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Heart-rate zones
Heart-rate zones turn perceived effort into a number Garmin or Strava can enforce. They tell you when to back off on easy days and when to push on quality days — and they are how every adaptive coaching engine, including SportPlan's, decides whether you trained as prescribed.
Enter your age (or a tested max HR). Optionally add a resting HR so we can use the more accurate Karvonen reserve method instead of plain % MaxHR. You get the same 5 zones SportPlan applies to every athlete's session targets.
Heart-rate zones convert effort into a number Garmin or your Strava app can follow. Pick a method, enter your data, and we calculate the 5 training zones the same way Coach Ramon does in SportPlan's adaptation engine.
Max HR (bpm)
184 bpm
Z1 Recovery
92–110 bpm
50–60%. Active recovery, breathing easy.
Z2 Aerobic base
110–129 bpm
60–70%. Conversational. Where 70–80% of weekly volume should sit.
Z3 Tempo
129–147 bpm
70–80%. Comfortably hard. Marathon-pace work.
Z4 Threshold
147–166 bpm
80–90%. Lactate threshold. Tempo and cruise intervals.
Z5 VO2max
166–184 bpm
90–100%. 3–8 minute hard intervals.
Tanaka (208 − 0.7 × age) is more accurate on average for adults than the classic 220 − age, which tends to underestimate max HR for athletes over 40 and overestimate it under 30. If you've done a true max-HR test (3-min all-out hill repeat with verified peak), use Manual.
Karvonen reserve uses HR reserve = (Max HR − Resting HR) and computes zones as (intensity% × reserve) + resting HR. This individualises zones to your aerobic fitness — a 35-year-old athlete with a 45 bpm resting HR has a different Z2 than one with a 65 bpm resting HR, even at the same max.
Garmin watches default to %MaxHR with thresholds that vary by model and firmware. Some use lactate-threshold HR (LTHR) instead of max HR as the anchor. If your watch is set to LTHR, expect different zone boundaries — neither is wrong, but you should pick one method and stick with it.
Roughly, but max HR is typically 8–12 bpm lower on the bike than running, so dedicated cyclists should test cycling-specific max HR separately. For triathletes, calibrate both sports.
Your complete training plan is free. Start with your sport, goals and weekly availability.
Ramon Curto designed SportPlan's endurance-training methodology from exercise-physiology principles. SportPlan applies it autonomously to the information you enter and the data you choose to connect; it is not ongoing one-to-one coaching or medical care.
Last revised July 2026