Your training zones, by age
Calculate your maximum heart rate and your five training zones in beats per minute. Train in the right zone for your goal —endurance, fat-burn or speed— instead of always going at the same intensity. Add your resting HR and we use the more accurate Karvonen method.
Your beats per minute at rest, on waking. If you enter it, we use the Karvonen method (more accurate).
Rough estimate (220 - age formula). Not a substitute for a stress test or medical advice.
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How are heart rate zones calculated?
We estimate your maximum heart rate with the Tanaka formula (208 minus 0.7 times your age), which fits the data better than the old 220-minus-age rule, especially past 40. From that maximum we derive five training zones, from recovery through to maximum effort. If you know your resting heart rate we switch to the Karvonen method, which works from your heart rate reserve — the gap between resting and maximum — and gives noticeably more personal zones, because two people with the same age but different fitness levels should not train at the same absolute numbers. Worth knowing: any age-based estimate carries about 10-12 beats of individual variation, so use how you feel as a cross-check.
Heart rate zones by age
The 220-minus-age formula falls short past 40; this uses the Tanaka equation, which is more accurate in adults. And one clarification about the famous "fat burning zone": the easy zone burns a higher percentage of fat but fewer total calories. For weight loss the total is what counts, not the percentage.
| Age | Max HR | Easy (55-70 %) | Moderate (70-80 %) | Hard (80-90 %) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 | 194 | 107 – 136 | 136 – 155 | 155 – 175 |
| 30 | 187 | 103 – 131 | 131 – 150 | 150 – 168 |
| 40 | 180 | 99 – 126 | 126 – 144 | 144 – 162 |
| 50 | 173 | 95 – 121 | 121 – 138 | 138 – 156 |
| 60 | 166 | 91 – 116 | 116 – 133 | 133 – 149 |
| 70 | 159 | 87 – 111 | 111 – 127 | 127 – 143 |
Max HR estimated with the Tanaka formula (208 minus 0.7 times age), published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology (2001). It is a population estimate: individual variation reaches 10-12 beats. These are reference ranges for healthy adults, not a diagnosis or individual advice.
FAQ
What is my maximum heart rate?
The usual estimate is 208 minus 0.7 times your age — around 187 bpm at 30, 173 at 50. The old 220-minus-age formula systematically underestimates it in older adults. Both are population averages: your real maximum can sit 10-12 beats either side.
What is the fat-burning zone?
Roughly 60-70% of your maximum, where the highest PROPORTION of energy comes from fat. The catch that fitness marketing leaves out: at higher intensities you burn a smaller proportion but more fat in total, plus more calories. For fat loss, total energy expenditure matters more than the zone you were in.
What is the Karvonen method?
It calculates zones from your heart rate reserve — maximum minus resting — instead of straight from the maximum. Because resting heart rate reflects your fitness, the resulting zones fit you rather than the average person your age. It needs a resting measurement taken before getting out of bed.
Which zone should I train in?
Most of your volume in zone 2 (60-70%), which builds the aerobic base without much fatigue cost, plus one or two weekly sessions in zones 4-5 for high intensity. That roughly 80/20 split is what most endurance programmes converge on, whatever the sport.