Have you heard about heart rate zones and how they are important during exercise, but don’t know where to start? In this blog, we will discuss how to calculate your own heart rate zones, why you may want to spend time in each of them, and the recommendations for improving your cardiovascular health based off of these heart rate zones.

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How to Calculate Heart Rate Zones

To calculate your heart rate zones, you first need to determine your maximum heart rate. There are two ways to do this. The first way is to subtract your age from 220. The second way is to do a stress test or VO2 max test which will give you your maximum heart rate. However, the latter  is more difficult for most people to do, so the first method will generally be accurate enough for our purposes here.

Now that you have your estimated maximum heart rate we can use a formula to determine what your heart rate should be for each specific zone. This formula is ([maximum heart rate - resting heart rate] x %intensiy) + resting heart rate = training zone. While this looks complicated it can be broken down into much simpler steps.

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First you need to determine your resting heart rate. Any smartwatch should have a resting heart rate measure already for you. If you don’t have this as an option, you can take your pulse first thing in the morning when waking up as that is a good approximation of your resting heart rate.

Next subtract your resting heart rate from your estimated maximum heart rate and multiply it by the intensity matching your desired zone.

1. Zone 1 = 50% or 0.5
2. Zone 2 = 60% or 0.6
3. Zone 3 = 70% or 0.7
4. Zone 4 = 80% or 0.8
5. Zone 5 = 90% or 0.9

Finally, add back in your resting heart rate. This should give you the heart rate that is the start of each zone.

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Let’s run through an example to make this more clear. Imagine a 45 year old with a resting heart rate of 75 beats per minute.

We first determine the estimated maximum heart rate;

220 - 45 = 175

Now subtract your resting heart rate from this number;

175 - 75 = 100

Now let's assume we want to work in Zone 2;

100 x 0.6 = 60

Finally, we add back in our resting heart rate;

60 + 75 = 135

Now we know for this person that to work at “Zone 2,” their heart rate should be right around 135 beats per minute.

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Heart Rate Zones

Now that we know how to calculate heart rate zones you may want to know why you should be spending time in each of them.

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1. Zone 1 - This should be a relatively easy pace that you can use for long runs or recovery runs. You should be able to talk relatively easily to someone with you.
2. Zone 2 - You should be able to maintain this pace for extended periods of time and will help build up your aerobic endurance base. You should be able to hold a conversation here, but it will be a little more challenging and you may sound more out of breath.
3. Zone 3 - This is starting to get into more of a “tempo” pace. You will be moving at a faster speed that will improve your aerobic endurance and you will likely not be able to sustain this pace for more than an hour.
4. Zone 4 - Now you are getting to the edge of your anaerobic threshold. Training here should help to push that threshold a little further. This will help you run at a faster pace with less fatigue. You should only be able to get out about 1-3 words at a time here.
5. Zone 5 - This will be nearly your fastest speed possible. It is most helpful for improving your ability to sprint and should be used sparingly. You are unlikely to be able to speak while running at this pace.

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Health Recommendations

If you are running for health benefits rather than performance, you should keep some benchmarks in mind. The American Heart Association recommends 150 minutes of moderate intensity exercise or 75 minutes of vigorous exercise per week. If you are working at a moderate intensity, then you should be somewhere within zones 1-3. If you are working at a vigorous intensity, then your heart rate should fall somewhere within the zone 3-4 range. You can also do a combination of moderate and vigorous exercise to get to the recommended amount. You can consider the vigorous exercise minutes as worth double the moderate exercise in getting to the goal of 150 minutes over the course of the week.  

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Conclusion

While heart rate zones can initially be a confusing topic, with a little math they can become much more understandable. By following the formula above, you can get an idea of your heart rate zones to make your cardio exercise more productive. However, it is important to not get too bogged down in the details. If it all feels too complicated, then it is important to remember that any exercise that helps to increase your heart rate will be beneficial for your health. This can include things like walking, hiking, kayaking, swimming, and so many other activities. If health is your goal, rather than any specific performance benefit, then tracking heart rate zones may not be the most important thing to consider. Instead, perform an activity that you find enjoyable and stick to that one consistently. If you are focused on performance and would like further guidance in putting together a cardio program to achieve your goals, the physical therapists at MAVEN are happy to assist you.

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