What it does
Training plans talk in zones: “an easy zone 2 ride”, “intervals in zone 4”. This page turns your age, or a maximum heart rate you have measured, into heart rate zones in beats per minute. It also turns a cyclist’s functional threshold power (FTP) into power zones in watts. You get a table, a bar picture of the zones and a CSV file to load into a spreadsheet or a training app.
It is a teaching tool. Age equations only estimate maximum heart rate: real maxima of people the same age spread by about ±10 beats/min or more. A maximum measured in a supervised test beats any equation.
How to use it
- Type your age. Choose the equation for maximum heart rate, or pick “My measured maximum” and type it.
- Type your resting heart rate if you want the Karvonen method.
- Choose the method: ”% of max HR” or ”% of reserve (Karvonen)”.
- Change the zone boundaries if your coach uses another scheme. Six numbers make five zones; any rising list works.
- For cycling, type your FTP and, if you like, other upper edges for the power zones.
- Download the zones as CSV, or the whole page as an image, PDF or Word file.
The equations
- 220 − age (Fox, Naughton and Haskell, 1971): the oldest and best-known rule. It was never fitted to a large data set and it underestimates maximum heart rate in older adults.
- Tanaka: 208 − 0.7 × age (Tanaka, Monahan and Seals, Journal of the American College of Cardiology, 2001), from a meta-analysis of hundreds of studies plus a laboratory study.
- Gellish: 207 − 0.7 × age (Gellish and colleagues, Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, 2007), from repeated treadmill tests of the same people over many years.
- Nes: 211 − 0.64 × age (Nes and colleagues, Scandinavian Journal of Medicine and Science in Sports, 2013), from a large Norwegian population study.
- Karvonen (Karvonen, Kentala and Mustala, 1957): target = resting HR + intensity × (max HR − resting HR). The difference between maximum and resting heart rate is the heart rate reserve.
All four equations are shown side by side so you can see how much they differ at your age.
Worked example
The page opens with age 40, the Tanaka equation and a resting heart rate of 60. Maximum heart rate is 208 − 0.7 × 40 = 180 beats/min (220 − 40 also gives 180: the two rules cross at age 40). With the default boundaries 50, 60, 70, 80, 90 and 100 % of max, the zones are 90–108, 108–126, 126–144, 144–162 and 162–180 beats/min. Switch to Karvonen and the reserve is 120 beats/min, so 70 % becomes 60 + 0.7 × 120 = 144 and the zones are 120–132, 132–144, 144–156, 156–168 and 168–180.
With an FTP of 250 W and upper edges 55, 75, 90, 105, 120 and 150 %, the power zones are 0–138, 138–188, 188–225, 225–263, 263–300, 300–375 and 375+ W (no upper limit).
Tips
- Heart rate lags behind effort by a minute or more, and drifts up in heat and on long sessions. For short intervals, power or pace is a better guide.
- Wrist sensors can be off during hard efforts; a chest strap is steadier.
- Medicines such as beta blockers lower heart rate, so age-based zones do not apply. Ask a qualified professional.
Frequently asked questions
Which equation is best? None is right for everyone. Tanaka and Gellish fit large data sets better than 220 − age, especially over 40. A measured maximum is better still.
Are the zone percentages a standard? No. Coaches and organisations use different schemes, so the boundaries are editable. The power bands shown are common coaching conventions, rounded.
Is my data sent anywhere? No. Everything is worked out in your browser and nothing is stored.
Where the numbers come from
- Fox SM, Naughton JP, Haskell WL (1971). Physical activity and the prevention of coronary heart disease. Ann Clin Res 3: 404–432 (the 220 − age rule).
- Tanaka H, Monahan KD, Seals DR (2001). Age-predicted maximal heart rate revisited. J Am Coll Cardiol 37: 153–156.
- Gellish RL et al. (2007). Longitudinal modeling of the relationship between age and maximal heart rate. Med Sci Sports Exerc 39: 822–829.
- Nes BM et al. (2013). Age-predicted maximal heart rate in healthy subjects: the HUNT fitness study. Scand J Med Sci Sports 23: 697–704.
- Karvonen MJ, Kentala E, Mustala O (1957). The effects of training on heart rate. Ann Med Exp Biol Fenn 35: 307–315.
- Zone boundaries (heart rate and power): common coaching conventions, rounded, editable; not copied from any table.
Standard scientific values, such as constants, atomic weights and melting points, are facts found in every textbook; we name where ours were checked. If you are an author or publisher and want a value, a credit or a table changed or removed, tell us and we will act quickly.
Last updated 2026-11-09.