Zone 2 heart rate explained: your bpm range by age

Zone 2 heart rate is about 60 to 70% of your maximum heart rate, which works out to roughly 112 to 131 bpm at age 30, 108 to 126 bpm at 40 and 104 to 121 bpm at 50 when maximum heart rate is estimated with the Tanaka formula. It is a steady, conversational effort you can hold for 30 to 90 minutes.

Zone 2 training has become popular with runners, cyclists and anyone who wants a stronger aerobic base without beating themselves up. The idea is simple, but the numbers depend on which formula and which zone model you use, so it helps to know where your range comes from.

Zone 2 heart rate by age

The chart below estimates max heart rate with Tanaka (208 - 0.7 x age) and takes 60 to 70% of it, the zone 2 band in our heart rate zone calculator. The last column uses the Karvonen method with a resting heart rate of 60 bpm, which applies the same percentages to your heart-rate reserve instead.

Why the max heart rate formula matters

Every zone is a percentage of your max, so an error in max carries through. The old 220 - age formula gives similar results to Tanaka around age 40 but overestimates max in younger people and underestimates it in older ones. At 60, for example, 220 - age gives 160 bpm while Tanaka gives 166 bpm, moving zone 2 by about 4 bpm.

Both are population averages. Individual max heart rates scatter by 10 bpm or more either side of the prediction. If you have a reliable max from a hard race finish or a supervised test, use that instead.

Personalise it with resting heart rate

The Karvonen method uses your heart-rate reserve, the gap between resting and max: target = resting + percentage x (max - resting). Fitter people with low resting heart rates get a higher, wider zone 2 than the simple percentage of max.

1. 1Measure resting heart rate on waking, lying still, on three mornings and average them.
2. 2Estimate max: 208 - 0.7 x age.
3. 3Zone 2 low = resting + 0.6 x (max - resting). Zone 2 high = resting + 0.7 x (max - resting).

Example: a 40-year-old with a resting heart rate of 60 has an estimated max of 180. Zone 2 runs from 60 + 0.6 x 120 = 132 bpm to 60 + 0.7 x 120 = 144 bpm.

Not every zone 2 is the same

Five-zone systems are conventions, not laws of physiology. Some coaches and sports scientists define zone 2 as the intensity just below your first lactate or ventilatory threshold, which in trained people can sit near 70 to 80% of max heart rate. Others use a three-zone model where "zone 1" covers what many apps call zone 2. That is why one watch might put your easy run in zone 2 and another in zone 3.

For most people without lab testing, 60 to 70% of max, or the Karvonen version of it, is a sensible and safe starting band. The talk test is a good cross-check: you can speak in full sentences, breathe through your nose most of the time and could keep going for an hour.

What zone 2 training is good for

• Building aerobic capacity and endurance with low fatigue, so you can train more often
• Improving the body's ability to use fat as fuel at easy intensities
• Recovery days between harder sessions
• Counting toward weekly activity targets for heart health

Zone 2 is not magic for fat loss. It burns fewer calories per minute than harder work, though you can sustain it longer. For weight, total weekly activity and diet matter more than the exact zone.

How much zone 2 to do

A practical template for general fitness is two to four sessions a week of 30 to 60 minutes, plus one shorter harder session if you enjoy it. Endurance athletes often do around three-quarters or more of their training at easy intensities. Start with what fits your week and build duration before you add intensity.

Simple zone 2 workouts

• Brisk or incline walking for 40 to 60 minutes, good for beginners and on recovery days
• Easy cycling outdoors or on a bike, where heart rate is easy to keep steady
• Slow jogging with walk breaks if your heart rate climbs above the zone
• Rowing or cross-trainer sessions at a pace you could hold while chatting

Wear a chest strap if you want accurate numbers. Wrist sensors can lag or misread during the first minutes of exercise and when arms move a lot, as in rowing.

Zone 2 for beginners

If you are new to exercise, you may find that even a brisk walk pushes your heart rate above zone 2. That is normal and not a reason to stop. Walk at a pace that keeps breathing comfortable, use the talk test as your guide and let the numbers catch up over the first few months. As aerobic fitness improves, the pace you can hold at the same heart rate rises, which is one of the clearest signs that zone 2 work is paying off.