Heart Rate Zones
Five training zones from your age and resting pulse.
About Heart Rate Zones
Heart Rate Zones calculates your five training zones using the Tanaka formula (208 − 0.7 × age), which is more accurate across ages than the familiar 220 − age. Adding your resting heart rate switches it to the Karvonen method, which accounts for your own fitness and gives noticeably different zones.
How to use it
- Enter your age.
- Add your resting heart rate if you know it — measured first thing in the morning.
- Read your maximum and the five zones with what each is for.
Questions
Why not 220 minus age?
It was never based on solid research and is inaccurate at both ends of the age range — it underestimates for older people. Tanaka is derived from a large meta-analysis.
Which zone should I train in?
Most of your time in Zone 2, the aerobic base. Endurance athletes typically spend around 80% of training there and only 20% at high intensity.
How do I measure my resting heart rate?
Immediately on waking, before getting up. Count for 60 seconds, ideally across several mornings. A fitness tracker records it automatically.
How accurate is a formula-derived maximum?
Individual maximums vary by around ±10 bpm from any formula. Only a lab test or a supervised maximal field test gives your true figure.
Heart Rate Zones is free and runs entirely in your browser. No account, no upload, no watermark, no limit on use.