Heart Rate Zone Calculator
Calculate five heart rate bands using heart rate reserve or maximum heart rate, with measured and age-estimated maximum options.
Heart rate training inputs
Your training zone map
185 bpm · entered maximum
Heart rate reserve bands; endpoints retain decimals.
Full result table
| Band | Fraction | HRR lower (bpm) | HRR upper (bpm) | Max lower (bpm) | Max upper (bpm) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zone 1 | 50–60% | 122.5 | 135 | 92.5 | 111 |
| Zone 2 | 60–70% | 135 | 147.5 | 111 | 129.5 |
| Zone 3 | 70–80% | 147.5 | 160 | 129.5 | 148 |
| Zone 4 | 80–90% | 160 | 172.5 | 148 | 166.5 |
| Zone 5 | 90–100% | 172.5 | 185 | 166.5 | 185 |
These five bands are a chosen training convention, not measured lactate or ventilatory thresholds. Age-predicted maximum can differ substantially from an individual maximum. Medication, illness and exercise mode can affect heart rate.
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How to use Heart Rate Zone Calculator
- Use a reliable measured maximum when available.
- Resting heart rate is included in the reserve method and excluded from the maximum-percentage method.
- Each band includes its lower boundary and excludes its upper boundary; the last includes the maximum.
Worked example
With measured maximum 185 and resting 60, reserve is 125 bpm. The 60–70% HRR band is 135 to below 147.5 bpm. The same percentages of maximum are 111 to below 129.5 bpm.
Formula, accuracy & limitations
Tanaka estimated maximum = 208 − 0.7 × age. HR reserve = maximum − resting. HRR zone boundary = resting + fraction × reserve; maximum-based boundary = fraction × maximum. Bands use 50, 60, 70, 80, 90 and 100%.
These five bands are a chosen training convention, not measured lactate or ventilatory thresholds. Age-predicted maximum can differ substantially from an individual maximum. Medication, illness and exercise mode can affect heart rate.
These outputs use the stated model and your supplied inputs. A mathematically consistent model can still differ from personal measurements. Scenario curves and formula comparisons are not statistical confidence intervals.
Read the research and method reference ↗Choose how maximum heart rate is obtained
Use a reliable measured maximum when available. The age option uses the Tanaka equation and labels the result as estimated. The measured field is ignored in age mode; age is ignored when a measured maximum is selected. This calculator is not an instruction to perform an unsupervised maximal test.
Compare reserve with percentage of maximum
Resting heart rate is included in the reserve method and excluded from the maximum-percentage method. Select a method before reading the coloured bands. Identical percentage labels do not mean identical beats per minute across the two methods.
Use boundaries without rounding gaps
Each band includes its lower boundary and excludes its upper boundary; the last includes the maximum. Values retain decimals to avoid artificial gaps. Use the detailed table when a watch rounds thresholds to whole beats, and follow any personal exercise restrictions supplied by your clinician.
Frequently asked questions
Are these zones the same as lactate test zones?
The five bands are percentage conventions. A lactate or ventilatory test measures different information and may produce different boundaries.
Why does resting heart rate change the result?
The reserve method places each percentage between resting and maximum heart rate. A change in resting rate changes the available reserve and therefore the band boundaries.
Can an age formula give my exact maximum?
It estimates a group relationship. Your own maximum can be above or below that estimate, so it is labelled estimated throughout the result.
Why is a maximum below resting rejected?
Reserve must be positive for meaningful reserve bands. Check that the two readings have not been reversed or entered with the wrong units.
