More personalized Heart Rate Zones with the Heart Rate Reserve Method on WHOOP

Understanding how your body responds to exercise is key to reaching your health and fitness goals. One of the best ways to learn how hard your body is working through heart rate zones.

WHOOP uses the heart rate reserve method (HRR) to calculate your zones, taking into account both your maximum heart rate and your baseline resting heart rate, to provide a highly personalized way to understand your fitness level. Other methods rely on things like age to calculate these highly personalized zones.

The HRR method is also more flexible to changes in a person's fitness level over time. On WHOOP, while a member’s RHR improves overtime with training, their HRR calculation will adjust accordingly– reflecting their improved cardiovascular fitness. WHOOP automatically takes into account resting heart over the last 14 days to provide more accurate HR zones.

This adaptability ensures that the heart rate zones remain relevant and effective, continuously challenging the individual and supporting their progress towards their fitness goals.

What are Heart Rate Zones and why do they matter?

Heart rate zones are the ranges of heartbeats per minute that correspond to different levels of intensity. Specific zones correlate to specific goals, like increasing your endurance, burning fat, or improving your VO2 Max. There are five primary heart rate zones with different intensity level and benefits:

Understanding and using these heart rate zones can help you get the most out of your workouts. By exercising in the right zone, you can avoid overtraining, reduce the risk of injury, and make sure you're working at the right intensity to meet your fitness goals—whether you're a seasoned athlete or just starting an exercise routine.

Manually adjusting your max HR and heart rate zone bounds

If you’ve done a lab test and know your exact max heart rate zones and boundaries, you can manually adjust them to dial in your training experience even more.

You can manually adjust your max HR and heart rate zones bounds by tapping "More" -> "App Settings" -> "Activity Settings" -> "Heart Rate Settings".