Enter your age, resting heart-rate and your gender in the form below. If you know your maximum heart-rate enter that as well, otherwise leave the field blank and it will be estimated as follows:
- Males: 214-(0.8*age)
- Females: 209-(0.7*age)
which is slightly more realistic than the standard "220 or 226 minus your age" method.
Now press Calculate.
The training zone values are calculated using the standard Karvonen formula:
Training Heart Rate= ((Maximum HR - Resting HR) * % effort) + Resting HR
which allows for training adaptation. The % values shown approximate to the standard training zones: 65% is in the main aerobic conditioning zone, 75% is in the steady-state zone which is the fastest comfortable pace that you can maintain -- ideal Ironman race pace in other words. The 84% and 88% values usually fall either side of the Anaerobic Threshold and can be checked against your Ventilatory Threshold -- that's the point when your breathing rate changes quite significantly. The VO2 Max value is for sprint training.
NOTE: If you want to enter a different set of values you must press Reset first!
An individual's maximum heart rate generally declines with age from about 220 beats per minute in childhood to about 160 beats per minute at age 60. This fall in heart rate is fairly linear, decreasing by approximately 1 beat per minute per year. There is no strong evidence to suggest that training influences the decline in maximal heart rate. It should be remembered that individuals of the same age may have quite different maximal heart rates. The only really accurate way to calculate this value is by undergoing a stress-test under controlled conditions.
On the other hand, resting heart rate is greatly influenced by endurance training. The typical adult has a resting heart rate of about 72 bpm whereas highly trained athletes may have readings of 40 bpm or lower.