Heart Rate Zones Calculation

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Understanding Heart Rate Zones for Training

Heart rate zones are specific ranges of exertion that your cardiovascular system operates within during exercise. Training within these zones allows you to target different physiological adaptations, from improving aerobic base to developing anaerobic capacity and boosting maximal oxygen uptake (VO2 max).

Understanding and utilizing heart rate zones is crucial for optimizing your training. Whether you're a runner, cyclist, swimmer, or engage in any aerobic activity, tailoring your workouts to specific heart rate intensities can lead to more efficient progress, prevent overtraining, and enhance overall performance.

There are generally five heart rate zones, each associated with different benefits:

  • Zone 1: Very Light (50-60% of Max Heart Rate) – Recovery pace, very easy effort, promotes blood flow and muscle repair.
  • Zone 2: Light (60-70% of Max Heart Rate) – Aerobic base building, sustainable for long durations, improves fat burning efficiency.
  • Zone 3: Moderate (70-80% of Max Heart Rate) – Aerobic capacity, improves endurance and lactate threshold, feels comfortably hard.
  • Zone 4: Hard (80-90% of Max Heart Rate) – Anaerobic threshold, improves speed and power, lactate builds up faster than it can be cleared.
  • Zone 5: Maximum (90-100% of Max Heart Rate) – Maximal effort, improves VO2 max, sustainable for very short intervals.

The most common method for calculating these zones is based on your Maximum Heart Rate (MHR). A simple and widely used formula to estimate MHR is 220 minus your age.

Heart Rate Zone Calculator

Your Heart Rate Zones:

Maximum Heart Rate (MHR): — bpm

Zone 1 (50-60% MHR): — bpm

Zone 2 (60-70% MHR): — bpm

Zone 3 (70-80% MHR): — bpm

Zone 4 (80-90% MHR): — bpm

Zone 5 (90-100% MHR): — bpm

function calculateHeartRateZones() { var age = document.getElementById("age").value; var resultDiv = document.getElementById("result"); var maxHeartRateSpan = document.getElementById("maxHeartRate"); var zone1Span = document.getElementById("zone1"); var zone2Span = document.getElementById("zone2"); var zone3Span = document.getElementById("zone3"); var zone4Span = document.getElementById("zone4"); var zone5Span = document.getElementById("zone5"); // Clear previous results maxHeartRateSpan.textContent = "– bpm"; zone1Span.textContent = "– bpm"; zone2Span.textContent = "– bpm"; zone3Span.textContent = "– bpm"; zone4Span.textContent = "– bpm"; zone5Span.textContent = "– bpm"; // Validate input if (isNaN(age) || age = 120) { resultDiv.innerHTML = "Please enter a valid age."; return; } // Calculate Maximum Heart Rate (MHR) using the 220-age formula var maxHeartRate = 220 – age; // Calculate Heart Rate Zones var zone1_50 = Math.round(maxHeartRate * 0.50); var zone1_60 = Math.round(maxHeartRate * 0.60); var zone2_60 = Math.round(maxHeartRate * 0.60); var zone2_70 = Math.round(maxHeartRate * 0.70); var zone3_70 = Math.round(maxHeartRate * 0.70); var zone3_80 = Math.round(maxHeartRate * 0.80); var zone4_80 = Math.round(maxHeartRate * 0.80); var zone4_90 = Math.round(maxHeartRate * 0.90); var zone5_90 = Math.round(maxHeartRate * 0.90); var zone5_100 = Math.round(maxHeartRate * 1.00); // Display results maxHeartRateSpan.textContent = maxHeartRate + " bpm"; zone1Span.textContent = zone1_50 + " – " + zone1_60 + " bpm"; zone2Span.textContent = zone2_60 + " – " + zone2_70 + " bpm"; zone3Span.textContent = zone3_70 + " – " + zone3_80 + " bpm"; zone4Span.textContent = zone4_80 + " – " + zone4_90 + " bpm"; zone5Span.textContent = zone5_90 + " – " + zone5_100 + " bpm"; } .calculator-container { font-family: sans-serif; display: flex; flex-wrap: wrap; gap: 20px; margin-bottom: 30px; } .article-content { flex: 1; min-width: 300px; } .article-content h2 { color: #333; margin-bottom: 15px; } .article-content p { line-height: 1.6; color: #555; margin-bottom: 10px; } .article-content ul { list-style: disc; margin-left: 20px; margin-bottom: 10px; } .article-content li { margin-bottom: 5px; color: #555; } .calculator-form { width: 300px; border: 1px solid #ddd; padding: 20px; border-radius: 8px; background-color: #f9f9f9; } .calculator-form h3 { text-align: center; color: #333; margin-top: 0; margin-bottom: 20px; } .form-group { margin-bottom: 15px; } .form-group label { display: block; margin-bottom: 5px; font-weight: bold; color: #555; } .form-group input[type="number"] { width: calc(100% – 10px); padding: 8px; border: 1px solid #ccc; border-radius: 4px; box-sizing: border-box; } .calculator-form button { width: 100%; padding: 10px 15px; background-color: #007bff; color: white; border: none; border-radius: 4px; cursor: pointer; font-size: 16px; transition: background-color 0.3s ease; } .calculator-form button:hover { background-color: #0056b3; } #result { margin-top: 20px; border-top: 1px solid #eee; padding-top: 15px; } #result h4 { margin-top: 0; color: #333; margin-bottom: 15px; } #result p { margin-bottom: 8px; color: #555; } #result span { font-weight: bold; }

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