Heart Rate Zone Calculator

Calculate your 5 heart rate training zones based on age and resting heart rate for smarter workouts.

Age (years)
Resting Heart Rate (bpm)
Max Heart Rate Estimation Formula
Activity Intensity Scale

Other Tools

Heart Rate Zone Calculator | Calculate Max Heart Rate by Age

A Heart Rate Zone Calculator helps you train smarter by matching effort to your fitness goals. Simply enter your age and resting heart rate, then choose a methodology, such as the Borg RPE scale or the Karvonen formula, to estimate your five training zones. This tool can help guide your exercise intensity, whether your session focuses on endurance, fat burning, or speed.

How to Calculate Your Training Zones (Step by Step)

1 1

Enter Your Basic Data –

Type your age into the "Age (years)" field and your resting heart rate into the "Resting Heart Rate (bpm)" field. Resting HR is optional and defaults to 60 bpm.

2 1

Choose Your Formulas –

Pick one max heart rate formula (Haskell & Fox, Tanaka, or Nes) and one activity intensity scale (Karvonen, Borg RPE, or Modified CR10). Each selection changes how zones are calculated.

3 1

Click Calculate and Read Results –

Press the purple "Calculate" button. The panel shows your max HR, heart rate reserve, target summary, and all 5 training zones in bpm. Switch scales anytime and press Calculate again for updated numbers.

Formulas, Scales and Zones You Can Choose

FeatureWhat It Does
Age InputEnter years (10–100)
Resting HR InputAdd your RHR (30–100 bpm)
3 Max HR FormulasHaskell & Fox (220–Age), Tanaka (208–0.7×Age), or Nes (211–0.64×Age)
3 Intensity ScalesKarvonen formula, Borg RPE (6–20), or Modified CR10 (0–10)
5 Color-Coded ZonesVery Light → VO₂ Max with bpm ranges
Visual Zone BarShows intensity from Rest to Max
Target SummaryDisplays 50–85% aerobic target range
RPE TablesMaps perceived exertion to heart rate
Heart Rate Zone Calculator

Pro Tips

Once you know your target zones, the Calorie Calculator helps you adjust intake to match your training intensity.

Training in the higher zones burns through fluid fast — check your daily needs with the Water Intake Calculator.

If your goal is weight management alongside cardio training, pair this with the BMR Calculator to see your resting energy baseline.

The Karvonen method used here relies on heart rate reserve, the gap between resting and maximum heart rate, to personalize each zone rather than using flat age-based percentages.

Why Athletes and Beginners Both Like This Tool

✔ Three Max HR Methods

Lets you choose between the most cited formulas (Haskell & Fox, Tanaka, Nes) so you’re not stuck with just 220 minus age.

✔ Borg and CR10 Scales Included

Matches perceived exertion to actual bpm, which is ideal for beginners who don't own a chest strap.

✔ One-Click Reset

The reset button clears all fields and restores default selections (Haskell & Fox + Karvonen) instantly.

✔ Karvonen Formula Integration

Uses heart rate reserve (max HR minus resting HR) for personalized zones instead of generic percentages.

✔ Five Visual Zones with Colors

Each zone (Very Light, Light, Moderate, Hard, VO₂ Max) has a distinct color and training purpose written directly on the card.

How Your Personal Zone Numbers Are Worked Out

The tool calculates heart rate reserve by subtracting resting HR from max HR, then multiplies that by zone percentages (50–60%, 60–70%, etc.) before adding resting HR back. This is why two people of the same age get different zone recommendations. The Borg RPE scale relates a rating of 6 (no effort) to 20 (maximal effort) to a corresponding heart rate percentage. For CR10, it maps 0 (rest) to 10 (greatest effort). The standard aerobic exercise guidelines are met with a heart rate reserve of 50–85% in the goal summary.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a heart rate zone calculator?

It’s a tool that uses your age and resting heart rate to find five training intensity ranges, from very light recovery to maximum VO₂ Max efforts.

You subtract your age from 220 (Haskell & Fox), use 208 minus 0.7 times your age (Tanaka), or 211 minus 0.64 times your age (Nes). This tool includes all three.

The Karvonen formula needs your resting heart rate to calculate heart rate reserve. If you don’t know it, select the Borg RPE or CR10 scale instead — these use perceived exertion rather than resting HR.

Borg uses a 6–20 scale that roughly corresponds to heart rate (multiply by 10), while CR10 uses 0–10 for shorter, simpler ratings like breathlessness.

es. Select ‘Rating of Perceived Exertion with Borg Scale’ from the Activity Intensity Scale dropdown, and the calculator maps RPE levels 6–20 to estimated target heart rates.