Set your five basic cycling heart-rate training zones as a percentage of your maximum heart rate. Enter your max HR (or estimate it from your age) and the calculator splits your zones instantly — the simplest way to structure easy days, tempo, and hard efforts.
The five basic heart-rate zones
| Zone | Name | % of max HR |
|---|---|---|
| Zone 1 | Recovery | 50–60% |
| Zone 2 | Endurance | 60–70% |
| Zone 3 | Aerobic | 70–80% |
| Zone 4 | Threshold | 80–90% |
| Zone 5 | Maximum | 90–100% |
How to find your maximum heart rate
Your max HR is the highest your heart can beat during all-out effort. The most accurate way to get it is a short max-effort field test (after a good warm-up, several hard build-ups to a sustained sprint). If you don’t have a measured number, the common estimate is 220 − your age — close enough to start, but a measured max is more accurate because the formula varies a lot from rider to rider.
FAQ
What are heart rate training zones?
Training zones divide your effort into ranges — from easy recovery up to maximum — so each ride targets a specific physiological adaptation. Basic zones are set as a percentage of your maximum heart rate.
How accurate is the 220 − age formula?
It’s a rough estimate. Real max HR varies widely between people of the same age, so use it as a starting point and replace it with a measured max when you can.
Which zone should most of my riding be in?
For endurance training, most volume sits in Zones 1–2 (recovery and endurance), with smaller, targeted doses of the harder zones.
More: all training-zone methods in one calculator · Coggan power · Coggan HR · Friel HR · Max-HR