Heart Rate Zone Calculator
220 minus age was never built for women — Gulati's formula was. Enter age and sex; you get max heart rate three ways, then the five training zones computed from the formula that matches you. Zone 2, the one every training plan is really about, is highlighted.
Max heart rate, three ways
Your five zones
Talk test beats any formula: zone 2 is conversational, zone 3 is could-but-would-rather-not, zone 4 is sentences only, zone 5 is words. If the math and the talk test disagree, trust the talk test.
Common questions
Is 220 minus age accurate for women?
Not really — it came from un sexed 1970s data and tends to overestimate max heart rate in women. Gulati's 2010 cohort study of 5,437 women landed on 206 − (0.88 × age). This calculator shows all three formulas side by side; the zone table follows the women's formula when you pick female.
What is zone 2 and why does everyone talk about it?
Zone 2 is roughly 60–70% of max heart rate: you can hold a conversation but not sing. It's the intensity that builds aerobic base without wrecking recovery — the number most training plans actually want you in for easy volume.
Which formula should I use?
For women: Gulati. For men over 40: Tanaka (208 − 0.7 × age) beats 220 − age. If you have a real measured max from a test, that beats every formula.
Method & formulas
Max heart rate: Fox (1971) 220 − age; Tanaka (2001) 208 − 0.7 × age; Gulati (2010, women) 206 − 0.88 × age. Zones are % of max: Z1 50–60%, Z2 60–70%, Z3 70–80%, Z4 80–90%, Z5 90–100%. With a resting heart rate entered, the Karvonen method (heart-rate reserve) is shown beside each zone — training plans split on which to use; the difference is a few beats.
The other midlife number: 30-second sit-to-stand · Building the muscle zones run on: protein targets · creatine dosing