What are heart rate zones?
Heart rate zones are ranges (as a percentage of your maximum heart rate) that each train your body differently. Staying in the right zone for your goal — whether that's burning fat, building endurance, or boosting speed — makes your cardio far more effective than just "going hard".
The 5 zones explained
- Zone 1 · 50–60% — Recovery: very easy, warm-ups and cool-downs.
- Zone 2 · 60–70% — Fat burn / endurance: the base-building sweet spot; you can still hold a conversation.
- Zone 3 · 70–80% — Aerobic: improves cardiovascular fitness and stamina.
- Zone 4 · 80–90% — Threshold: hard; raises your lactate threshold and speed.
- Zone 5 · 90–100% — Maximum: all-out intervals, short bursts only.
Heart rate zones by age
Training zones in beats per minute, using the Tanaka formula for maximum heart rate (208 − 0.7 × age) — the calculator's default, and more accurate for most adults than 220 − age. These use % of max; add your resting heart rate above for the more personal Karvonen zones.
| Age | Max HR | Z1 Recovery 50–60% | Z2 Fat burn 60–70% | Z3 Aerobic 70–80% | Z4 Threshold 80–90% | Z5 Max 90–100% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 | 194 | 97–116 | 116–136 | 136–155 | 155–175 | 175–194 |
| 25 | 191 | 96–115 | 115–134 | 134–153 | 153–172 | 172–191 |
| 30 | 187 | 94–112 | 112–131 | 131–150 | 150–168 | 168–187 |
| 35 | 184 | 92–110 | 110–129 | 129–147 | 147–166 | 166–184 |
| 40 | 180 | 90–108 | 108–126 | 126–144 | 144–162 | 162–180 |
| 45 | 177 | 89–106 | 106–124 | 124–142 | 142–159 | 159–177 |
| 50 | 173 | 87–104 | 104–121 | 121–138 | 138–156 | 156–173 |
| 55 | 170 | 85–102 | 102–119 | 119–136 | 136–153 | 153–170 |
| 60 | 166 | 83–100 | 100–116 | 116–133 | 133–149 | 149–166 |
| 65 | 163 | 82–98 | 98–114 | 114–130 | 130–147 | 147–163 |
| 70 | 159 | 80–95 | 95–111 | 111–127 | 127–143 | 143–159 |
What is the Karvonen method?
The Karvonen formula uses your heart rate reserve (max HR minus resting HR) to set zones, which accounts for your fitness level. Target = ((Max HR − Resting HR) × intensity%) + Resting HR. Fitter people with lower resting rates get more accurate, personalised zones.
What is a good heart rate zone for a 40 year old?
With a Tanaka maximum of 180 BPM, zone 2 (easy endurance, fat burning) is 108–126 BPM and zone 3 (aerobic) is 126–144 BPM.
What is zone 2 heart rate for a 30 year old?
About 112–131 BPM — 60–70% of a 187 BPM maximum. Zone 2 is the comfortable, can-still-talk pace most endurance plans are built on.
What is the max heart rate for a 50 year old?
About 173 BPM by the Tanaka formula (208 − 0.7 × 50), or 170 by the older 220 − age rule. Both are population averages; your true maximum can differ by 10 BPM or more.
How do I find my resting heart rate?
Measure your pulse for 60 seconds first thing in the morning before getting out of bed, ideally across a few days.
Which zone burns the most fat?
Zone 2 burns the highest share of calories from fat, but higher zones burn more total calories. Most training plans mix zones.