Guide / Running
Zone 2 heart rate and heart rate zones by age
All five training zones in beats per minute for every age from 20 to 70 in five-year steps. Karvonen zones for three resting heart rates follow, then the two maximum heart rate formulas side by side.
Heart rate zones by age
Zones divide effort into five bands, each a slice of your maximum heart rate. The chart below estimates that maximum from age with Tanaka's formula, 208 − 0.7 × age. It then takes each zone as a straight percentage of the result.
Find your age and read across. For an age between two rows, enter it in the calculator for exact numbers.
Zones by age (% of max, bpm)
| Age | Max HR | Zone 1 50–60% | Zone 2 60–70% | Zone 3 70–80% | Zone 4 80–90% | Zone 5 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 |
Same code as the heart rate zone calculator with no resting heart rate entered. Max HR = 208 − 0.7 × age, rounded to a whole beat first; each boundary = max × percentage, to the closest whole beat.
What is zone 2 heart rate?
Zone 2 is 60% to 70% of your maximum heart rate. On this site it is simply the second of five equal slices, with no test or threshold behind it. With the maximum estimated from age by Tanaka's formula, here it is for every age in the chart:
- Age 20: zone 2 is 116–136 bpm (max 194).
- Age 25: zone 2 is 115–134 bpm (max 191).
- Age 30: zone 2 is 112–131 bpm (max 187).
- Age 35: zone 2 is 110–129 bpm (max 184).
- Age 40: zone 2 is 108–126 bpm (max 180).
- Age 45: zone 2 is 106–124 bpm (max 177).
- Age 50: zone 2 is 104–121 bpm (max 173).
- Age 55: zone 2 is 102–119 bpm (max 170).
- Age 60: zone 2 is 100–116 bpm (max 166).
- Age 65: zone 2 is 98–114 bpm (max 163).
- Age 70: zone 2 is 95–111 bpm (max 159).
How the site works it out. Without a resting heart rate, zone 2 is maximum × 0.6 to maximum × 0.7, which is what the list above shows. With a resting heart rate, the calculator switches to Karvonen. It subtracts resting from maximum, takes 60% and 70% of what is left, and puts the resting rate back on top.
Why the calculator bands it. On the calculator's results table, zone 2 has a shaded band. The other calculators use the same shading for their main working range. It marks the zone the common convention gives the most training time, nothing more. It is not a claim that zone 2 matters more than the others.
The bigger issue is which method you use. For a 40-year-old resting at 60, the two methods put the bottom of zone 2 more than twenty beats apart. The Karvonen table further down shows how much the resting rate moves things.
What each zone is used for
The five bands are a widely used convention for labeling effort. Coaches and watch makers don't all draw the lines in the same place. The descriptions below are the usual meaning of each band, not a test result for your body.
- Zone 1 (50–60%): very light. Warm-ups, cool-downs and recovery days.
- Zone 2 (60–70%): easy and steady. You can talk in full sentences. Long, easy sessions usually sit here.
- Zone 3 (70–80%): moderate. Talking gets harder, and the effort takes some attention to hold.
- Zone 4 (80–90%): hard. Sustained efforts such as tempo runs, held for minutes rather than hours.
- Zone 5 (90–100%): very hard. Short repeats with rest between them.
A typical training week mixes several zones, with more time in the easy ones than the hard ones. How much of each is a coaching choice that depends on your goal.
Karvonen zones by resting heart rate (bpm)
Resting 60| Age | Resting | Max | Zone 1 | Zone 2 | Zone 3 | Zone 4 | Zone 5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 30 | 50 | 187 | 119–132 | 132–146 | 146–160 | 160–173 | 173–187 |
| 30 | 60 | 187 | 124–136 | 136–149 | 149–162 | 162–174 | 174–187 |
| 30 | 70 | 187 | 129–140 | 140–152 | 152–164 | 164–175 | 175–187 |
| 40 | 50 | 180 | 115–128 | 128–141 | 141–154 | 154–167 | 167–180 |
| 40 | 60 | 180 | 120–132 | 132–144 | 144–156 | 156–168 | 168–180 |
| 40 | 70 | 180 | 125–136 | 136–147 | 147–158 | 158–169 | 169–180 |
| 50 | 50 | 173 | 112–124 | 124–136 | 136–148 | 148–161 | 161–173 |
| 50 | 60 | 173 | 117–128 | 128–139 | 139–150 | 150–162 | 162–173 |
| 50 | 70 | 173 | 122–132 | 132–142 | 142–152 | 152–163 | 163–173 |
Max from Tanaka, rounded to a whole beat. Each boundary = (max − resting) × percentage + resting, rounded to the nearest beat. Same percentages as the chart above: 50, 60, 70, 80, 90 and 100.
Reading the Karvonen table
Karvonen zones sit higher than plain percentage zones, most of all at the easy end. The resting rate is added back to every boundary, so it acts as a floor. At age 40, zone 1 starts at 90 bpm by percentage of max but at 120 bpm by Karvonen with a resting rate of 60.
The top of zone 5 is the same in every row for an age. At 100% of the reserve, Karvonen lands exactly on the maximum, whatever the resting rate.
Resting heart rate is best taken lying down, just after waking, on a normal morning. A reading taken after coffee or a bad night's sleep will skew every zone.
Tanaka vs Fox
The calculator offers two formulas for estimated maximum heart rate. Tanaka is 208 − 0.7 × age and is the default. Fox is 220 − age. They agree at exactly 40 and drift apart in both directions.
Estimated maximum heart rate by formula
| Age | Tanaka | Fox | Fox minus Tanaka |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20 | 194 | 200 | +6 |
| 30 | 187 | 190 | +3 |
| 40 | 180 | 180 | 0 |
| 50 | 173 | 170 | −3 |
| 60 | 166 | 160 | −6 |
| 70 | 159 | 150 | −9 |
Both rounded to a whole beat, as the calculator rounds them. Fox loses a full beat per year of age; Tanaka loses 0.7.
Under 40, Fox gives the higher maximum. Over 40, Tanaka does. The gap grows by 3 beats every ten years, so at 70 the two are 9 beats apart. That shifts every zone boundary by up to the same amount.
Both formulas describe group averages. Your own maximum can sit well above or below either one. If you have a reliable measured maximum, enter it in the calculator and both formulas drop out.
Using the zones safely
Heart rate is only one signal. Heat, dehydration, caffeine, stress and illness can all raise it at the same effort. If the number says easy but your body says otherwise, ease off.
Everything above is general information on two estimation formulas and one common way to split effort into zones. It is not medical advice. Beta blockers and some other medicines lower your heart rate at rest and at full effort, so these charts won't fit anyone taking them. Before training by heart rate, see a doctor if you have a heart condition or take medicine that affects it. The same goes if exercise brings on chest pain, dizziness or unusual breathlessness.
Common questions
What is zone 2 heart rate for a 40-year-old?
With Tanaka's estimate the maximum is 180 bpm. As a straight percentage of that, zone 2 is 108 to 126 bpm. Add a resting rate of 60 and switch to Karvonen, and it moves up to 132 to 144 bpm. The calculator picks between them based on whether the resting box is filled in.
How much do the zones drop with age?
Tanaka's formula takes 0.7 beats off the maximum for every year of age, so 3.5 beats every five years. After rounding, each row of the age chart sits 3 or 4 beats below the one before at the top. Lower boundaries move by less, because they are smaller percentages of the same drop.
Why does a higher resting heart rate raise my Karvonen zones?
Because Karvonen adds the resting rate back on after taking a percentage of the reserve. A higher resting rate shrinks the reserve but lifts the floor, and the floor wins at the easy end. For a 40-year-old, zone 2 runs 128 to 141 at a resting 50, and 136 to 147 at a resting 70.
Why does each zone start on the number the last one ended on?
Because the zones are back-to-back percentage bands. Zone 1 ends at 60% and zone 2 starts at 60%, so the same beat count is the boundary of both. A heart rate that sits exactly on it can be called either. In practice, a beat or two either side makes no difference to the session.