Heart rate zone calculator
Enter your max and resting heart rate to get your five training zones.
Don’t know your max? 208 minus 0.7 × your age is a rough start, but it can be off by 10 beats or more.
Most running belongs in zone 2
Easy running builds the aerobic base every race distance depends on. Keep hard efforts to one or two sessions a week.
Getting better numbers
Use the highest heart rate from a hard race as your max. Resting HR is most reliable from wearing your watch overnight.
Set your heart rate zonesZones in the app
RunBuddy uses your zones for easy-run targets, training load and the readiness score.
See a sample planHow the zones are calculated
There are five zones. Each one starts at a fixed share of your range: 50%, 60%, 70%, 80% and 90%. Zone 5 runs up to 100%. The calculator offers two ways to turn those shares into beats per minute.
% of max multiplies your max heart rate by each share. It needs only one number. Heart rate reserve (the Karvonen method) first takes the gap between your max and your resting heart rate. It multiplies that gap by each share and adds your resting heart rate back on. Because it uses your resting heart rate, it moves the low zones up for fit runners with a low pulse. Bounds are rounded to whole beats.
Worked example: max 190, resting 50
By % of max, zone 2 is 60% to 70% of 190, which is 114 to 133 bpm. By heart rate reserve, the reserve is 190 − 50 = 140. Zone 2 starts at 50 + 0.6 × 140 = 134 and ends at 50 + 0.7 × 140 = 148, so 134 to 148 bpm. The reserve method puts the same zone 15 to 20 beats higher. The two methods agree at the top, where zone 5 ends at your max either way.
Not sure which to pick? Start with % of max. Switch to heart rate reserve if your easy pace feels too slow in zone 2. See the heart rate zones guide for how to measure both numbers.
Zone table by max heart rate
Zones by % of max for four example max heart rates, in beats per minute.
| Max HR | Z1 Recovery (50–60%) | Z2 Endurance (60–70%) | Z3 Aerobic (70–80%) | Z4 Threshold (80–90%) | Z5 Anaerobic (90–100%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 170 | 85–102 | 102–119 | 119–136 | 136–153 | 153–170 |
| 180 | 90–108 | 108–126 | 126–144 | 144–162 | 162–180 |
| 190 | 95–114 | 114–133 | 133–152 | 152–171 | 171–190 |
| 200 | 100–120 | 120–140 | 140–160 | 160–180 | 180–200 |
Keep easy running in zone 2. See how a plan uses it in the couch to 5K plan or the half marathon plan sample plans.
Questions
What is zone 2 heart rate?
Zone 2 is 60% to 70% of your max heart rate, or the same band of your heart rate reserve. For a max of 190 that is 114 to 133 bpm. It is a conversational pace where you can speak in full sentences.
How do I find my max heart rate?
The most reliable way is the highest heart rate you see in a hard race or a hard interval session. If you have no data, 208 − 0.7 × your age gives a rough start. At 40 that is 180 bpm, though individuals can differ by 10 beats or more.
Is % of max or heart rate reserve better?
Neither is exact. Heart rate reserve accounts for your resting heart rate, so it often fits fit runners better. % of max is simpler and needs no resting measurement.
How many heart rate zones are there?
This calculator uses five: Recovery, Endurance, Aerobic, Threshold and Anaerobic. Some watch brands use their own bounds, so the numbers can differ slightly.