Calculate Your Training Heart Rate Zones

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Training Heart Rate Zone Calculator

Your Training Profile

Based on the Karvonen Formula, here are your personalized heart rate zones:

Zone Intensity Heart Rate (BPM)

Estimated Max Heart Rate: BPM

Heart Rate Reserve (HRR): BPM

Understanding Your Training Heart Rate Zones

Heart rate training is a highly effective way to measure the intensity of your workouts. Instead of relying on how "hard" you feel you are working, monitoring your Beats Per Minute (BPM) provides objective data to ensure you are training for your specific goals, whether that is fat loss, cardiovascular endurance, or peak performance.

The Karvonen Formula Explained

This calculator uses the Karvonen Formula, which is widely considered more accurate than simple percentage-of-max-heart-rate calculations. Unlike the standard method, Karvonen takes your Resting Heart Rate (RHR) into account to determine your Heart Rate Reserve (HRR). This provides a more personalized target range based on your current fitness level.

Formula: Target HR = ((Max HR – Resting HR) × %Intensity) + Resting HR

Breakdown of the 5 Training Zones

  • Zone 1: Very Light (50-60%) – Best for active recovery and warming up. It improves overall health but won't significantly boost athletic performance.
  • Zone 2: Light (60-70%) – The "Fat Burning Zone." This intensity builds basic endurance and allows your body to become more efficient at utilizing fat for fuel.
  • Zone 3: Moderate (70-80%) – The aerobic zone. Training here improves your cardiovascular system, strengthens your heart, and improves lung capacity.
  • Zone 4: Hard (80-90%) – The anaerobic zone. You will be breathing hard. This zone increases your lactate threshold, allowing you to sustain higher speeds for longer.
  • Zone 5: Maximum (90-100%) – Sprints and high-intensity intervals. This is for short bursts of maximum effort to improve peak power and speed.

Real-World Example

Imagine a 40-year-old athlete with a resting heart rate of 60 BPM:

  1. Max Heart Rate: 220 – 40 = 180 BPM
  2. Heart Rate Reserve: 180 – 60 = 120 BPM
  3. Zone 2 Target (60%): (120 × 0.60) + 60 = 132 BPM
  4. Zone 2 Target (70%): (120 × 0.70) + 60 = 144 BPM

For this individual, staying between 132 and 144 BPM ensures they remain in the endurance-building Zone 2.

function calculateHRZones() { var age = document.getElementById('userAge').value; var rhr = document.getElementById('userRHR').value; var resultsDiv = document.getElementById('hr-results'); var tableBody = document.getElementById('zonesTableBody'); var mhrSpan = document.getElementById('mhrDisplay'); var hrrSpan = document.getElementById('hrrDisplay'); if (age === "" || rhr === "" || age <= 0 || rhr <= 0) { alert("Please enter a valid age and resting heart rate."); return; } age = parseFloat(age); rhr = parseFloat(rhr); // Basic calculation var mhr = 220 – age; var hrr = mhr – rhr; if (hrr <= 0) { alert("Your resting heart rate cannot be higher than your maximum heart rate. Please check your inputs."); return; } mhrSpan.innerText = mhr; hrrSpan.innerText = hrr; var zones = [ { name: "Zone 1 (Recovery)", range: "50% – 60%", low: 0.50, high: 0.60, color: "#cbd5e0" }, { name: "Zone 2 (Endurance)", range: "60% – 70%", low: 0.60, high: 0.70, color: "#68d391" }, { name: "Zone 3 (Aerobic)", range: "70% – 80%", low: 0.70, high: 0.80, color: "#4299e1" }, { name: "Zone 4 (Anaerobic)", range: "80% – 90%", low: 0.80, high: 0.90, color: "#ed8936" }, { name: "Zone 5 (Max Effort)", range: "90% – 100%", low: 0.90, high: 1.00, color: "#f56565" } ]; var html = ""; for (var i = 0; i < zones.length; i++) { var z = zones[i]; var lowBpm = Math.round((hrr * z.low) + rhr); var highBpm = Math.round((hrr * z.high) + rhr); html += ''; html += '' + z.name + ''; html += '' + z.range + ''; html += '' + lowBpm + ' – ' + highBpm + ''; html += ''; } tableBody.innerHTML = html; resultsDiv.style.display = "block"; // Smooth scroll to results resultsDiv.scrollIntoView({ behavior: 'smooth' }); }

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