Heart rate zones: how to calculate and use them without overcomplicating
Max heart rate, threshold and training zones: how to estimate them, how reliable formulas are and how to use them in running and cycling.
Written by the editorial team at Velunite
Training by heart rate zones gives every session a purpose: there are days to build a base, days to push and days to recover. Without zones you risk always running at a medium effort, neither easy nor hard, and never really improving.
Max heart rate
The best-known formula, 220 minus age, is a rough estimate: real maximum heart rate varies widely between people. For a more reliable figure, measure it with a well-warmed-up progressive test, safely and after consulting a doctor if you have any health concerns, or use the highest value recorded in a recent all-out effort.
The five zones
A widely used model splits heart rate into five percentage zones: zone 1 very easy (about 50-60% of max), zone 2 aerobic base (60-70%), zone 3 moderate (70-80%), zone 4 threshold (80-90%) and zone 5 maximal (90-100%). Boundaries differ between methods and should be seen as guides, not walls.
How to use them
Most training, around 80%, should sit in zones 1-2. The rest is split among a few quality sessions at or slightly above threshold. Zone 2 in particular builds your aerobic base: read more in the guide to zone 2 training.
Limits of heart rate
Heart rate is affected by heat, caffeine, sleep, stress and climbing. The heart responds to effort with a lag, so for short repeats it is better to go by feel or pace. A wrist sensor can be wrong, especially in intermittent efforts: a chest strap is more accurate.
Useful tools
For more reliable data, a Bluetooth heart rate strap is the simplest accessory.
There is no need to obsess over numbers: zones are a tool to train better, not an obligation.
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