·9 min read
Running HR zones by age (and why age formulas are rough)
Running HR zones by age, worked out from the two common max heart rate formulas, plus why those formulas can miss your real max by 20 beats either way.
Your watch set your running HR zones the day you typed in your birthday. It didn't ask how fit you are, how long you've been running, or whether your heart happens to max out well above or below average. It took your age, ran a formula, and painted five colored bands on your wrist.
That's not useless. It's a starting point. This post gives you running HR zones by age as a table you can use today, shows exactly how they're calculated, and explains why each running HR zone from an age formula can be off by a lot for any one person. Whether you set zones yourself or let a running plan that knows you lift handle it, the logic is the same: start with the formula, then check it against reality.
How running HR zones are calculated from age
Two steps:
- Estimate your max heart rate from your age.
- Take percentages of that max to get five zones.
The zone percentages we use across this blog are the common five-zone convention:
| Zone | % of max HR | Feels like | RPE (1–10) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 50–60% | Barely working | 1–2 |
| 2 | 60–70% | Easy, full sentences | 3–4 |
| 3 | 70–80% | Steady, short sentences | 5–6 |
| 4 | 80–90% | Hard, a few words | 7–8 |
| 5 | 90–100% | Very hard, no talking | 9–10 |
If you'd rather not do the arithmetic, work out your zones here. For what each zone is actually for in training, see this breakdown of heart rate zones explained.
The max heart rate formulas
220 − age is the old rule of thumb, and it's still everywhere.
208 − 0.7 × age comes from Tanaka, Monahan and Seals (2001). They pooled group data from 351 studies covering 18,712 people, then cross-validated the result in a lab study of 514 healthy adults. Their conclusion was that 220 − age underestimates max heart rate in older adults.
Two later studies landed on similar equations:
- 207 − 0.7 × age, from tracking the same 132 people through repeated max tests over 25 years (Gellish et al., 2007).
- 211 − 0.64 × age, from 3,320 healthy men and women in Norway's HUNT Fitness Study (Nes et al., 2013).
Running HR zones by age: the table
The table below is computed arithmetic, not measured data. Max heart rate is Tanaka's 208 − 0.7 × age, rounded to the nearest beat. Each zone is that max multiplied by the percentages above, also rounded. Neighboring zones share a boundary number.
| 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 | 194 | 97–116 | 116–136 | 136–155 | 155–175 | 175–194 |
| 25 | 191 | 96–115 | 115–134 | 134–153 | 153–172 | 172–191 |
| 30 | 187 | 94–112 | 112–131 | 131–150 | 150–168 | 168–187 |
| 35 | 184 | 92–110 | 110–129 | 129–147 | 147–166 | 166–184 |
| 40 | 180 | 90–108 | 108–126 | 126–144 | 144–162 | 162–180 |
| 45 | 177 | 89–106 | 106–124 | 124–142 | 142–159 | 159–177 |
| 50 | 173 | 87–104 | 104–121 | 121–138 | 138–156 | 156–173 |
| 55 | 170 | 85–102 | 102–119 | 119–136 | 136–153 | 153–170 |
| 60 | 166 | 83–100 | 100–116 | 116–133 | 133–149 | 149–166 |
| 65 | 163 | 82–98 | 98–114 | 114–130 | 130–147 | 147–163 |
| 70 | 159 | 80–95 | 95–111 | 111–127 | 127–143 | 143–159 |
Most runners only need one row: zone 2, because that's where most running should live. If you want the practical side of what is zone 2 running, it's pace, walk breaks and heart rate drift, not just the number.
How the formulas compare by age
Same arithmetic, four formulas. Estimated max heart rate in beats per minute, rounded:
| Age | 220 − age | Tanaka (208 − 0.7 × age) | Gellish (207 − 0.7 × age) | Nes (211 − 0.64 × age) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 | 200 | 194 | 193 | 198 |
| 30 | 190 | 187 | 186 | 192 |
| 40 | 180 | 180 | 179 | 185 |
| 50 | 170 | 173 | 172 | 179 |
| 60 | 160 | 166 | 165 | 173 |
| 70 | 150 | 159 | 158 | 166 |
The formulas roughly agree around 40. They drift apart at both ends, especially for older runners, where 220 − age gives the lowest estimate of the four. That matters: if your watch uses 220 − age and you're 60, your "zone 2" by that formula could be a good few beats lower than by the others.
Why age-based zones are rough
The formulas aren't wrong. They're averages. You are not an average.
- Big individual error. The HUNT study reported a standard error of 10.8 beats per minute for its age formula, and warned that this has to be taken into account when using it (Nes et al., 2013).
- Wide limits of agreement. A 2025 study compared seven max heart rate equations against measured max in 230 healthy adults. Average bias was small, but the limits of agreement were roughly ±18–24 beats per minute, and none of the equations showed high individual-level accuracy (Martin et al., 2025).
- Percent-of-max is itself an approximation. A 2020 review concluded that prescribing intensity as a fixed percentage of maximal anchors like max heart rate has little merit for putting different people in the same physiological state (Jamnick et al., 2020).
Put those together and a 40-year-old with a "180" max could realistically have a true max well into the 160s or the 190s. Their zone 2 would shift by a dozen beats either way. That's the difference between an easy run and a steady one.
Does fitness change your max heart rate?
Less than people think. Tanaka's analysis found the age relationship wasn't different between men and women or across habitual activity levels (Tanaka, Monahan and Seals, 2001), and the HUNT study found no interaction with sex, activity level or VO2 max (Nes et al., 2013). Training changes what you can do at a given heart rate. It doesn't do much to the ceiling.
How to make your zones less rough
1. Cross-check with the talk test
The cheapest fix. On an easy run, say a few sentences out loud. If you can talk comfortably, you're at or below your first threshold; if speech gets uncertain, you're around it. A 2022 review found the talk test and RPE are valid markers of both ventilatory thresholds (Bok, Rakovac and Foster, 2022).
If your formula zone 2 leaves you unable to finish a sentence, the formula is wrong for you. Believe your lungs.
2. Use a real max from hard efforts
If you've raced hard recently, the highest heart rate you've seen at the end of a race or a hill repeat is a better clue than any formula, as long as it's a real reading and not a sensor spike. Only push for a max effort if you're healthy and used to hard training; if you have any doubt about your heart health, see a professional first.
3. Anchor to threshold instead
The best option is to stop anchoring to max altogether and anchor to your threshold: a lab test, or a hard 30-minute field test for threshold heart rate. That's how threshold-based systems work, and it moves with your fitness, which a birthday never will.
What each zone means at any age
The zone jobs don't change with age, only the numbers do:
- Zone 1–2: the base. Most of your running. This is how zone 2 builds your engine: lots of aerobic work at low recovery cost.
- Zone 3: steady running. Useful on purpose, a problem by accident. Zone 3 training is where most "easy" runs drift.
- Zone 4: threshold and tempo work.
- Zone 5: short, very hard intervals. The full zone 1-5 heart rate picture ends here, and it's the band to use sparingly.
Older runners usually need more recovery between hard sessions, which is a coaching convention, not a formula. The percentages stay the same.
Other ways to set running zones
- Heart rate reserve. Factors in resting heart rate: target = resting + (max − resting) × intensity. It gives higher numbers than percent-of-max for the same percentage, so don't mix the two systems. It still depends on an estimated max.
- A single cap. Our guide to MAF method covers Phil Maffetone's 180-minus-age approach, which skips zones entirely for one easy-run ceiling. Simpler, but still an age formula with adjustments.
- Race-specific targets. What heart rate should you run a marathon at is a different question again, because heart rate drifts upward over long races at the same pace.
Heart rate on the day also moves with heat, sleep, caffeine, illness and stress. Some women also track menstrual cycle, heart rate and HRV together to spot patterns in their own data. All of it is a reason to treat zones as ranges, not commandments.
Common mistakes with age-based zones
- Never updating the default. If you typed in your age three years ago and never touched it, your zones are a guess.
- Ignoring the formula your watch uses. Check whether it's 220 − age or something else. The difference grows with age.
- Chasing the number on hot days. Heat raises heart rate at the same effort. Slow down rather than fight it.
- Using heart rate on short intervals. In a 30-second rep, heart rate barely starts climbing before the rep ends. Use pace or effort.
How exrsz handles your zones
exrsz builds a periodized plan from your goal, schedule, level and equipment, and gives each run an intensity target in the same five-zone model. It balances easy and hard running against your lifting in one plan, adapts each week to how you actually trained, and reshuffles missed sessions.
FAQ
What is a normal running HR zone for my age?
Using Tanaka's 208 − 0.7 × age, a 40-year-old has an estimated max of 180, so zone 2 is about 108–126 beats per minute. That's arithmetic on a population average; your own zones may be a dozen beats higher or lower.
Is 220 minus age accurate?
It's a rough estimate. Tanaka and colleagues found it underestimates max heart rate in older adults and proposed 208 − 0.7 × age instead (Tanaka, Monahan and Seals, 2001).
How far off can age-based max heart rate be?
Quite far. In one 2025 study of 230 adults, seven common equations had limits of agreement of roughly ±18–24 beats per minute against measured max (Martin et al., 2025).
Does max heart rate drop with age even if I train?
Yes. Large studies found max heart rate declines with age regardless of activity level (Nes et al., 2013), so training changes your fitness at each heart rate rather than the ceiling.
What's better than an age formula for running zones?
A threshold-based test, or at least cross-checking your formula zones with the talk test. If you can't speak in full sentences in your "zone 2", slow down.
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