Bike Heart Rate Zones

Your heart rate is an excellent indicator of your workout's intensity. When cycling you should work out in one of four target heart rate zones, depending on the aim of your workout. These zones are based on your maximum heart rate which you can estimate by subtracting your age from 220.

  1. Level One

    • The first level heart rate zone is 45 to 50 beats per minute lower than your maximum heart rate. For instance, if your maximum heart rate is 190, then your first training zone would be 140 to 145 beats per minute or lower.This training zone is used for recovery after more intense workouts. It can also be used for workouts following a forced break from cycling due to illness or injury.

    Level Two

    • Training level two is 35 to 45 beats per minute lower than your maximum heart rate. If your maximum heart rate is 190 then your level two training zone will be 145 to 155 beats per minute. When training in this zone it should feel noticeably more difficult than training in your first zone, but it should still feel comfortable. You should be able to maintain a conversation but may need to pause to catch your breath.

    Level Three

    • The third heart rate zone is 15 to 25 beats per minute below your maximum. With a maximum heart rate of 190 this would give you a range of 165 to 175. Training at this level is tough, both physically and mentally. As such, it can only be maintained for a short period of time; a 25 to 30 minute workout is appropriate in this zone.

    Level Four

    • Level four is the highest heart rate training zone. In this zone your heart rate will come close to your maximum and may actually reach it. This is an extremely difficult rate to maintain so it is only used for very short bursts of 30 seconds to a minute. Typically, cyclists will only hit this zone as part of interval training where they alternate between high and low intensity intervals.