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Running Calculator

Heart rate zones calculator

Enter your age or your measured max heart rate to get your five training zones in beats per minute.

years
bpm
If you know it from a hard test or race, enter it and the age estimate is ignored.
bpm
Measure it in the morning before getting up.
Reset

Your max heart rate

180 bpm

estimated for age 40 (208 − 0.7 × age)

An estimate, not a diagnosis
Formulas can be off by 10 beats per minute or more for an individual. Treat the zones as a starting point and go by how the effort feels. This is not medical advice; ask a doctor before you train hard if you have a heart condition or any doubt.

Training zones

Share of maximum heart rate

  1. Zone 1 90–108 bpm Very easy. Warm-up, cool-down and recovery.
  2. Zone 2 109–126 bpm Easy aerobic. Long runs, you can talk in full sentences.
  3. Zone 3 127–144 bpm Moderate. Steady and comfortably hard.
  4. Zone 4 145–162 bpm Hard. Threshold and tempo efforts.
  5. Zone 5 163–180 bpm Maximum. Short, fast intervals.

How the calculation works

First the calculator needs your maximum heart rate. If you enter a measured value it uses that. Otherwise it estimates it from your age with the formula you choose.

The zones are then five bands of 10% each, from 50 to 100%. In the max heart rate model a band is a share of your maximum. In the heart-rate reserve model (Karvonen) a band is your resting heart rate plus that share of the difference between max and resting. Each zone starts one beat above the previous one, so zones never overlap.

max = 208 − 0.7 × age
zone = rest + share × (max − rest)

max
your maximum heart rate
rest
your resting heart rate
share
the zone's share (for example 0.60 for 60%)

Maximum heart rate by age

Age Max (Tanaka) Max (220 − age) Zone 2 (Tanaka) Zone 4 (Tanaka)
20 194 200 117–136 156–175
30 187 190 113–131 151–168
40 180 180 109–126 145–162
50 173 170 105–121 139–156
60 166 160 101–116 134–149
70 159 150 96–111 128–143

Using the zones

Most of a runner's weekly volume belongs in zones 1 and 2, where the effort is easy and you recover quickly. Zones 3 and 4 are for steady and tempo work, and zone 5 for short intervals. Heart rate rises with heat, caffeine, stress, dehydration and fatigue, and lags at the start of an effort, so use it together with pace and how the run feels.

This calculator gives general guidance and is not medical advice. If you have a heart condition, take medication that affects heart rate, or have any doubt, ask a doctor before training hard.

Examples

Frequently asked questions

How do I calculate my max heart rate?

The classic formula is 220 minus your age. The Tanaka formula, 208 minus 0.7 times your age, fits a wider range of ages better. Either is an estimate; a measured value from a hard race or test is more reliable.

What is zone 2?

The easy aerobic zone, 60 to 70% of max heart rate. You can hold a conversation. Most easy and long runs are run here, and it builds the aerobic base that faster running relies on.

What is the Karvonen method?

It sets zones as a share of your heart-rate reserve, the difference between max and resting heart rate, and adds the resting rate back. Because it uses your resting heart rate it adapts to fitness, so zones are higher for the same percentage in a fitter runner.

How accurate are the formulas?

Individual max heart rates can differ from the formula by 10 beats per minute or more. Use the zones as a starting point and go by how the effort feels, or measure your max with a hard, supervised test.

Updated October 7, 2026 How we calculate

Sources

  • Tanaka, H., Monahan, K. D., Seals, D. R. (2001). Age-predicted maximal heart rate revisited. Journal of the American College of Cardiology, 37(1), 153–156.
  • Fox, S. M., Naughton, J. P., Haskell, W. L. (1971). Physical activity and the prevention of coronary heart disease. Annals of Clinical Research, 3, 404–432.
  • Karvonen, M. J., Kentala, E., Mustala, O. (1957). The effects of training on heart rate, a longitudinal study. Annales Medicinae Experimentalis et Biologiae Fenniae, 35(3), 307–315.