Three max heart rate formulas
Tanaka, 220 − age and Gulati compared, or your measured max heart rate.
Health & wellness
Heart-rate zones calculator
Maximum heart rate estimated from age or measured, and five training zones as a share of maximum heart rate or heart rate reserve.
Heart profile
The result appears as soon as you enter your age. Resting heart rate switches to the Karvonen method; a measured max heart rate replaces the estimate.
Measured in the morning on waking, lying down, over one minute.
Max heart rate formula
From an exercise test or a heart rate watch; it replaces the age estimate.
Your training zones
Maximum heart rate
bpm
Training zones
- Zone 1 · Recovery50% – 60% · warm-up and cool-down
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- Zone 2 · Endurance60% – 70% · easy talking pace, mostly burns fat
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- Zone 3 · Tempo70% – 80% · short sentences only
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- Zone 4 · Threshold80% – 90% · hard effort, a few words at most
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- Zone 5 · VO2 max90% – 100% · all-out effort, a few minutes
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Max heart rate by formula
- Tanaka208 − 0.7 × age, the most reliable in adults
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- 220 − agethe classic formula, often too high before 40
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- Gulati206 − 0.88 × age, built from women
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Method & sources
Maximum heart rate is estimated from age with the chosen formula, or replaced by your measured value. Without resting heart rate, the five zones are 50–60%, 60–70%, 70–80%, 80–90% and 90–100% of max heart rate. With resting heart rate, those percentages apply to heart rate reserve (Karvonen method).
Formula
Tanaka: max HR = 208 − 0.7 × age · Karvonen: target HR = resting HR + intensity × (max HR − resting HR)Limitations
- An age formula does not predict one person’s max heart rate exactly: the gap can exceed 10 bpm.
- Zone limits are practical references, not physiological thresholds measured in a lab.
- Beta blockers and some conditions make these references unsuitable.
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How does this tool work?
Heart rate zones help you set the intensity of a workout, from recovery to all-out effort. This calculator estimates your maximum heart rate with three formulas, accepts a measured value and refines the zones with the Karvonen method if you know your resting heart rate.
Enter your age: maximum heart rate and the five zones appear straight away, with the Tanaka formula by default. You can pick 220 − age or Gulati, or enter a max heart rate measured during an exercise test.
Add your resting heart rate to switch to the Karvonen method: the percentages then apply to heart rate reserve (max HR − resting HR), which gives more personal zones, especially for trained people.
How to use this tool
Enter your age
Max heart rate is estimated with the chosen formula.
Add your heart rates if you know them
Resting heart rate switches to Karvonen; a measured max replaces the estimate.
Use your zones
Set them in your heart rate watch and check them with the talk test.
Good to know
Karvonen in one field
Add your resting heart rate for zones worked out from heart rate reserve.
Named zones
Recovery, endurance, tempo, threshold and VO2 max, with the talk test.
Heart rate zone formulas
Max heart rate comes from age or a measurement; the zones are percentages of it.
Tanaka
max HR = 208 − 0.7 × age
Gulati (women)
max HR = 206 − 0.88 × age
Percentage of max HR
target HR = intensity × max HR
Karvonen
target HR = resting HR + intensity × (max HR − resting HR)
- max HR
- Maximum heart rate, in beats per minute
- resting HR
- Resting heart rate
- intensity
- Share from 0.5 to 1 depending on the zone
These references do not replace an exercise test, recommended before taking up intense exercise.
Use cases
Build a training plan
Get the beat ranges of each zone for running, cycling or swimming.
Train zone 2 endurance
Find zone 2, the easy talking pace at the core of endurance plans.
Compare max heart rate formulas
See the gap between Tanaka, 220 − age and Gulati at your age.
Tips and best practices
- Measure your resting heart rate on several mornings in a row and keep the average.
- If your watch regularly shows a higher rate than the estimated max during hard efforts, use that measured value.
- To build endurance, spend most of your time in zone 2 and keep zones 4 and 5 for short sessions.
Frequently asked questions
How do I calculate my maximum heart rate?
The most reliable formula in adults is Tanaka: 208 − 0.7 × age, or 180 bpm at 40. The 220 − age formula is better known but often overestimates max heart rate in young people and underestimates it after 40. Only an exercise test gives an exact value.
What are the 5 heart rate zones?
Zone 1 (50–60% of max HR): recovery. Zone 2 (60–70%): endurance. Zone 3 (70–80%): tempo. Zone 4 (80–90%): threshold. Zone 5 (90–100%): VO2 max, short all-out efforts.
What is the Karvonen formula?
It works out zones from heart rate reserve, the gap between max and resting heart rate: target HR = resting HR + intensity × (max HR − resting HR). It reflects your fitness, since a trained person has a lower resting heart rate.
Which formula should women use?
The Gulati formula (206 − 0.88 × age) was built from more than 5,000 women and gives slightly lower values than 220 − age. Tanaka remains a good option for both sexes.
What is zone 2 and why is it recommended?
It is a moderate intensity at which you can hold a conversation. It builds endurance and the use of fat as fuel; most training plans spend 70 to 80% of the time there.
How do I measure my resting heart rate?
In the morning on waking, before getting up, count your beats for one minute at the wrist or with a watch. Repeat over several days: a resting heart rate between 50 and 80 bpm is common in adults.
Do these zones work if I take beta blockers?
No. Beta blockers lower heart rate and distort these references. Ask your doctor for suitable zones, often set during an exercise test.
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