Max Heart Rate Calculator Based on Resting Heart Rate

by
Max Heart Rate & Training Zone Calculator (Karvonen Method) .calc-container { max-width: 800px; margin: 20px auto; padding: 25px; background: #ffffff; border: 1px solid #e0e0e0; border-radius: 8px; box-shadow: 0 4px 10px rgba(0,0,0,0.05); font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; } .calc-header { text-align: center; margin-bottom: 25px; color: #2c3e50; } .calc-row { display: flex; flex-wrap: wrap; gap: 20px; margin-bottom: 20px; } .calc-col { flex: 1; min-width: 250px; } .calc-label { display: block; margin-bottom: 8px; font-weight: 600; color: #34495e; } .calc-input { width: 100%; padding: 12px; border: 1px solid #bdc3c7; border-radius: 4px; font-size: 16px; box-sizing: border-box; } .calc-input:focus { border-color: #e74c3c; outline: none; } .calc-btn { width: 100%; padding: 15px; background-color: #e74c3c; color: white; border: none; border-radius: 4px; font-size: 18px; font-weight: bold; cursor: pointer; transition: background-color 0.3s; } .calc-btn:hover { background-color: #c0392b; } .calc-result-section { margin-top: 30px; padding-top: 20px; border-top: 2px solid #f0f0f0; display: none; } .calc-metrics { display: flex; justify-content: space-around; margin-bottom: 20px; text-align: center; background: #f9f9f9; padding: 15px; border-radius: 6px; } .metric-box h4 { margin: 0 0 5px 0; color: #7f8c8d; font-size: 14px; text-transform: uppercase; } .metric-box .metric-val { font-size: 24px; font-weight: 800; color: #2c3e50; } .zone-table { width: 100%; border-collapse: collapse; margin-top: 20px; } .zone-table th, .zone-table td { padding: 12px; text-align: left; border-bottom: 1px solid #ddd; } .zone-table th { background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #2c3e50; } .zone-1 { border-left: 5px solid #95a5a6; } .zone-2 { border-left: 5px solid #3498db; } .zone-3 { border-left: 5px solid #2ecc71; } .zone-4 { border-left: 5px solid #f1c40f; } .zone-5 { border-left: 5px solid #e74c3c; } .error-msg { color: #c0392b; text-align: center; margin-top: 10px; display: none; } /* SEO Content Styles */ .seo-content { max-width: 800px; margin: 40px auto; font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.6; color: #333; } .seo-content h2 { color: #2c3e50; margin-top: 30px; border-bottom: 2px solid #e74c3c; padding-bottom: 10px; display: inline-block; } .seo-content p { margin-bottom: 15px; } .seo-content ul { margin-bottom: 20px; padding-left: 20px; } .seo-content li { margin-bottom: 8px; }

Heart Rate Reserve & Max HR Calculator

Please enter valid numbers for Age and Resting Heart Rate.

Est. Max HR

— bpm

Heart Rate Reserve

— bpm
Zone Intensity (%) Target Heart Rate Range Benefit
function calculateZones() { var ageInput = document.getElementById('inputAge').value; var rhrInput = document.getElementById('inputRHR').value; var errorDiv = document.getElementById('errorMsg'); var resultDiv = document.getElementById('resultSection'); // Validation if (!ageInput || !rhrInput || isNaN(ageInput) || isNaN(rhrInput) || ageInput <= 0 || rhrInput <= 0) { errorDiv.style.display = 'block'; resultDiv.style.display = 'none'; return; } errorDiv.style.display = 'none'; var age = parseFloat(ageInput); var rhr = parseFloat(rhrInput); // 1. Calculate Max Heart Rate (MHR) using Tanaka Formula (more accurate than 220-age) // Formula: 208 – (0.7 * age) var mhr = 208 – (0.7 * age); // 2. Calculate Heart Rate Reserve (HRR) // Formula: MHR – RHR var hrr = mhr – rhr; // Display Metrics document.getElementById('dispMHR').innerText = Math.round(mhr) + " bpm"; document.getElementById('dispHRR').innerText = Math.round(hrr) + " bpm"; // 3. Calculate Karvonen Zones // Formula: Target Heart Rate = ((max HR − resting HR) × %Intensity) + resting HR var zones = [ { name: "Zone 1 (Very Light)", minPct: 0.50, maxPct: 0.60, colorClass: "zone-1", desc: "Warm up / Recovery" }, { name: "Zone 2 (Light)", minPct: 0.60, maxPct: 0.70, colorClass: "zone-2", desc: "Fat Burning / Endurance" }, { name: "Zone 3 (Moderate)", minPct: 0.70, maxPct: 0.80, colorClass: "zone-3", desc: "Aerobic Fitness" }, { name: "Zone 4 (Hard)", minPct: 0.80, maxPct: 0.90, colorClass: "zone-4", desc: "Anaerobic Threshold" }, { name: "Zone 5 (Maximum)", minPct: 0.90, maxPct: 1.00, colorClass: "zone-5", desc: "Performance / Speed" } ]; var tableHtml = ""; for (var i = 0; i < zones.length; i++) { var z = zones[i]; var minBpm = Math.round((hrr * z.minPct) + rhr); var maxBpm = Math.round((hrr * z.maxPct) + rhr); tableHtml += ""; tableHtml += "" + z.name + ""; tableHtml += "" + (z.minPct * 100) + "% – " + (z.maxPct * 100) + "%"; tableHtml += "" + minBpm + " – " + maxBpm + " bpm"; tableHtml += "" + z.desc + ""; tableHtml += ""; } document.getElementById('zoneBody').innerHTML = tableHtml; resultDiv.style.display = 'block'; }

Why Use Resting Heart Rate for Max HR Calculations?

While the traditional "220 minus age" formula is widely known, it often provides a generalized estimate that ignores individual fitness levels. A more personalized approach involves using your Resting Heart Rate (RHR) to calculate your Heart Rate Reserve (HRR).

This calculator utilizes the Karvonen Method, which is considered the gold standard for determining training intensity zones. By factoring in your resting heart rate, the results account for your current cardiovascular efficiency.

What is Heart Rate Reserve (HRR)?

Heart Rate Reserve is the difference between your Maximum Heart Rate and your Resting Heart Rate. It represents the cushion of heartbeats available for exercise.

Formula: HRR = Max HR – Resting HR

Athletes with a lower resting heart rate will have a larger Heart Rate Reserve, allowing for a wider range of training intensities within specific zones.

The Tanaka Formula for Max Heart Rate

To ensure higher accuracy than the standard age-based calculation, this tool uses the Tanaka Formula to estimate your maximum heart rate before applying the Karvonen method:

  • Formula: 208 – (0.7 × Age)

Studies suggest this formula is significantly more accurate for healthy adults across a wide age range compared to the simple "220 – Age" equation.

Understanding Your Training Zones

Once your HRR is established, training zones are calculated by taking a percentage of your reserve and adding your resting heart rate back in. This ensures that a fit person (low RHR) trains at a different absolute heart rate than an untrained person (high RHR), even if they are the same age.

  • Zone 1 (50-60%): Ideal for warm-ups, cool-downs, and active recovery.
  • Zone 2 (60-70%): The "fat-burning" zone. builds basic endurance and burns fat efficiently.
  • Zone 3 (70-80%): Improves aerobic capacity and blood circulation efficiency.
  • Zone 4 (80-90%): Increases anaerobic threshold and lactate tolerance.
  • Zone 5 (90-100%): Maximum effort for short bursts to improve speed and power.

How to Measure Resting Heart Rate

For the most accurate results, measure your RHR in the morning immediately after waking up, before getting out of bed. locate your pulse on your wrist or neck, count the beats for 60 seconds, or count for 15 seconds and multiply by four.

Leave a Comment