Heart Rate Zone Calculations
The most useful sum in the written paper: work out a maximum heart rate from age, then find the aerobic and anaerobic training zones as a share of it, without swapping the two bands.
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Free interactive practice on the decisions the assessment actually asks you to justify.
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Training at the right pace
To train well you need to know how hard your heart is working. This module builds the key sum step by step: first the highest your heart rate should reach, then the pace bands for building endurance and for pushing near your limit. Get the sum right and you train in the zone that matches your goal.
The numbers you need
Learn these four terms before you do the sums.
The two zones
The maximum splits into two training bands.
Do not swap the bands
The biggest mistake is mixing up the two bands. Keep them straight: gentle stamina work sits in the lower one, and flat-out efforts near your limit sit in the higher one. Always begin by working out the highest figure first, then take the right share of it. Get that order right and the rest follows.
Match the term
- maximum heart rate
- aerobic zone
- anaerobic zone
- beats per minute
- found by taking your age away from 220
- the lower band used to build endurance
- the higher band used for very hard efforts
- the unit a heart rate is counted in
Which band is which?
The aerobic training zone is which share of the maximum heart rate?
- 60 to 80 per cent.
- 80 to 90 per cent.
- 40 to 60 per cent.
- 90 to 100 per cent.
Find the maximum
A performer is 15 years old. The maximum heart rate is 220 minus your age. Subtract 15 from 220. What is the answer?
Find the zone
A performer has a maximum heart rate of 200 beats per minute. The aerobic zone begins at 60 per cent of the maximum. Multiply 200 by 0.6 to find 60 per cent. What is the answer?
True about the zones?
Select the TWO statements that are true.
- Maximum heart rate is 220 take away your age.
- The anaerobic zone is the higher of the two bands.
- Maximum heart rate is 220 plus your age.
- The aerobic zone is the higher of the two bands.
Order the sum
Put the steps of working out a training zone in order, earliest first.
- Note the performer age
- Take the age away from 220
- Read off the maximum heart rate
- Take the right share for the zone
- Read off the training zone
Complete the facts
Maximum heart rate is found by taking your age away from _____. The lower band, used to build endurance, is the _____ zone. The higher band, used for very hard efforts, is the _____ zone. The aerobic band runs from _____ to eighty per cent. Heart rate is measured in beats per _____.
Spot the correct facts
Tap the TWO statements about the calculation that are correct.
- you subtract age from 220
- the anaerobic zone is the higher band
- you add age to 220
- the aerobic zone is the higher band
Which zone?
For each performer, choose the training zone that fits their goal.
- A marathon runner wants to build steady endurance over long distances. Which zone should they train in?
- A sprinter wants to train in short, very hard bursts near their limit. Which zone should they train in?
- A coach needs a performer maximum heart rate before setting any zone. What must the coach work out first?
Explain the calculation
Explain how a coach works out a performer training zones and why the order of the sum matters.
- Explain how to find the maximum heart rate
- Give the share of the maximum for the aerobic and anaerobic zones
- Explain why you must find the maximum before the zone