FAQ & Methodology

All formulas, model parameters and sources behind the generator. Every one of the 34 sport profiles is calibrated against published heart rate studies — the effort ranges in the table below are taken from those papers, not estimated.

HR Modelling Fundamentals

How is maximum heart rate (HRmax) estimated?

Without your own measurement, HRmax is estimated from age and — optionally — sex:

Men / not specified (Tanaka 2001): HFmax = 208 − 0.7 × age
Women (Gulati 2010): HFmax = 206 − 0.88 × age

Tanaka provides more accurate estimates than the classic "220 − age" rule. Gulati was validated on over 5,000 women. A self-measured value always takes precedence.

What is the Heart Rate Reserve and the Karvonen formula?

All intensity values in this app are expressed as % of heart rate reserve (HRR). The Karvonen formula (1957) converts them to a target HR:

HRR = HRmax − Resting HR
Target HR = Resting HR + Intensity [%HRR] × HRR

How is the HR curve shape modelled?

Mono-exponential approach with asymmetric time constants (τ_up < τ_down), auto-correlated noise (AR(1), φ = 0.85) and cardiac drift (Coyle & González-Alonso 2001). Trained individuals have smaller τ values (Imai et al. 1994). A deterministic PRNG produces the same curve for identical inputs.

HR(t+dt) = HR(t) + (1 − e^(−dt/τ)) × (Target − HR(t))
The 5 Intensity Levels
Level% HRRZoneApplication
Easy35–68 %Z1–Z2Technique, warm-up, recovery
Moderate42–78 %Z2–Z3Endurance base, light sparring
Normal50–88 %Z3–Z4Regular training, Randori
Hard57–94 %Z4–Z5Intense sparring, intervals
Maximum62–100 %Z5Competition, tournament
Training Metrics

TRIMP & Training Effect

TRIMP = Σ(dt/60 × HRR × 0.64 × e^(b × HRR))
b = 1.92 (men) · 1.67 (women) — Banister 1991

Aerobic TE: TRIMP mapped to 0–5 (Firstbeat 2017). Anaerobic TE: quadratic weighting above 80% HRR (Böning 1984).

TSS & Intensity Factor

IF = Ø-HRR / 0.875 (LTHR ≈ 87.5% HRR, Seiler 2006)
TSS = (duration[s] × IF² × 100) / 3600 (Allen & Coggan 2003)

Calories & Fat Oxidation

kcal/min = (−55.1 + 0.63×HR + 0.20×kg + 0.20×age) / 4.184
Fat fraction = max(0, 0.70 − 0.60 × Ø-HRR)

Energy expenditure: Swain & Franklin (2002). Fat oxidation crossover: Brooks & Mercier (1994).

Sport-specific HR Profiles

Every sport has its own calibrated profile: target heart rate during work and rest, time constants for onset and recovery, volatility, cardiac drift, load pattern and anticipatory offset. Values below refer to heart rate during the main effort, not the session average.

SportEffort HRPatternSource
Boxing85–93 %Roundsde Lira 2013; Slimani 2018
Kickboxing86–90 %RoundsChaabène 2012
Wrestling85–95 %ChaoticBarbas 2011; Nilsson 2002
Judo85–93 %ChaoticFranchini 2013; Slimani 2018
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu75–85 %Long phasesAndreato 2015
MMA88–94 %RoundsAmtmann 2008; Folhes 2023
Taekwondo86–100 %RoundsBridge 2009; Slimani 2018
Karate (Kumite)83–94 %RoundsTabben 2014; Slimani 2018
Muay Thai~95 %RoundsSlimani 2018
Running70–85 %ContinuousFleckenstein 2023
Cycling65–80 %ContinuousMuyor 2020
Mountain Bike75–90 %IntermittentImpellizzeri 2005
Swimming70–85 %IntervalsDiCarlo 1991
Rowing70–88 %ContinuousBrown 2012
Cross-Country Skiing87–89 %ContinuousTalsnes 2023; Sandbakk
Weight Training50–75 %IntermittentSci Rep 2023
Circuit Training70–85 %IntervalsACSM
CrossFit90–95 %IntervalsTibana 2020
Football / Soccer80–90 %IntermittentAlexandre 2012
Handball85–90 %IntermittentBelka 2014
Basketball85–92 %IntermittentBen Abdelkrim 2007
Volleyball60–75 %IntermittentSci Rep 2022
Ice Hockey85–95 %ShiftsSpiering 2003; Stanula 2014
Field Hockey77–93 %IntermittentMacleod 2016
Tennis60–80 %IntermittentFernandez 2006
Table Tennis68–80 %IntermittentPradas 2023
Badminton80–89 %IntermittentFaude 2007
Squash81–92 %IntermittentGirard 2007; James 2021
Padel70–80 %IntermittentGuijarro-Herencia 2023
Climbing74–85 %IntervalsDraper 2020
Yoga~49 %SteadySherman 2017
Pilates~50 %SteadyOlson 2004

Percentages refer to HRmax. Values are population means from time-motion and heart rate studies; individual deviations are expected.

FIT File & Compatibility
FieldFIT-Nr.Encoding
avg / max / min HR15 / 16 / 56bpm (uint8)
total_calories11kcal (uint16)
total_training_effect24×10 (uint8)
training_stress_score35×10 (uint16)
intensity_factor36×1000 (uint16)
threshold_heart_rate27bpm (uint8)
time_in_hr_zone[0–4]65–69ms (uint32)
user_profileGlobal 3age, sex, weight, HRmax, resting HR
zones_targetGlobal 7HRmax, LTHR, hr_calc_type=HRR

The file is finalized with a correct CRC-16 and created entirely locally in the browser — no data is transmitted.

Scientific Sources

Karvonen J et al. (1957). Ann Med Exp Biol Fenn 35(3):307.

Tanaka H, Monahan KD, Seals DR (2001). J Am Coll Cardiol 37:153.

Gulati M et al. (2010). Circulation 122(2):130.

Banister EW (1991). Physiological Testing of the High-Performance Athlete. Human Kinetics.

Firstbeat Technologies (2017). Training Effect. White Paper.

Allen H, Coggan A (2003). Training and Racing with a Power Meter. VeloPress.

Seiler S, Kjerland GØ (2006). Scand J Med Sci Sports 16(1):49.

Swain DP, Franklin BA (2002). Med Sci Sports Exerc 34(1):152.

Brooks GA, Mercier J (1994). J Appl Physiol 76(6):2253.

Imai K et al. (1994). J Am Coll Cardiol 24(6):1529.

Coyle EF, González-Alonso J (2001). Exerc Sport Sci Rev 29(2):88.

Slimani M et al. (2018). Heart rate monitoring during combat sports matches. Int J Perf Anal Sport 18(2).

Bridge CA et al. (2009). Physiological responses during international Taekwondo competition. Int J Sports Physiol Perform.

Tabben M et al. (2014). Physiological responses during international karate kumite competition.

Talsnes RK et al. (2023). Sprint cross-country skiing competition responses. Eur J Appl Physiol.

Spiering BA et al. (2003). Cardiovascular demands in women’s ice hockey. J Strength Cond Res 17(2).

Girard O et al. (2007). Physiological responses to squash match play. Br J Sports Med.

Guijarro-Herencia J et al. (2023). Conditional performance factors in padel. Front Sports Act Living.

Garmin (2024). FIT SDK Profile.xlsx, Version 21.x.