Heart Rate Zone Calculator Cycling

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Cycling Heart Rate Zone Calculator

If not provided, it will be estimated using 220 – Age.
function calculateHeartRateZones() { var age = document.getElementById("age").value; var maxHeartRateInput = document.getElementById("maxHeartRate").value; var resultDiv = document.getElementById("result"); resultDiv.innerHTML = ""; // Clear previous results if (age === "" || isNaN(age) || age 0) { maxHeartRate = parseInt(maxHeartRateInput); } else { maxHeartRate = 220 – parseInt(age); if (isNaN(maxHeartRate) || maxHeartRate <= 0) { resultDiv.innerHTML = "Could not estimate Maximum Heart Rate. Please check your age."; return; } } var zones = { zone1: { name: "Very Light", range: "50-60%", bpmRange: "" }, zone2: { name: "Light", range: "60-70%", bpmRange: "" }, zone3: { name: "Moderate", range: "70-80%", bpmRange: "" }, zone4: { name: "Hard", range: "80-90%", bpmRange: "" }, zone5: { name: "Maximum", range: "90-100%", bpmRange: "" } }; for (var zone in zones) { var lowerPercentage = parseInt(zones[zone].range.split('-')[0]); var upperPercentage = parseInt(zones[zone].range.split('-')[1]); var lowerBPM = Math.round((lowerPercentage / 100) * maxHeartRate); var upperBPM = Math.round((upperPercentage / 100) * maxHeartRate); zones[zone].bpmRange = lowerBPM + " – " + upperBPM + " bpm"; } var html = "

Your Cycling Heart Rate Zones:

"; html += "Estimated Maximum Heart Rate: " + maxHeartRate + " bpm"; html += "
    "; for (var zone in zones) { html += "
  • Zone " + (parseInt(zone.substring(4)) + 1) + " (" + zones[zone].name + "): " + zones[zone].range + " | " + zones[zone].bpmRange + "
    • "; } html += "
"; resultDiv.innerHTML = html; } .calculator-container { font-family: sans-serif; border: 1px solid #ddd; padding: 20px; border-radius: 8px; max-width: 500px; margin: 20px auto; background-color: #f9f9f9; } .calculator-container h2 { text-align: center; color: #333; margin-bottom: 20px; } .input-section { margin-bottom: 15px; } .input-section label { display: block; margin-bottom: 5px; font-weight: bold; color: #555; } .input-section input[type="number"] { width: calc(100% – 22px); padding: 10px; border: 1px solid #ccc; border-radius: 4px; font-size: 16px; } .input-section small { display: block; margin-top: 5px; color: #777; font-size: 0.85em; } button { display: block; width: 100%; padding: 12px 20px; background-color: #007bff; color: white; border: none; border-radius: 4px; font-size: 18px; cursor: pointer; transition: background-color 0.3s ease; } button:hover { background-color: #0056b3; } .result-section { margin-top: 25px; padding: 15px; border: 1px solid #eee; border-radius: 4px; background-color: #fff; } .result-section h3 { margin-top: 0; color: #333; } .result-section ul { list-style: none; padding: 0; } .result-section li { margin-bottom: 8px; color: #444; font-size: 1.1em; } .error { color: #dc3545; font-weight: bold; }

Understanding Cycling Heart Rate Zones

Heart rate training is a cornerstone of effective cycling performance, allowing riders to train smarter and achieve specific fitness goals. By monitoring your heart rate, you can ensure you're working at the right intensity for endurance, fat burning, recovery, or high-intensity efforts. Cycling heart rate zones provide a structured framework to guide your training based on your individual physiological response.

What are Heart Rate Zones?

Heart rate zones are defined as percentages of your maximum heart rate (MHR). Your MHR is the highest number of times your heart can beat per minute during maximal exertion. While it can be estimated using formulas, the most accurate way to determine it is through a maximal exercise stress test. For most cyclists, using age-based estimation is a practical starting point.

Estimating Your Maximum Heart Rate (MHR)

The most common and simplest formula to estimate MHR is: 220 – Age. For example, a 40-year-old cyclist would have an estimated MHR of 180 bpm (220 – 40 = 180).

If you know your actual MHR from a previous test or event, you can input it directly into the calculator for more personalized zones.

The Five Cycling Heart Rate Zones:

Based on your MHR, your training can be divided into five distinct zones, each offering different physiological benefits:

  • Zone 1 (Very Light, 50-60% of MHR): This is your recovery zone. Training here aids in active recovery, reduces muscle soreness, and improves blood flow. It feels very easy and conversational.
  • Zone 2 (Light, 60-70% of MHR): This is your aerobic base or endurance zone. Most of your training should occur here to build aerobic capacity, improve fat metabolism, and enhance endurance. You can hold a conversation comfortably.
  • Zone 3 (Moderate, 70-80% of MHR): Also known as the tempo zone, this zone improves aerobic fitness and efficiency. It's a sustainable intensity for longer periods but talking becomes more challenging, limited to short sentences.
  • Zone 4 (Hard, 80-90% of MHR): This is your lactate threshold zone. Training here improves your ability to sustain higher intensities for longer and pushes your lactate threshold higher. Talking is very difficult.
  • Zone 5 (Maximum, 90-100% of MHR): This is your anaerobic zone for short, intense efforts like sprints or interval bursts. It significantly improves VO2 max and speed but is unsustainable for long periods. You can only speak single words.

How to Use the Calculator:

  1. Enter your Age.
  2. Optionally, enter your Estimated Maximum Heart Rate (bpm) if you know it. If not, the calculator will estimate it based on your age.
  3. Click "Calculate Zones".

The calculator will then display your estimated heart rate zones in beats per minute (bpm) and their corresponding percentage of your maximum heart rate. Use these zones to structure your cycling workouts for optimal results.

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