Your heart rate zones tell you how hard your heart is working during exercise. This tool estimates your maximum heart rate with the Tanaka formula and splits it into five training zones.
Sample input: Age (years): 30, Resting heart rate (bpm, optional): 60
Max heart rate: 187 (bpm (Tanaka formula))
Your estimated maximum heart rate is 187 bpm. Training zones: Zone 1 94-112, Zone 2 112-131, Zone 3 131-150, Zone 4 150-168, Zone 5 168-187 bpm.
We use the Tanaka formula (208 minus 0.7 times age), published by Tanaka, Monahan and Seals in 2001, which is more accurate across ages than the older 220-minus-age rule.
Zone 1 (50-60 percent) is recovery, Zone 2 (60-70 percent) builds endurance and burns fat, Zone 3 (70-80 percent) is aerobic, Zone 4 (80-90 percent) is your anaerobic threshold, and Zone 5 (90-100 percent) is maximal effort.
Most endurance benefits come from Zone 2, while higher zones build speed and power. The American Heart Association recommends moderate-intensity activity (roughly Zones 2-3) for at least 150 minutes per week.
Formulas are population estimates and individual maximums vary by 10 to 20 beats per minute. A supervised exercise test gives a personal value; use the estimate as a practical guide.