Health
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Mar 1, 2026
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5 min de lecture
Heart Rate Zones: Train Smarter, Not Harder
Zone 2 builds aerobic base. Zone 5 burns out beginners. Knowing your zones turns every workout into a deliberate stress.
Heart rate zones are typically expressed as a percentage of your maximum HR (often estimated 220 minus age, though Tanaka 208-0.7*age is more accurate). Zone 1 (50-60%): recovery. Zone 2 (60-70%): aerobic base, the bulk of endurance training. Zone 3 (70-80%): tempo, builds threshold. Zone 4 (80-90%): lactate threshold intervals. Zone 5 (90-100%): VO2 max, used sparingly. Most amateur athletes train too hard in the middle zones and too easy in the polar extremes. Use our Heart Rate Zones Calculator to map yours.