Heart Rate Zones by Age: The Complete Reference Table
Your heart rate training zones are not universal. They shift every year as your maximum heart rate changes with age. This is the complete reference table — all five zones, every age from 20 to 70, with gender adjustments and a separate Zone 2 column using the Maffetone method for those who train specifically for longevity and aerobic base.
Find your age in the table below. The numbers are calculated using the 220-minus-age formula for estimated maximum heart rate, with each zone expressed as a percentage range of that max. This is the most widely used method and a reliable starting point — the limitations are explained below the tables.
All 5 Heart Rate Zones by Age
How the Zones Are Defined
| Zone | Name | % of Max HR | What It Feels Like | |------|------|-------------|-------------------| | Zone 1 | Recovery | 50–60% | Very easy. Comfortable conversation. Warm-up and cool-down. | | Zone 2 | Aerobic base | 60–70% | Steady effort. Can talk in full sentences. Primarily fat-burning. | | Zone 3 | Aerobic threshold | 70–80% | Moderate effort. Sentences become short. | | Zone 4 | Lactate threshold | 80–90% | Hard. One or two words at a time. Uncomfortable but sustainable for 20–40 min. | | Zone 5 | Max effort | 90–100% | All-out. Unsustainable beyond 1–2 minutes. |
Zone Table — Ages 20 to 70
| Age | Est. Max HR | Zone 1 (50–60%) | Zone 2 (60–70%) | Zone 3 (70–80%) | Zone 4 (80–90%) | Zone 5 (90–100%) | |-----|-------------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|------------------| | 20 | 200 bpm | 100–120 | 120–140 | 140–160 | 160–180 | 180–200 | | 22 | 198 bpm | 99–119 | 119–139 | 139–158 | 158–178 | 178–198 | | 25 | 195 bpm | 98–117 | 117–137 | 137–156 | 156–176 | 176–195 | | 28 | 192 bpm | 96–115 | 115–134 | 134–154 | 154–173 | 173–192 | | 30 | 190 bpm | 95–114 | 114–133 | 133–152 | 152–171 | 171–190 | | 32 | 188 bpm | 94–113 | 113–132 | 132–150 | 150–169 | 169–188 | | 35 | 185 bpm | 93–111 | 111–130 | 130–148 | 148–167 | 167–185 | | 38 | 182 bpm | 91–109 | 109–127 | 127–146 | 146–164 | 164–182 | | 40 | 180 bpm | 90–108 | 108–126 | 126–144 | 144–162 | 162–180 | | 42 | 178 bpm | 89–107 | 107–125 | 125–142 | 142–160 | 160–178 | | 45 | 175 bpm | 88–105 | 105–123 | 123–140 | 140–158 | 158–175 | | 48 | 172 bpm | 86–103 | 103–120 | 120–138 | 138–155 | 155–172 | | 50 | 170 bpm | 85–102 | 102–119 | 119–136 | 136–153 | 153–170 | | 52 | 168 bpm | 84–101 | 101–118 | 118–134 | 134–151 | 151–168 | | 55 | 165 bpm | 83–99 | 99–116 | 116–132 | 132–149 | 149–165 | | 58 | 162 bpm | 81–97 | 97–113 | 113–130 | 130–146 | 146–162 | | 60 | 160 bpm | 80–96 | 96–112 | 112–128 | 128–144 | 144–160 | | 62 | 158 bpm | 79–95 | 95–111 | 111–126 | 126–142 | 142–158 | | 65 | 155 bpm | 78–93 | 93–109 | 109–124 | 124–140 | 140–155 | | 68 | 152 bpm | 76–91 | 91–106 | 106–122 | 122–137 | 137–152 | | 70 | 150 bpm | 75–90 | 90–105 | 105–120 | 120–135 | 135–150 |
Zone 2 by Age: Two Methods Side by Side
Zone 2 is the zone that gets the most attention in longevity and metabolic health research — and the standard formula undershoots it for most purposes. Here's how the standard 220-age percentage compares to the Maffetone method, which was designed specifically to estimate the aerobic threshold.
| Age | Zone 2 (220-age formula, 60–70%) | Zone 2 Ceiling (Maffetone 180-age) | |-----|-----------------------------------|--------------------------------------| | 20 | 120–140 bpm | 160 bpm | | 25 | 117–137 bpm | 155 bpm | | 30 | 114–133 bpm | 150 bpm | | 35 | 111–130 bpm | 145 bpm | | 40 | 108–126 bpm | 140 bpm | | 45 | 105–123 bpm | 135 bpm | | 50 | 102–119 bpm | 130 bpm | | 55 | 99–116 bpm | 125 bpm | | 60 | 96–112 bpm | 120 bpm | | 65 | 93–109 bpm | 115 bpm | | 70 | 90–105 bpm | 110 bpm |
How to read this: The Maffetone number is your Zone 2 ceiling — the maximum heart rate you should hit during true low-intensity aerobic training. Subtract 10 from it to get your practical Zone 2 floor (e.g., a 35-year-old trains between 135–145 bpm using the Maffetone method).
The Maffetone ceiling sits higher than the 220-age Zone 2 range in most age brackets. That's because 60–70% of max HR undershoots the aerobic threshold for most trained individuals. The Maffetone method was calibrated to the metabolic threshold itself, not to a percentage.
For a full explanation of why the 220-age formula misses and how to find your actual Zone 2, read The Exact Zone 2 Heart Rate Formula for Your Age.
Heart Rate Zones by Age and Gender
Maximum heart rate is slightly different between males and females at the same age. The 220-minus-age formula was derived from a predominantly male dataset. A more accurate formula for women, developed by Gulati et al. (2010), is:
Women: Max HR = 206 − (0.88 × age)
| Age | Est. Max HR (Men, 220-age) | Est. Max HR (Women, Gulati) | Difference | |-----|---------------------------|----------------------------|------------| | 25 | 195 bpm | 184 bpm | −11 bpm | | 30 | 190 bpm | 180 bpm | −10 bpm | | 35 | 185 bpm | 175 bpm | −10 bpm | | 40 | 180 bpm | 170 bpm | −10 bpm | | 45 | 175 bpm | 166 bpm | −9 bpm | | 50 | 170 bpm | 162 bpm | −8 bpm | | 55 | 165 bpm | 158 bpm | −7 bpm | | 60 | 160 bpm | 153 bpm | −7 bpm |
For women: Calculate your max HR using 206 − (0.88 × your age), then apply the same zone percentages from the table above. Zone 2 remains 60–70% of that number.
Practical takeaway: The gender gap in estimated max HR is real but moderate — roughly 7–11 bpm across most age ranges. For most recreational training purposes, both formulas land you in the right ballpark. For competitive training or precise zone work, a lab-based VO2 max test eliminates the formula uncertainty entirely.
The More Accurate Formula: Tanaka
If you want a slightly better estimate than 220-age for either gender, the Tanaka formula (2001) was derived from a meta-analysis of 351 studies and 18,712 subjects:
Max HR (Tanaka) = 208 − (0.7 × age)
| Age | 220-age | Tanaka | Difference | |-----|---------|--------|------------| | 25 | 195 | 191 | −4 bpm | | 30 | 190 | 187 | −3 bpm | | 35 | 185 | 184 | −1 bpm | | 40 | 180 | 180 | 0 bpm | | 45 | 175 | 177 | +2 bpm | | 50 | 170 | 173 | +3 bpm | | 55 | 165 | 170 | +5 bpm | | 60 | 160 | 166 | +6 bpm | | 65 | 155 | 163 | +8 bpm | | 70 | 150 | 159 | +9 bpm |
The Tanaka formula outperforms 220-age especially at older ages — the older you are, the more 220-age tends to underestimate your true maximum. If you're 55 or older, use Tanaka as your starting point and apply the same zone percentages.
Which Zone Should You Be Training In?
Most people spend most of their cardio time in Zone 3 — the "moderate" zone that feels productive but is neither easy enough to build a large aerobic base nor hard enough to drive significant threshold adaptation. Research on elite endurance athletes consistently shows a different distribution.
The polarized model (evidence-backed):
- ~75–80% of training volume in Zone 1–2
- ~5–10% in Zone 3
- ~15–20% in Zone 4–5
Most recreational men have this inverted. They train moderately hard most of the time, rarely go truly easy, and rarely go truly hard. The result is chronic moderate fatigue with slow fitness progression.
Zone 2 specifically: The longevity and metabolic health case for Zone 2 is stronger than for any other training intensity. Mitochondrial biogenesis, fat oxidation efficiency, cardiac remodeling, parasympathetic tone — all of the adaptations that directly correlate with long-term health outcomes are maximized in Zone 2, not in harder efforts.
For the full science on what Zone 2 actually does to your physiology, read Zone 2 Cardio: The Most Important Workout Nobody Is Doing.
For why VO2 max — which Zone 4 and 5 training builds — is the strongest single predictor of how long you live, read The Fitness Number That Predicts When You'll Die.
The Limits of Every Formula
Every formula in this article produces an estimate. The standard deviation on 220-minus-age is approximately ±10–12 bpm — meaning your true maximum could legitimately be 10 beats above or below what the formula predicts. This is not a flaw in the tables; it's a property of population-derived formulas applied to individuals.
What this means practically:
- If Zone 2 feels genuinely easy — you can breathe through your nose, hold a full conversation, go indefinitely — you're likely in the right zone. Trust the subjective signals.
- If Zone 2 feels impossible to stay in without slowing to a near-walk, your true max HR may be lower than the formula predicted. Adjust down.
- The talk test and nasal breathing are better real-time feedback tools than checking your watch every 30 seconds.
The gold standard for any serious athlete or person optimizing for longevity: one lactate threshold test at a sports performance clinic. $150–300 gives you a precise, individualized Zone 2 ceiling that no formula can match.
FAQ
What is a normal heart rate for Zone 2 training?
For most adults between 30 and 50, Zone 2 falls roughly between 105 and 140 bpm using the standard formula — but this varies significantly by age and individual fitness level. A 35-year-old's Zone 2 is approximately 111–130 bpm (standard formula) or up to 145–150 bpm (Maffetone, if well-trained). Use the table above for your age.
What heart rate zone burns the most fat?
Zone 2. At Zone 2 intensity, your body is predominantly fueled by fat oxidation rather than glycolysis. This is why it's sometimes called the "fat-burning zone." Higher intensities (Zone 3–5) burn more total calories per minute but shift the fuel source toward carbohydrate. For fat adaptation and metabolic health, Zone 2 is the most effective training intensity.
Should I use heart rate zones or pace zones for training?
Both are valid. Heart rate zones respond to your actual physiological state in real time — they account for heat, fatigue, caffeine, and stress. Pace zones don't. For Zone 2 training specifically, heart rate is more accurate because the goal is to stay below a metabolic threshold, not hit a specific speed.
How accurate is the 220-age formula?
It's a starting point, not a precise number. The formula has a standard deviation of approximately ±10–12 bpm — meaning two-thirds of people fall within that range, and one-third fall outside it. The Tanaka formula (208 − 0.7 × age) is more accurate, especially for older adults. A VO2 max lab test or lactate threshold test gives you a precise, individualized max HR that no formula can match.
What heart rate zone is best for longevity?
Zone 2 for volume and Zone 4–5 for VO2 max. The longevity research points clearly to two adaptations: a large aerobic base (built in Zone 2) and a high VO2 max (built by pushing into Zone 4–5 periodically). The optimal training structure includes 3–4 Zone 2 sessions per week supplemented by 1–2 higher-intensity sessions. Doing only Zone 2 or only high intensity misses half the equation.