Check which heart rate zone you are in.
Identifying which zone a heart rate falls into needs three numbers, not one: the reading itself, the resting rate and an estimated maximum. The zone is then placed on percentage of heart rate reserve — (current minus resting) divided by (maximum minus resting) — rather than on percentage of maximum, because reserve accounts for fitness. Two runners the same age with resting rates of 45 and 70 are in different zones at the same 138 bpm, and only the reserve method shows that.
Heart Rate Zone Checker
% reserve = (current HR - resting HR) / (max HR - resting HR) x 100
Zone boundaries
Zone 1 below 60%, Zone 2 to 70%, Zone 3 to 80%, Zone 4 to 90%, Zone 5 above 90% of reserve
These figures are population-average estimates for training and recreational planning only and are not medical advice. Individual responses vary widely. Consult a qualified health professional before starting or significantly changing an exercise programme, particularly if you have any medical condition. Official dimensions, rules and timings should be confirmed against the governing body for your sport.
It converts your current reading into a percentage of heart rate reserve using your resting rate and an age-estimated maximum, then reports which of the five training zones that percentage falls in.
Training effect depends on zone. Zone 2 builds the aerobic base, Zone 4 raises threshold, and time spent unintentionally between them is the most common reason easy sessions become too hard to recover from.
It is a population average with a standard deviation of about 10-12 bpm, so an individual maximum can easily be 20 bpm either side. A measured maximum from a supervised test or a hard race gives far better zones.