What are my five heart rate zones?
Enter your age to see your five heart rate zones in beats per minute. Add your resting heart rate to use the heart rate reserve (Karvonen) method, and a heart rate to see which zone it is in.
- Maximum heart rate
- 185
With a maximum heart rate of 185 bpm, zone 2 (light) is 105 to 117 bpm and zone 3 (moderate) is 118 to 141 bpm.
- Zone 1: Very light
- Below 105 bpm
- Zone 2: Light
- 105 to 117 bpm
- Zone 3: Moderate
- 118 to 141 bpm
- Zone 4: Vigorous
- 142 to 177 bpm
- Zone 5: Near maximal
- 178 to 185 bpm
- Zones based on
- Maximum heart rate
Maximum heart rate: 185. With a maximum heart rate of 185 bpm, zone 2 (light) is 105 to 117 bpm and zone 3 (moderate) is 118 to 141 bpm.
Which zone is each heart rate in?
This calculator gives general information only. It is not medical advice and does not replace a doctor or other health care provider. Talk with a professional about your results. Terms of use
How to calculate
Works out five heart rate training zones, the ACSM exercise intensity classes, from age (and optionally resting heart rate by the Karvonen method), and which zone a heart rate is in.
Example with the default inputs (Age 35, Maximum heart rate formula 220 − age): With a maximum heart rate of 185 bpm, zone 2 (light) is 105 to 117 bpm and zone 3 (moderate) is 118 to 141 bpm.
Method: Zone start = rest + share × (max − rest), with rest 0 and shares 57%, 64%, 77%, 96% of the maximum, or with the resting heart rate and shares 30%, 40%, 60%, 90% of the reserve (Karvonen); max = 220 − age or 208 − 0.7 × age.
- The five zones are the ACSM exercise intensity classes: very light, light, moderate, vigorous, and near maximal to maximal (Garber and others, 2011).
- Each zone limit is rounded half up to a whole beat per minute; a zone ends one beat before the next one starts.
- The age formulas estimate the maximum heart rate; a measured maximum can differ by 10 beats per minute or more.
- Heart-rate medicines such as beta blockers change the response to exercise. This is not medical advice.
Worked examples
Each example is checked against the calculator on every build.
- Age 30, Maximum heart rate formula 220 − age gives Maximum heart rate 190, Zone 1: Very light Below 108 bpm, Zone 2: Light 108 to 121 bpm, Zone 3: Moderate 122 to 145 bpm, Zone 4: Vigorous 146 to 181 bpm, Zone 5: Near maximal 182 to 190 bpm.Source: ACSM intensity classes (Garber 2011, Table 4): 190 × 0.57 = 108.3, × 0.64 = 121.6, × 0.77 = 146.3, × 0.96 = 182.4
- Age 40, Maximum heart rate formula 220 − age, Resting heart rate 60, Heart rate to check 130 gives Maximum heart rate 180, Zone 1: Very light 60 to 95 bpm, Zone 2: Light 96 to 107 bpm, Zone 3: Moderate 108 to 131 bpm, Zone 4: Vigorous 132 to 167 bpm, Zone 5: Near maximal 168 to 180 bpm, Checked heart rate is in Zone 3: moderate, Zones based on Heart rate reserve (Karvonen).Source: ACSM %HRR classes (Garber 2011) with Karvonen 1957: 60 + 0.3 × 120 = 96, 0.4 → 108, 0.6 → 132, 0.9 → 168
- Age 50, Maximum heart rate formula 208 − 0.7 × age, Heart rate to check 150 gives Maximum heart rate 173, Zone 2: Light 99 to 110 bpm, Zone 4: Vigorous 133 to 165 bpm, Checked heart rate is in Zone 4: vigorous.Source: Tanaka 2001: 208 − 0.7 × 50 = 173
How it works
Maximum heart rate (max). The measured maximum if you enter one (100 to 230 bpm), otherwise from age in whole years: 220 − age, or 208 − 0.7 × age (Tanaka).
Zone starts. Zones 2 to 5 start at base + share × (max − base), each rounded half up to a whole beat per minute (the decimal value decides):
| Zone | ACSM class | Share of the maximum (no resting heart rate) | Share of the reserve (with a resting heart rate) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Very light | below 57% | below 30% |
| 2 | Light | 57% | 30% |
| 3 | Moderate | 64% | 40% |
| 4 | Vigorous | 77% | 60% |
| 5 | Near maximal to maximal | 96% | 90% |
Without a resting heart rate the base is 0 (shares of the maximum). With a resting heart rate (30 to 110 bpm) the base is the resting heart rate, and max − rest is the heart rate reserve (Karvonen). No answer if the resting heart rate is not below the maximum, or if the rounded zone starts do not rise one after another (base < zone 2 start < zone 3 start < zone 4 start < zone 5 start ≤ the rounded maximum), which happens only when the reserve is a few beats.
Zone ranges. Each zone runs from its start to one beat below the next zone’s start. Zone 5 runs to the maximum, rounded half up. Zone 1 reads "Below X bpm" (X = the start of zone 2) with shares of the maximum, and "rest to X − 1 bpm" with a resting heart rate. Each range reads like "108 to 121 bpm".
Checking a heart rate. A heart rate you enter is in the highest zone whose start it reaches: zone 1 below the zone 2 start, zone 2 from the zone 2 start, and so on. Above the rounded maximum it reads "Above the maximum heart rate", and below a resting heart rate you entered it reads "Below the resting heart rate". The result reads like "Zone 3: moderate".
The chart shows the zone for every heart rate from the resting heart rate (or half the maximum) up to the maximum, with a marker at the heart rate you checked.
Rounding. Every “rounded half up” on this page reads the decimal value: a result within 1e-9 (relative) of a half counts as the half. For example, 80 ÷ 1.6², which a computer stores as 31.249999999999993, rounds to 31.3.
Assumptions
- The five zones are the ACSM relative intensity classes for healthy adults (Garber and others, 2011, Table 4).
- The age formulas estimate the maximum heart rate for an average person.
- Medicines such as beta blockers, and some heart conditions, change heart rate during exercise; these zones do not apply then.
- This page is for information only. It is not medical advice. Talk with a health care professional before you start a new exercise program.
Worked examples by hand
Age 30, 220 − age. Max = 190. Zone starts: 190 × 0.57 = 108.3 → 108; × 0.64 = 121.6 → 122; × 0.77 = 146.3 → 146; × 0.96 = 182.4 → 182. Zones: 1 below 108; 2 108 to 121; 3 122 to 145; 4 146 to 181; 5 182 to 190 bpm.
Age 40, resting heart rate 60, checking 130. Max = 180, reserve = 120. Starts: 60 + 0.3 × 120 = 96; 60 + 0.4 × 120 = 108; 60 + 0.6 × 120 = 132; 60 + 0.9 × 120 = 168. Zones: 1 60 to 95; 2 96 to 107; 3 108 to 131; 4 132 to 167; 5 168 to 180. 130 reaches 108 but not 132, so it is in zone 3: moderate.
Age 50, Tanaka, checking 150. Max = 208 − 35 = 173. Starts: 173 × 0.57 = 98.61 → 99; × 0.64 = 110.72 → 111; × 0.77 = 133.21 → 133; × 0.96 = 166.08 → 166. Zone 2 is 99 to 110 and zone 4 133 to 165; 150 is in zone 4: vigorous.
Other questions people ask
What are the five heart rate zones?
This calculator uses the five exercise intensity classes of the American College of Sports Medicine: very light, light, moderate, vigorous, and near maximal to maximal. As shares of the maximum heart rate they start at 57%, 64%, 77% and 96%; as shares of the heart rate reserve, at 30%, 40%, 60% and 90%.
What is zone 2?
Here, zone 2 is the ACSM "light" class: 57% to 63% of the maximum heart rate, or 30% to 39% of the heart rate reserve. Other zone systems, such as those in some fitness watches, use different bands, so check which scale your device uses.
What is the Karvonen method?
Karvonen and others (1957) based training heart rates on the heart rate reserve, the maximum minus the resting heart rate. A target is resting + share × reserve. Because it includes your resting heart rate, it fits fit people with low resting rates better than shares of the maximum alone.
How do I find my maximum heart rate?
The simplest estimate is 220 − age. Tanaka and others (2001) found 208 − 0.7 × age fits adults better, especially older adults. Both are averages; your true maximum can differ by 10 beats a minute or more. A supervised exercise test measures it; enter it under More options.
How do I measure my resting heart rate?
Count your pulse for a full minute after waking, before getting up, on a few mornings, and take the average.
Which zone should I train in?
The ACSM advises moderate or vigorous aerobic exercise for most adults, and light exercise for people starting out. Talk to a health care provider before starting, especially if you have a heart condition or take medicine that changes your heart rate.