Heart Rate Training Zones Calculation

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Heart Rate Training Zones Calculator

Maximum Heart Rate (MHR)

— BPM

Zone Intensity Target Range (BPM)

Understanding Heart Rate Training Zones

Heart rate training zones are a powerful tool for athletes and fitness enthusiasts to ensure they are training at the correct intensity for their specific goals. By using the Karvonen Formula, which considers your Resting Heart Rate (RHR) and Heart Rate Reserve (HRR), you get a much more personalized target than using age alone.

The Five Training Zones Explained

  • Zone 1: Very Light (50-60%) – Ideal for warm-ups, cool-downs, and active recovery. It improves overall health and helps you recover after harder sessions.
  • Zone 2: Light (60-70%) – This is the "fat-burning" zone. It builds basic endurance and aerobic capacity. You should be able to hold a conversation easily here.
  • Zone 3: Moderate (70-80%) – Improves aerobic power and cardiovascular efficiency. This is the "sweet spot" for many endurance athletes.
  • Zone 4: Hard (80-90%) – Increases anaerobic capacity and speed endurance. You'll feel a significant "burn" as your body begins to produce lactic acid faster than it can clear it.
  • Zone 5: Maximum (90-100%) – Reserved for interval training and peak effort. This zone helps develop maximum power and speed, but can only be sustained for very short periods.

Example Calculation

If you are 40 years old with a resting heart rate of 60 BPM:

  1. Max HR: 220 – 40 = 180 BPM
  2. HR Reserve: 180 – 60 = 120 BPM
  3. Zone 2 Lower Limit (60%): (120 * 0.60) + 60 = 132 BPM
  4. Zone 2 Upper Limit (70%): (120 * 0.70) + 60 = 144 BPM
function calculateHRZones() { var age = parseFloat(document.getElementById('age').value); var rhr = parseFloat(document.getElementById('rhr').value); var resultsArea = document.getElementById('hr-results-area'); var mhrDisplay = document.getElementById('display-mhr'); var tableBody = document.getElementById('zones-table-body'); if (isNaN(age) || age 120) { alert("Please enter a valid age."); return; } if (isNaN(rhr) || rhr 120) { alert("Please enter a realistic Resting Heart Rate (typically between 30 and 120)."); return; } // Step 1: Calculate Max Heart Rate (Haskell & Fox Formula) var mhr = 220 – age; // Step 2: Calculate Heart Rate Reserve (HRR) var hrr = mhr – rhr; if (hrr <= 0) { alert("Resting heart rate cannot be higher than maximum heart rate. Please check your inputs."); return; } mhrDisplay.innerHTML = mhr + " BPM"; // Zone Definitions: [Name, Intensity Text, Min%, Max%, Color] var zones = [ ["Zone 1", "Recovery / Warm-up", 0.50, 0.60, "#95a5a6"], ["Zone 2", "Aerobic / Fat Burn", 0.60, 0.70, "#3498db"], ["Zone 3", "Moderate / Aerobic", 0.70, 0.80, "#2ecc71"], ["Zone 4", "Hard / Anaerobic", 0.80, 0.90, "#f39c12"], ["Zone 5", "Maximum / Redline", 0.90, 1.00, "#e74c3c"] ]; var html = ""; for (var i = 0; i < zones.length; i++) { var minBpm = Math.round((hrr * zones[i][2]) + rhr); var maxBpm = Math.round((hrr * zones[i][3]) + rhr); html += ''; html += '' + zones[i][0] + ''; html += '' + zones[i][1] + ''; html += '' + minBpm + ' – ' + maxBpm + ' BPM'; html += ''; } tableBody.innerHTML = html; resultsArea.style.display = 'block'; // Smooth scroll to results resultsArea.scrollIntoView({ behavior: 'smooth', block: 'nearest' }); }

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