Heart Rate Zone Calculator

Using the heart rate zones estimate

Heart-rate zones offer a rough way to describe exercise intensity. This tool estimates maximum heart rate as 220 minus age, then calculates percentage bands from that maximum. It does not measure your maximum, use resting heart rate or account for medicines and medical conditions. The bands can help explain training terminology, but they are not personalized exercise limits or a guarantee that a given workout is safe.

Step-by-step inputs

1. Age. Enter age in years. The equation uses age alone, so changing fitness level, resting heart rate or medication does not change this estimate. Starting example: 30 .

Worked example with the starting values

Using the starting inputs, the estimate is Estimated max heart rate: 190 bpm.

The estimated maximum provides the reference for every zone. Each breakdown number is a zone's lower boundary, indicated by bpm+, rather than a single heart rate you must hold. The zone label gives the percentage range; the adjacent zone starts at its upper edge.

Fat-burn zone 114–133 bpm · Cardio zone 133–152 bpm

Zone 1 · warm-up (50–60%)

95 bpm+

Zone 2 · fat burn (60–70%)

114 bpm+

Zone 3 · cardio (70–80%)

133 bpm+

Zone 4 · hard (80–90%)

152 bpm+

Zone 5 · max effort (90–100%)

171 bpm+

Compare age scenarios

These compare different ages under the same prediction equation. They are not training targets for a single person.

Make a useful comparison

Understand the boundaries before planning a session. A percentage zone describes a range, not a requirement to sit precisely at the starting number. Heart rate can drift with heat, stress, fatigue and hydration, and optical sensors can also fluctuate during movement.

Use perceived effort and how you feel alongside the number. An age-based formula can differ substantially from an individual's true maximum. If you need precise training zones for a specific goal, qualified coaching or assessment may be more useful than selecting a narrow target from this estimate.

Prioritize medical advice and symptoms over the display. Medicines affecting heart rate, cardiovascular conditions or unusual symptoms can make ordinary age-based ranges inappropriate. Stop and seek appropriate help for concerning symptoms rather than assuming being inside a modeled zone means you are safe.

Common mistakes to avoid

• The fat-burn label is an intensity shorthand, not proof that a particular zone produces the best fat loss. Total activity, nutrition and individual context matter.
• Maximum heart rate here is predicted, not measured. Do not attempt maximal exercise simply to match the headline.
• This is not a resting-heart-rate or heart-rate-reserve calculation. Applying another method's percentages to this estimate can create a different set of zones.