Training by heart rate
Your heart rate tells you how hard you are actually working, which is often different from how hard it feels. This calculator estimates your maximum heart rate from your age, then marks out two useful zones: a moderate zone for steady fat-burning cardio, and a vigorous zone for harder, fitness-building efforts. If you enter your resting heart rate, it uses the more personal Karvonen method for the zones.
Two examples
At age 30 with a resting rate of 60, your estimated max is about 190 bpm. The moderate zone runs from roughly 125 to 151 bpm, and the vigorous zone from about 151 to 171. Easy conversational running usually sits in the lower half of the moderate band.
At age 50 with the same resting rate, the max drops to about 170, and every zone shifts down with it. This is why the same running speed feels harder as you age: your ceiling is lower, so a given pace is a larger share of it.
How to use the zones
- Moderate zone: comfortable, sustainable, good for base fitness and longer sessions.
- Vigorous zone: harder efforts and intervals that push your fitness up, used in shorter bursts.
- These are estimates. The 220-minus-age formula is a population average, so your true max can differ by 10 to 15 bpm either way.
Frequently asked questions
How is maximum heart rate estimated?
With the common 220 minus age formula. It is a population average, so your real max may be 10 to 15 bpm higher or lower. A lab or field test gives an exact figure.
What does resting heart rate change?
If you enter it, the calculator uses the Karvonen method, which bases the zones on your heart rate reserve. That personalises the zones to your fitness rather than age alone.
Which zone burns more fat?
The moderate zone burns a higher share of fat, but harder work burns more total calories. Both have a place. Do not chase a single magic zone.
Is this suitable if I have a heart condition?
Treat it as general fitness information, not medical advice. If you have any heart condition or take medication that affects heart rate, speak to a doctor before setting training targets.