How accurate is 220 minus age, really?

It's a population-average estimate with a fairly wide error margin -- often cited as ±10-12 bpm for any given individual -- since actual maximum heart rate varies with genetics, fitness level, and other factors beyond age alone. It's a reasonable starting point for structuring training zones, but a supervised max-effort test or a cardiologist-administered stress test gives a far more personal number.

"Fat burn" zone sounds like it should be the best zone for weight loss — is that right?

Not necessarily -- Zone 2 does burn a higher percentage of calories from fat, but higher-intensity zones burn more total calories per minute (including more absolute fat calories, just a smaller share of the total). For total calorie expenditure and overall fitness, sustained effort in a range you can maintain, at whatever zone that is, tends to matter more than chasing the "fat burn" label specifically.

Why do the zones overlap at their boundaries (e.g. 60% appears in Zone 1 and Zone 2)?

They don't truly overlap -- each zone here is defined as a closed band (e.g. Zone 1 is 50-60%, Zone 2 starts at 60%), so a heart rate at exactly the 60% mark sits at the boundary between the two; this is standard for how zone charts are conventionally published and reflects that zones are a continuum, not hard cutoffs your body respects to the beat.

Should I use this if I take heart-rate-affecting medication?

Be cautious -- beta blockers and some other medications can significantly lower your actual maximum heart rate below what the 220-minus-age formula predicts, which would make these zones inaccurate for you. Anyone on such medication, or with a known heart condition, should get zone guidance from a doctor rather than relying on this age-based estimate.

Heart Rate Training Zone Calculator

Uses the standard 220 minus age formula for maximum heart rate — a general estimate, not a substitute for a fitness or medical assessment.

How Heart Rate Training Zone Calculator Works

Heart rate training zones translate a single number -- your estimated maximum heart rate -- into a set of percentage-based ranges that correspond to different training effects, from easy warm-up pace to all-out effort. Rather than guessing at "how hard is hard enough," these zones give a concrete heart-rate range to aim for depending on your workout goal.

Formula & Method

Maximum heart rate is estimated with the classic 220 − age formula. Each of the five zones is then that maximum multiplied by a percentage band: Zone 1 Warm Up (50–60%), Zone 2 Fat Burn (60–70%), Zone 3 Aerobic/Cardio (70–80%), Zone 4 Anaerobic (80–90%), and Zone 5 Maximum Effort (90–100%), each rounded to the nearest whole beat per minute.

Worked Example

At age 30, estimated max heart rate is 190 bpm. That puts Zone 2 (Fat Burn) at 114–133 bpm and Zone 4 (Anaerobic) at 152–171 bpm -- the ranges most cardio machines and fitness trackers reference when they label a workout intensity.

Frequently Asked Questions

How accurate is 220 minus age, really?: It's a population-average estimate with a fairly wide error margin -- often cited as ±10-12 bpm for any given individual -- since actual maximum heart rate varies with genetics, fitness level, and other factors beyond age alone. It's a reasonable starting point for structuring training zones, but a supervised max-effort test or a cardiologist-administered stress test gives a far more personal number.
"Fat burn" zone sounds like it should be the best zone for weight loss — is that right?: Not necessarily -- Zone 2 does burn a higher percentage of calories from fat, but higher-intensity zones burn more total calories per minute (including more absolute fat calories, just a smaller share of the total). For total calorie expenditure and overall fitness, sustained effort in a range you can maintain, at whatever zone that is, tends to matter more than chasing the "fat burn" label specifically.
Why do the zones overlap at their boundaries (e.g. 60% appears in Zone 1 and Zone 2)?: They don't truly overlap -- each zone here is defined as a closed band (e.g. Zone 1 is 50-60%, Zone 2 starts at 60%), so a heart rate at exactly the 60% mark sits at the boundary between the two; this is standard for how zone charts are conventionally published and reflects that zones are a continuum, not hard cutoffs your body respects to the beat.
Should I use this if I take heart-rate-affecting medication?: Be cautious -- beta blockers and some other medications can significantly lower your actual maximum heart rate below what the 220-minus-age formula predicts, which would make these zones inaccurate for you. Anyone on such medication, or with a known heart condition, should get zone guidance from a doctor rather than relying on this age-based estimate.

Age (Years)

— Estimated Maximum Heart Rate