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Age formulas are population estimates; a known maximum should come from reliable testing or repeated evidence.
Use a whole age from 10 through 100 years.
years
Tanaka is the default general-adult estimate; Method comparison shows all four estimates.
Use 100 through 240 BPM; do not treat a single sensor spike as a measured maximum.
BPM
Do not compare the same percentage across the two bases as though it meant the same BPM.
Use a whole rested value from 30 through 120 BPM.
BPM
{{ targetIntensityDisplay }}
Choose 50% through 100%. Use the lower end when beginning a new exercise plan.
%
The zone label changes interpretation, not the selected maximum, basis, or target percentage.
Use a whole width from 1 through 10 percentage points.
± percentage points
This does not replace the known maximum or change the target.
years
Leave 0 to omit the comparison; 0 is neutral and does not change the target.
BPM
ZoneIntensityBPM rangeUseEffort cueCopy
{{ row.zone }}{{ row.intensity }}{{ row.bpmRange }}{{ row.primaryUse }}{{ row.cue }}
MethodMaximumTargetWindowDifferenceCopy
{{ row.method }}{{ row.maxHr }}{{ row.target }}{{ row.window }}{{ row.delta }}

The chart renderer is unavailable. The same values remain available in the brief and tables.

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Heart Rate (HR) Zones Calculator Calculate heart-rate zones from age or a measured maximum using percentage-of-max or heart-rate-reserve methods and optional session planning.
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Heart rate is a practical way to describe exercise intensity because it rises as the body asks the heart to deliver more oxygen. Training plans often express that effort as a percentage of maximum heart rate, then turn the percentage into a range of beats per minute (BPM) that can be checked during a run, ride, or other sustained session.

Maximum heart rate is the highest rate reached during a true maximal effort. Age equations estimate a population average; they do not measure an individual's maximum. Two people of the same age can have meaningfully different maxima, and a laboratory or carefully observed field result may disagree with an age prediction without either person's sensor being faulty.

Maximum heart rate
The upper reference in BPM, measured or estimated, from which exercise targets are derived.
Resting heart rate
A rested BPM measurement, commonly taken before getting out of bed, that is used by heart-rate-reserve calculations.
Target intensity
The chosen effort as a percentage of either maximum heart rate or heart-rate reserve.
Training zone
A named percentage interval used to organize easy, moderate, hard, or high-end work.

Percent of maximum and heart-rate reserve are different intensity systems. Percent-max multiplies maximum heart rate directly. The heart-rate-reserve method first subtracts resting heart rate from the maximum, applies the intensity percentage to that reserve, and then adds resting heart rate back. The same stated percentage will usually produce different BPM targets under the two methods.

Zone names and cut points vary among coaches, sports, and organizations. A zone label is therefore a planning convention rather than a medical threshold. Perceived effort, pace or power, environmental conditions, recovery, and the purpose of the session remain important alongside heart rate.

Medication, illness, heat, dehydration, fatigue, altitude, sensor error, and heart conditions can change the observed response. Age estimates and training zones are general guidance, not a diagnosis or an instruction to perform a maximal test. Anyone with symptoms, a heart condition, or medication that affects heart rate should seek individual guidance from a qualified health professional.

How to Use This Tool:

Choose the maximum-heart-rate evidence and intensity system before setting a target.

  1. Select Estimate from age and an age formula, or Use known maximum when a reliable measured value is available. Do not use a single wearable spike as a measured maximum.
  2. Choose Percent of maximum heart rate or Heart-rate reserve (Karvonen). Enter a rested heart rate for the reserve method; it must be below the selected maximum.
  3. Set the target intensity from 50% through 100% and a practical window of 1 through 10 percentage points on either side.
  4. Select a training-zone lens for coaching labels. The lens changes the names and cut points, not the selected maximum, basis, or target percentage.
  5. Review the target BPM and window. Optionally enter a current heart rate to see whether it is below, inside, or above that window without changing the plan.

Interpreting Results:

The exact target is a planning center, not a requirement to hold one beat count continuously. The practical window allows ordinary variation. A current reading is inside when it equals either boundary or falls between them, below when it is lower than the low boundary, and above when it exceeds the high boundary.

  • Use Training zones to connect the selected intensity system with the chosen coaching labels.
  • Use Max methods to see how much the age equations disagree for the same age. That spread is evidence of model uncertainty, not a range guaranteed to contain an individual's true maximum.
  • Use Effort curve to compare BPM across 50% to 100%. When heart-rate reserve is selected, the percent-max reference is a different method rather than an equivalent target.
  • Slow down and assess symptoms when the reading is unexpectedly high. Recheck sensor contact and compare with perceived effort before changing a training plan from one sample.

Technical Details:

Age-based maximum-heart-rate equations are linear regressions developed from different study populations. Each produces one estimated maximum from age. A known maximum replaces the estimate in the selected target and zone calculations, while age equations remain useful as benchmarks.

Formula Core:

The four supported age equations all return BPM and are rounded to the nearest whole beat before downstream target calculations.

MethodMaximum-heart-rate equationPopulation context
Fox220 − ageCommon general benchmark
Tanaka208 − 0.7 × ageGeneral adult estimate
Nes211 − 0.64 × ageHealthy HUNT Fitness Study participants
Gulati206 − 0.88 × ageAsymptomatic women in the source study

Let M be the selected maximum in BPM, R the resting heart rate in BPM, and i the chosen intensity as a fraction from 0.50 through 1.00. Percent-max and heart-rate reserve (HRR) targets use separate equations.

Hmax=round(M×i) HHRR=round(R+(M−R)×i)

Both target results round to the nearest whole BPM. The practical window subtracts and adds the chosen number of percentage points, clamps the lower intensity at 50% and the upper intensity at 100%, and then applies the selected target equation to each edge. Resting heart rate must be lower than maximum heart rate for HRR because the reserve is M − R.

Rule Core:

The training-zone lenses are built-in coaching views. They label the same calculated BPM values with different percentage cut points.

LensOrdered percentage boundariesZone count
Balanced 550, 60, 70, 80, 90, 1005
Endurance 555, 65, 75, 85, 92, 1005
Threshold 460, 75, 85, 92, 1004
Speed 655, 65, 75, 83, 90, 95, 1006

Zone intervals include both displayed endpoints. At a boundary shared by two adjacent rows, the earlier lower-intensity row supplies the single active-zone label, while a practical window may overlap and name more than one zone. The separate moderate reference uses 50% to 70% of maximum and the vigorous reference uses 70% to 85% of maximum, regardless of the selected coaching lens.

Limitations and Safety Notes:

Heart rate is only one signal of exercise load. Age equations have individual error, wrist sensors can lag or spike, and the relationship between BPM and sustainable effort changes with conditions and health status.

  • Use age estimates as starting points, not proof of a personal maximum.
  • Measure resting heart rate under similar rested conditions when comparing HRR targets over time.
  • Stop exercise and seek appropriate medical help for chest pain, faintness, unusual shortness of breath, or other concerning symptoms.
  • Ask a health professional for an individual target when medication or a medical condition changes the normal heart-rate response.

Worked Examples:

Known maximum with heart-rate reserve

A measured maximum of 190 BPM, a resting rate of 55 BPM, and a 75% HRR target give 55 + (190 − 55) × 0.75 = 156 BPM after rounding. A ±5 percentage-point window runs from 150 to 163 BPM. A current reading of 158 BPM is inside the window and sits 2 BPM above the exact target.

References: