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Heart Rate Zones Calculator
Calculate your personalized heart rate training zones using the Karvonen method. Optimize your workouts for fat burning, endurance, or peak performance.
Understanding Heart Rate Zones
Training in specific heart rate zones allows you to target different physiological adaptations. Whether you're building endurance, burning fat, or improving speed, zone-based training ensures you're working at the right intensity.
The 5 Heart Rate Zones
- Zone 1 (50-60%): Recovery and warm-up. Very light effort, conversational pace.
- Zone 2 (60-70%): Endurance and fat burning. Can maintain for hours, builds aerobic base.
- Zone 3 (70-80%): Tempo training. Moderate effort, improves aerobic capacity.
- Zone 4 (80-90%): Lactate threshold. Hard effort, improves speed endurance.
- Zone 5 (90-100%): Maximum effort. Sprints and intervals, improves VO2 max.
How to Use Your Zones
Most athletes should spend 80% of training time in Zones 1-2 (easy effort) and 20% in Zones 4-5 (hard effort). This "80/20" approach prevents overtraining while still providing necessary intensity.
⚠️ Heart Rate Monitor Accuracy
Wrist-based optical heart rate monitors can be inaccurate during high-intensity intervals. For precise zone training, use a chest strap monitor, which measures electrical signals directly from your heart.
💡 Expert Tip from Sarah Jenkins, RD
Don't be a slave to your heart rate zones. Factors like stress, sleep, caffeine, and temperature affect heart rate. Use zones as guidelines, but also listen to your body's perceived exertion.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are heart rate training zones?
Heart rate zones are specific ranges of heartbeats per minute that correspond to different training intensities. Training in different zones targets different fitness goals, from fat burning (Zone 2) to maximum performance (Zone 5).
Which zone is best for fat burning?
Zone 2 (60-70% of heart rate reserve) is optimal for fat burning. At this intensity, your body primarily uses fat as fuel. However, higher zones burn more total calories, which also contributes to fat loss.
How do I measure my heart rate zones?
Use a heart rate monitor (chest strap or wrist-based) during exercise. The Karvonen formula calculates zones using your age and resting heart rate: Target HR = ((Max HR - Resting HR) × % Intensity) + Resting HR.