Heart Rate Zone Calculator

How It Works

Training zones are slices of your maximum heart rate (MHR), each suited to a different kind of workout. This calculator estimates MHR with the classic formula, 220 minus age, then splits it into five zones: 50–60% warm-up, 60–70% fat burn, 70–80% cardio, 80–90% hard, and 90–100% maximum. Each zone is shown in beats per minute, so you can match it to a watch or heart-rate monitor.

The 220-minus-age formula is a rough estimate from population averages: your true maximum can sit 10 or more beats per minute above or below it. Treat the zones as a guide, and pay attention to how you feel — breathing, speech and perceived effort matter as much as the number on screen.

Worked Example

At age 30, the estimated maximum is 220 − 30 = 190 bpm. The zones are: warm-up 95–114 bpm, fat burn 114–133, cardio 133–152, hard 152–171 and maximum 171–190. A steady conversational run sits in the cardio zone; short hard intervals push into the hard zone.

How to Use This Calculator

Enter your age to get your estimated maximum heart rate and all five zones in beats per minute. Most weekly training belongs in the fat-burn and cardio zones, with short efforts in the hard zone and only brief peaks in the maximum zone.

Tips and Practical Advice

Do most training at an effort where you can still speak in short sentences — usually the cardio zone. Save the hard and maximum zones for short intervals with recovery between them, and build up gradually if you are new to intense exercise. If your monitor regularly shows numbers far above your estimated maximum, the formula is underestimating you.

Source: maximum heart rate estimated as 220 − age (classic population formula); zones at 50–60%, 60–70%, 70–80%, 80–90% and 90–100% of maximum. Reviewed Nov 13, 2026.

Frequently Asked Questions