longer sustained efforts or brick sessions.
- Zone 4–5: Quality intervals. 3–8 minutes hard with full recovery. 1–2 sessions per week max for most people.