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You can download my EXCEL spreadsheet here, to use it enter your Maximum Heart Rate (MHR) and Rest Heart Rate (RHR) optionally you can enter a ratio for my Adjusted Karvonen Method which is pre set to 0.7 however don't use values below 0.1 or above 0.9 as you may get silly results. The spreadsheet includes the graph below.
The current version allows you to enter your age and sex and it will calculate your MHR using the Ball State University Method. You then enter the MHR shown or, if you know it, your actual MHR.
The different methods of determining the training zones are a guide only so try them out for yourself and see which suits you best - enjoy your training and don't flog yourself. If you want to loose weight work in the moderate and weight management zones ensuring that the duration of your exercise is long enough. Sixty minutes at least for the moderate zone and over 30 minutes for the weight management zone. If you find this too difficult then maybe the values you are using are too high. I'm losing weight rather slowly but then I'm not dieting.
The following graph indicates the discrepancy between the three methods
If your interested in the sums, see The Formulae & some graphs
To calculate the training zones enter the values in the light blue area and then press Compute.