CALCULATOR
Try your own age and resting heart rate
Calculated in this browser tab only: nothing is sent, saved or added to the URL. Resting heart rate is best checked in the morning before getting up (AHA).
Zone 2 heart-rate chart by age
| Age | 60–70% 220 − age | 60–70% Tanaka | 60–70% women, Gulati | Karvonen rest 60 | MAF ceiling |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25-year-old | 117–137 | 114–133 | 110–129 | 138–151 | ≤ 155 |
| 30-year-old | 114–133 | 112–131 | 108–126 | 136–149 | ≤ 150 |
| 35-year-old | 111–130 | 110–128 | 105–123 | 134–146 | ≤ 145 |
| 40-year-old | 108–126 | 108–126 | 102–120 | 132–144 | ≤ 140 |
| 45-year-old | 105–123 | 106–124 | 100–116 | 130–142 | ≤ 135 |
| 50-year-old | 102–119 | 104–121 | 97–113 | 128–139 | ≤ 130 |
Open an age for the full breakdown: other resting heart rates, why the methods differ there, how to check and common questions.
The three methods
1. Percent of maximum heart rate
Polar’s and Garmin’s default five-zone models set zone 2 at 60–70% of maximum heart rate. The maximum itself is estimated: the classic 220 − age; Tanaka 2001’s 208 − 0.7 × age from 351 studies and 18,712 people; or Gulati 2010’s 206 − 0.88 × age from 5,437 women.
2. Heart-rate reserve (Karvonen)
Reserve = maximum − resting heart rate; Zone 2 = resting + reserve × 60–70%. Adding resting heart rate back gives clearly higher numbers. It is a different convention, not more accurate simply because it uses resting heart rate.
3. The MAF 180 formula
Phil Maffetone’s method: 180 − age, then −10, −5, 0 or +5 by health and training history. The result is a ceiling for aerobic training; the author says it is not tied to VO₂max or lactate threshold.
Beyond formulas: how to check
Expert commentary places Zone 2 just below the first lactate or ventilatory threshold; endurance-training literature often uses about 2 mmol/L blood lactate as a low-intensity reference. Day to day, CDC’s talk test helps: you can talk, but not sing. WHO advises adults to do 150–300 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity a week; a 60–70% of max zone 2 is moderate by AHA’s description.
Read next: does the talk test mean you are in Zone 2? · Why Zone 2 definitions differ
Sources & what we read
All links checked on 2026-10-12. Sources do not endorse this site.
Research Tanaka H, Monahan KD, Seals DR. Age-predicted maximal heart rate revisited. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2001;37(1):153–156.
PubMed abstract read: meta-analysis of 351 studies (18,712 subjects) plus a laboratory study of 514 healthy adults; HRmax = 208 − 0.7 × age; regression not different between men and women or by habitual activity; 220 − age underestimates HRmax in older adults.
Checked 2026-10-12 · 2001
Open original sourceResearch Gulati M, et al. Heart rate response to exercise stress testing in asymptomatic women: the St. James Women Take Heart Project. Circulation. 2010;122(2):130–137.
PubMed abstract read: 5,437 asymptomatic women, mean age 52 ± 11 years; mean peak HR = 206 − 0.88 × age; the traditional male-based calculation overestimates maximum HR for age in women.
Checked 2026-10-12 · 2010
Open original sourceResearch Karvonen MJ, Kentala E, Mustala O. The effects of training on heart rate; a longitudinal study. Ann Med Exp Biol Fenn. 1957;35(3):307–315.
Citation record only (no abstract online). Cited as the origin of the heart-rate-reserve approach; the formula used here (reserve = max − resting) is taken from the Garmin manual below.
Checked 2026-10-12 · 1957
Open original sourceDevice documentation Garmin Instinct 2 Owner’s Manual: Setting Your Heart Rate Zones
Official manual page read: zones can be based on BPM, %Max HR, %HRR (“maximum heart rate minus resting heart rate”) or %LTHR; resting HR can be entered manually.
Checked 2026-10-12
Open original sourceDevice documentation Garmin vívosmart HR: Heart Rate Zone Calculations
Official manual table read: zone 2 = 60–70% of maximum heart rate, “comfortable pace, slightly deeper breathing, conversation possible”.
Checked 2026-10-12
Open original sourceDevice documentation Polar: Heart rate zones — the basics
Official guide read: five zones as percentages of HRmax; zone 2 “Light” = 60–70%.
Checked 2026-10-12
Open original sourceDevice documentation Polar A300 User Manual: Heart Rate Zones
Official manual table read: worked example for a 30-year-old with HRmax 190 bpm (220 − 30); “LIGHT 60–70%, 114–133 bpm”.
Checked 2026-10-12
Open original sourceCreator method Maffetone P. The MAF 180 Formula: Heart-rate monitoring for real aerobic training (updated July 2020).
Author’s page read in full: 180 − age, then −10 / −5 / 0 / +5 by health and training category; the result is a maximum aerobic heart rate (a ceiling); the author states 180 − age is not associated with VO₂max or lactate threshold. Creator method, not a validated study.
Checked 2026-10-12 · 2015
Open original sourceExpert commentary Sitko S, et al. What Is “Zone 2 Training”?: Experts’ Viewpoint on Definition, Training Methods, and Expected Adaptations. Int J Sports Physiol Perform. 2025.
Abstract read: 14 sport scientists and coaches; preferred zone 2 intensity is immediately below the first lactate or ventilatory threshold. Expert commentary, not a trial.
Checked 2026-10-12 · 2025
Open original sourceReview Seiler S. What is best practice for training intensity and duration distribution in endurance athletes? Int J Sports Physiol Perform. 2010;5(3):276–291.
Abstract read: in nationally or internationally competitive endurance athletes, about 80% of sessions are low intensity, referenced to about 2 mM (mmol/L) blood lactate. Elite-athlete context, not a general-population threshold.
Checked 2026-10-12 · 2010
Open original sourceOfficial guidance WHO guidelines on physical activity and sedentary behaviour (2020)
Publication page; numbers taken from the summary paper below.
Checked 2026-10-12 · 2020
Open original sourceOfficial guidance Bull FC, et al. World Health Organization 2020 guidelines on physical activity and sedentary behaviour. Br J Sports Med. 2020;54(24):1451–1462.
Abstract read: all adults should do 150–300 min of moderate-intensity or 75–150 min of vigorous-intensity aerobic activity per week, or an equivalent combination, plus regular muscle strengthening.
Checked 2026-10-12 · 2020
Open original sourceOfficial guidance Garber CE, et al. ACSM Position Stand: Quantity and quality of exercise for developing and maintaining cardiorespiratory, musculoskeletal, and neuromotor fitness in apparently healthy adults. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2011;43(7):1334–1359.
Abstract read: most adults ≥150 min/week moderate-intensity cardiorespiratory exercise (≥30 min on ≥5 days) or ≥75 min vigorous; programs should be modified by habitual activity, health status, exercise responses and goals. Full-text intensity tables not read.
Checked 2026-10-12 · 2011
Open original sourceOfficial guidance American Heart Association: Target Heart Rates Chart
Page read (last reviewed Aug 12, 2024): max HR about 220 − age; moderate ≈ 50–70% and vigorous ≈ 70–85% of max; figures are averages; some medications lower maximum and target heart rate — ask a health professional if you have a heart condition or take medication.
Checked 2026-10-12
Open original sourceOfficial guidance CDC: How to Measure Physical Activity Intensity
Talk Test section: during moderate activity a person can talk but not sing; during vigorous activity they cannot say more than a few words without pausing for breath. A rule of thumb, not a threshold test.
Checked 2026-10-12
Open original sourceDevice documentation Apple Support: View Heart Rate Zones on Apple Watch
Official page read: zones are a percentage of maximum heart rate, automatically calculated from health data, presented as five estimated effort levels; zones 2–4 can be edited manually.
Checked 2026-10-12
Open original source