ZonePulse

Heart Rate Zone Calculator

Your max heart rate and the five training zones — for warm-ups, fat-burn, endurance, threshold, and VO₂ max work.

Age (years)

Method

Estimated max heart rate

188 bpm

Z1 — Warm-up / recoveryZ2 — Fat burn / enduranceZ3 — AerobicZ4 — ThresholdZ5 — VO₂ max

What you entered

Age: 32Method: max

1
Estimated max heart rate
220 − 32= 188 bpm
2
Each zone is a % range of max HR (Z1 50–60% … Z5 90–100%)
max HR × zone %= Z1: 94-113; Z2: 113-132; Z3: 132-150; Z4: 150-169; Z5: 169-188

Result

Max heart rate: 188 bpm

At age 32, your estimated max heart rate is 188 bpm. Training in different zones targets different adaptations — lower zones build aerobic endurance, higher zones build speed and anaerobic capacity.

Training heart rate zones by age

Zones are percentages of maximum heart rate, estimated as 220 minus your age. Z1 and Z2 are easy aerobic work, Z3 is tempo, Z4 is threshold, and Z5 is maximal.

Age	Max HR	Z1 50-60%	Z2 60-70%	Z3 70-80%	Z4 80-90%	Z5 90-100%
20	200 bpm	100-120	120-140	140-160	160-180	180-200
30	190 bpm	95-114	114-133	133-152	152-171	171-190
40	180 bpm	90-108	108-126	126-144	144-162	162-180
50	170 bpm	85-102	102-119	119-136	136-153	153-170
60	160 bpm	80-96	96-112	112-128	128-144	144-160

The 220-minus-age rule carries a standard deviation of about 10-12 bpm, so a measured maximum from a field test is far more accurate. General wellness information only, not medical advice. Discuss any health decision with a qualified clinician.

Karvonen vs. simple max-HR

The simple formula (220 − age) is fine for most people. The Karvonen method uses your resting heart rate for more personalised zones — great if you have a fitness tracker that knows your resting HR.

What each zone trains

Zone 1 (50–60%): recovery and warm-up. Zone 2 (60–70%): fat burning and base endurance — most of your training should be here. Zone 3 (70–80%): aerobic fitness and tempo runs. Zone 4 (80–90%): lactate threshold and race pace. Zone 5 (90–100%): VO₂ max intervals and sprints — use sparingly.

Frequently asked questions

How do I calculate my max heart rate?

The simplest formula is 220 − age. A 30-year-old has an estimated max HR of 190 bpm. More accurate formulas exist (Tanaka: 208 − 0.7 × age = 187 for a 30-year-old) but the difference is small. The most accurate method is a supervised max HR test, but the formula is close enough for training zones.

What heart rate zone burns the most fat?

Zone 2 (60–70% of max HR) burns the highest percentage of calories from fat. However, higher zones burn more total calories per minute. For fat loss, total calorie burn matters more than the fat/carb ratio — a 30-minute Zone 4 workout may burn more fat in absolute terms than 30 minutes in Zone 2.

How much time should I spend in each zone?

The 80/20 rule: spend about 80% of training time in Zones 1–2 (easy) and 20% in Zones 3–5 (hard). This polarized approach is used by elite endurance athletes and produces better results than training at moderate intensity all the time. Most recreational runners go too hard on easy days and too easy on hard days.