Heart rate zone calculator and 30-minute threshold test
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Heart rate zones tell you how hard you are running regardless of wind, hills or tired legs. This page has two tools. The first turns a 30-minute test into threshold heart rate and threshold pace. The second turns your maximum, resting or threshold heart rate into five heart rate zones in beats per minute, with the name of each zone and a short note on what you train in it. The zones come from the same library the EasyTrackly app uses, so the result is identical to the athlete's training settings.
Threshold test calculator (30 minutes)
Heart rate zone calculator
How to do the 30-minute threshold test
The protocol was described by Joe Friel. After a proper warm-up you run for 30 minutes alone, at an even pace, as hard as you can sustain for the whole time. After 10 minutes you press the lap button on your watch. Your average heart rate over the last 20 minutes is your threshold heart rate, and your pace over those 20 minutes is your threshold pace. If you have no separate lap, the calculator uses the pace of the whole test but marks it as less accurate, because it includes the first minutes when you were still settling in.
Why alone and not in a race
Heart rate in a race is higher than in training: nerves, rivals and the crowd add several beats. Threshold heart rate taken from a race would push every zone too high. A solo test on a flat route or a track gives a number you can reproduce in ordinary training.
How to set up your watch
Set your watch to a normal run with a manual lap, or plan a workout with steps: warm-up, 10 minutes, 20 minutes and cool-down. A chest strap measures heart rate more accurately than a wrist sensor, especially when the pace changes.
When to repeat the test
Every six to eight weeks, at the start of a new training block, and always after a longer break or an illness. Do the test rested, not the day after a hard session.
Three ways to calculate heart rate zones
Percent of maximum heart rate is the simplest method. It needs only your maximum heart rate, and the zone limits sit at 60, 70, 80 and 90 percent. It is fine to start with, but it ignores the fact that two people with the same maximum can have very different fitness.
Heart rate reserve, described by Martti Karvonen, takes a percentage of the difference between maximum and resting heart rate and adds it to your resting heart rate. It reflects fitness better, because the zones of a runner with a low resting heart rate move up. It needs both values.
Threshold heart rate, using Friel's table for running, is the most accurate method for people who train regularly. It calculates zones as a percentage of the heart rate from the 30-minute test, so they reflect what the runner can actually do today rather than a formula based on age.
How to measure maximum heart rate
Age formulas such as 220 minus age are off by ten beats or more for many people. It is better to check your maximum in practice: after a warm-up, a few minutes uphill with increasing pace and a hard finish, or the highest value from recent short races. People with a heart condition or after a long break should talk to a doctor first.
Frequently asked questions
Which method should I choose?
If you have a recent 30-minute test, choose threshold heart rate. If you know your resting heart rate but have not done the test, choose heart rate reserve. Keep percent of maximum for when you are just starting out.
Why are the zones on my watch different?
Watches often calculate zones from age or from their own algorithm. The calculator uses the values you enter, with the same rules the app uses.
Are heart rate zones the same for running and cycling?
No. Threshold heart rate on the bike is usually a few beats lower, which is why the app keeps separate thresholds for each sport. This calculator gives running zones.
How do I move the result to pace zones?
The "Calculate pace zones" button next to the test result carries your threshold pace to the pace zones page. You can also find threshold pace from a race on the training paces page, and race pace in the running calculator.