Find your personalized training zones for fat burn, cardio, and peak performance.
Heart rate training zones are ranges of heart rate intensity that correspond to different physiological responses. This calculator uses the Karvonen method, which accounts for both your maximum heart rate and resting heart rate, providing more personalized zones than the simple percentage-of-max method.
Zone 1 (50-60%): Very light activity. Recovery walks, warm-ups. Improves overall health and recovery. Zone 2 (60-70%): Light aerobic. Easy jogging, cycling. Builds aerobic base and burns the highest percentage of fat. Zone 3 (70-80%): Moderate aerobic. Tempo runs, moderate cycling. Improves cardiovascular fitness and endurance. Zone 4 (80-90%): Hard anaerobic. Intervals, hill repeats. Increases speed and lactate threshold. Zone 5 (90-100%): Maximum effort. Sprints, all-out intervals. Develops maximum power and speed. Not sustainable beyond 1-2 minutes.
Zone 2 burns the highest percentage of calories from fat (about 60% fat, 40% carbs). However, Zone 4 burns roughly twice as many total calories per minute. For overall fat loss, a mix of Zone 2 (longer sessions) and Zone 4 (shorter interval sessions) is most effective. The "fat burning zone" myth leads many people to exercise too gently; higher intensity training is generally more time-efficient for weight loss.