Heart Rate Zone Calculator

Last Updated: Apr 8, 2025

Welcome to our Heart Rate Zone Calculator. The Heart Rate Zone is a scientifically backed approach that helps maximize your workout benefits based on your health, fitness, and goals. Whether you want general fitness, fat loss, or to run longer, knowing the heart rate zone can give you insights into different levels of effort and intensity that can significantly enhance your performance.

In this guide, we will explain everything about heart rate zones and the calculator, whether your aim is cardiovascular healthsports performancemarathon training, or any purpose you have, and you want to train at different zones for your goal. Our calculator also gives you advice on which zones are perfect for you and how long to exercise in each, based on your desired goal.

a boy checking watch - Heart Rate Zone

What Are Heart Rate Zones?

The heart rate zone is a specific range of your heart rate that you want to achieve during a workout to achieve fitness objectives. However, these zones show particular ranges of percentages of your maximum heart rate (HRmax), which vary based on your overall fitness and age.

How to Use the Heart Rate Zone Calculator — Step-by-Step

Using our calculator straightforward, you need to follow the following steps:

Step 1: Enter Your Age

  • We will calculate your maximum heart rate (HRmax) based on your age.

Step 2: Choose a Formula for HRmax Calculation

  • The most commonly used formula is selected by default, but you can select another; each formula provides a slightly different estimate, but not by much.

Step 3: (Optional) Enter Your Resting Heart Rate

  • This step is optional, but you should enter your resting heart rate to get more personalized and accurate heart rate zones and advice for your workout goal.
  • If you want the calculation, use the Karvonen Formula to compute the heart rate zone, as it uses resting heart rate along with the HRmax to give you personalized and accurate heart rate zone ranges. If you do not enter the resting heart rate, it will be estimated based on your age.

Step 4: Select Your Training Goal

  • Finally, you have to select your training goal. While the default option, General Fitness, is selected, you can select any workout goal. It will optimize the heart rate zone and advise you on your chosen specific objective.

Step 5: See the Results

  • After entering all required fields, the calculator will automatically show the result below in realtime. The result displays advice based on your workout goal and heart rate zone table.

How does the Karvonen Formula calculate the HR Zone?

If you don't enter the resting heart rate (RHR), our calculator estimate is based on the age without Karvonen Formula. But if you enter the resting heart rate, the Karvonen Formula is used to enhance your personalization and accuracy based on your Heart Rate Reserve (HRR).

Formula:

Target Heart Rate = (HRR × Intensity Percentage) + RHR

In the above formula, the following are the terms you can look at:

  • HRR (Heart Rate Reserve) = HRmax - RHR
  • HRmax = Maximum Heart Rate (calculated using formulas based on age)
  • RHR = Resting Heart Rate (measured this when you're completely at rest)
  • Intensity Percentage = The desired goal percentage of your HRR to train in (based on the training goal)

Heart Rate Zones Table:

Heart Rate ZoneBPM Range (Beats Per Minute)Intensity (Heart Rate Reserve)
💤 Zone 1: Very Light128 - 142 BPM50% - 60% HRR
🚶 Zone 2: Light142 - 155 BPM60% - 70% HRR
🏃 Zone 3: Moderate155 - 169 BPM70% - 80% HRR
🏋️ Zone 4: Hard169 - 182 BPM80% - 90% HRR
🔥 Zone 5: Maximum182 - 196 BPM90% - 100% HRR

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you measure resting heart rate (RHR)?

You can easily measure your resting heart rate by using a timer for 60 seconds to find your pulse and count until 60 seconds. And it is recommended to measure your resting heart rate when you're completely resting or ideally in the morning while you're still in bed, before getting out.

What Is the Difference Between HRmax and HRR?
  • HRmax (Maximum Heart Rate) is your heart's highest heart rate during intense workouts.
  • HRR (Heart Rate Reserve): it is the difference between your RHR (Resting Heart Rate) and HRmax (Maximum Heart Rate).