Most zone calculators divide your max heart rate into percentages. The Zoladz method just subtracts fixed beats instead: 50, 40, 30, 20, and 10 bpm below max. No resting heart rate required.
Enter your max heart rate (or your age) to get all 5 zones instantly.
Have a tested max HR from a race or lab test? Enter it here for the most accurate zones.
or
We'll estimate max HR as 220 minus age. For a more accurate estimate first, try the Tanaka calculator.
Max HR Used
--bpm
Zone 2 Range
--bpm
★ Sweet Spot
Your Zoladz training zones
These zones use a fixed bpm offset from max HR. For zones calibrated to your resting heart rate and fitness level, try the Karvonen calculator.
What Is the Zoladz Method?
The Zoladz method is a way of setting 5 heart rate training zones by subtracting fixed amounts from your max heart rate (MHR), rather than dividing MHR into percentage bands. It's named after Jerzy A. Zoladz, a Polish exercise physiologist and professor at the University School of Physical Education in Krakow (now part of Jagiellonian University Medical College), whose research focuses on muscle energetics and exercise performance.
Zone = Max HR − Adjuster ± 5 bpm
The adjuster is 50, 40, 30, 20, or 10 bpm depending on the zone. Unlike the Tanaka or Gulati formulas, which come from published, peer-reviewed studies with defined error margins, the Zoladz zone method comes out of endurance and running coaching methodology. It's a practical heuristic that's been passed down through training resources, not a single citable formula paper. Worth knowing before you treat the exact numbers as more precise than they are.
How the 5 Zones Are Calculated
Each of the 5 zones is centered on max HR minus a fixed number of beats, then widened by 5 bpm in each direction for a 10 bpm band:
Zone
Formula
Example (Max HR = 185)
Zone 1
MHR − 50 ± 5
130–140 bpm
Zone 2
MHR − 40 ± 5
140–150 bpm
Zone 3
MHR − 30 ± 5
150–160 bpm
Zone 4
MHR − 20 ± 5
160–170 bpm
Zone 5
MHR − 10 ± 5
170–180 bpm
Take a 35-year-old with an estimated max HR of 185 bpm (220 minus age). Their Zone 3 tempo range comes out to 150–160 bpm. Someone with a max HR of 165 bpm gets the exact same 10 bpm zone width, just shifted down to 130–140 bpm for their Zone 3. That's the core mechanical difference from percentage-based zones, where a higher max HR always produces wider zones.
Zone 1: Recovery (MHR − 50)
Very light effort. Long, easy runs, warm-ups, and cool-downs. Comparable to the low end of a percentage-based Zone 1.
Zone 2: Aerobic Base (MHR − 40)
Easy, conversational pace. This is where most aerobic base building happens. How Zone 2 burns fat →
Zone 3: Tempo (MHR − 30)
A steady, moderately hard effort. Sustainable for 20 to 40 minutes with focused effort. Builds aerobic endurance.
Zone 4: Threshold (MHR − 20)
Hard, sustained effort near lactate threshold. Interval and race-pace training. Limit to 1–2 sessions per week.
Zone 5: Max Effort (MHR − 10)
Short, all-out intervals. Demanding on recovery. Zoladz's own description reserves this zone for use sparingly, similar to other zone systems' top tier.
Zoladz vs. Percentage-Based Zones
The Zoladz method and the standard percentage-of-max-HR method both start from your max heart rate. They just divide it up differently, and that difference matters for how your zones feel at different fitness levels.
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Only needs max HR
No resting heart rate, no heart rate reserve math. Enter one number and get 5 zones immediately.
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Fixed 10 bpm zones
Every zone is exactly 10 bpm wide. Easier to remember and communicate to a coach or training partner.
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Built for runners
The method comes out of running and endurance coaching, where its zone boundaries have been used and refined against real training paces for years.
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Doesn't scale with fitness
Two people with the same max HR get identical zones even if their resting heart rates and fitness levels are completely different.
Neither method requires a lab test to use, but neither replaces one either. If you want the most individually accurate zones, pair a directly measured max heart rate with the Karvonen method, which is the calculation this site is built around.
Don't know your max heart rate? Start with the Tanaka formula calculator, which is backed by a large peer-reviewed study and tends to be more accurate than 220-minus-age, especially over 40. Then plug that number into the Known Max HR field above.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about the Zoladz method and how to use it for training.
The Zoladz method calculates 5 heart rate training zones by subtracting fixed amounts, 50, 40, 30, 20, and 10 beats per minute, from your max heart rate, rather than dividing max heart rate into percentages. Each zone is a 10 bpm band centered on that subtracted value. It's named after Jerzy A. Zoladz, a Polish exercise physiologist, and is popular in running and endurance coaching because it only needs your max heart rate to work.
The method is named after Jerzy A. Zoladz, a professor of exercise physiology at the University School of Physical Education in Krakow, Poland (now part of Jagiellonian University Medical College). His research focuses on muscle energetics and exercise performance. The fixed-subtraction zone system carrying his name has spread through running and endurance coaching resources over time rather than through a single widely cited formula paper, so it's best understood as an established coaching heuristic rather than a clinically validated formula.
Standard percentage zones divide max heart rate into bands like 60–70% or 70–80%, so a higher max heart rate produces wider zones. The Zoladz method instead subtracts a fixed number of beats per minute for each zone, so every zone is always exactly 10 bpm wide no matter your max heart rate. Two runners with different max heart rates get proportionally different percentage zones, but identically sized Zoladz zones shifted to different starting points.
Using max HR (MHR) as the base:
Zone 1 (Recovery): MHR − 50 ± 5
Zone 2 (Aerobic base): MHR − 40 ± 5
Zone 3 (Tempo): MHR − 30 ± 5
Zone 4 (Threshold): MHR − 20 ± 5
Zone 5 (Max effort): MHR − 10 ± 5
For a max HR of 185 bpm, that works out to 130–140, 140–150, 150–160, 160–170, and 170–180 bpm.
No. The Zoladz method only requires your max heart rate. That's the main appeal: no resting heart rate check, no heart rate reserve math. The tradeoff is that it doesn't account for your individual fitness level the way the Karvonen method does. Two people with the same max heart rate but very different resting heart rates get identical Zoladz zones, even though their actual fitness may be quite different.
The Zoladz method is a simplified coaching heuristic, not a lab-validated formula with published error margins the way the Tanaka or Gulati max heart rate formulas have. Its fixed 10 bpm zone widths are a reasonable, widely used approximation, but they don't adjust for your resting heart rate or fitness level. Treat it as a simple starting point rather than a precise physiological measurement, especially if you're training for a specific race goal.
Use the Zoladz method when you want a fast, simple set of zones from your max heart rate alone. Use the Karvonen method when you want zones calibrated to your individual fitness level through your resting heart rate, which is generally the more accurate approach for structured training. Many runners start with Zoladz for its simplicity, then move to Karvonen once they're tracking resting heart rate consistently.
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Want Zones Calibrated to Your Fitness?
The Karvonen method combines your resting heart rate with your max heart rate, for zones tailored to your individual fitness level.
