{"id":1997,"date":"2025-02-18T00:50:07","date_gmt":"2025-02-17T13:50:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/movewithnicole.com.au\/blog\/how-to-determine-your-maximum-heart-rate.html"},"modified":"2025-02-18T00:50:07","modified_gmt":"2025-02-17T13:50:07","slug":"how-to-determine-your-maximum-heart-rate","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/movewithnicole.com.au\/blog\/how-to-determine-your-maximum-heart-rate.html","title":{"rendered":"How to Determine Your Maximum Heart Rate"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The concept of a \u201cmaximum heart rate\u201d can sound terrifying (what happens if it goes any faster??), but it\u2019s not like a warning light on your dashboard. To the contrary, MHR can be beneficial to ensuring ongoing progress towards your fitness goals. Here\u2019s what max heart rate is, and how to use that number to help you get fitter, faster.<\/p>\n<h2>What Is Maximum Heart Rate?<\/h2>\n<p>Measured in beats per minute, maximum heart rate is the\u00a0fastest rate at which your heart can beat. Sound simple?<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere are a lot of misconceptions about max heart rate,\u201d says Trevor Thieme, C.S.C.S. \u201cYou can\u2019t increase it, for example, but it does decrease with age,\u201d regardless of how hard or consistently you exercise.<\/p>\n<p>Maximum heart rate is not a measure of fitness, though your capacity for sustained exercise at a high percentage of your MHR is. Maximum heart rate is also affected by altitude, says Thieme (the higher you climb, the lower your MHR) and body size (the smaller you are, the higher your MHR).<\/p>\n<h2>Why Should I Know My Maximum Heart Rate?<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<p>Knowing your max heart rate allows you to customize your workouts to help you reach a variety of fitness goals, all which fall into different target heart rate zones. To build cardiovascular endurance and overall aerobic fitness, for example \u2014 the ability to perform low- to moderate-intensity work for long periods \u2014 you\u2019ll work at a lower percentage of your MHR than if you\u2019re trying to build strength, power, speed, and muscular endurance.<\/p>\n<p>So having at least a rough estimate of your MHR can help you build an exercise routine tailored to your objectives, with no time or workouts wasted. (See the chart below for a breakdown of the effects of training in different heart rate \u201czones.\u201d)<\/p>\n<h2>What\u2019s the Best Way to Calculate Max Heart Rate?<\/h2>\n<p>The most accurate way to calculate MHR is in a lab using sophisticated equipment. But assuming you don\u2019t have easy access to such gadgetry, there are several max heart rate formulas you can use to calculate it.<\/p>\n<h3>1. Age-based formula<\/h3>\n<p>The simplest and fastest way to estimate your maximum heart rate is using an age-predicted formula. According to\u00a0a 2002 review, the age-based formula with the narrowest range of uncertainty is Inbar. Short of testing, we recommend using this formula to estimate max heart rate:<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 <strong>205.8 \u2013 (0.685 x AGE) = HRmax <\/strong>(rounded to the nearest whole number)<\/p>\n<p>So if you\u2019re 50 years old, you\u2019d multiply 50 by 0.685 to get 34.25, then subtract that number from 205.8, and round to the nearest whole number to get 172. That\u2019s your MHR.<\/p>\n<p>This is a variation on the \u201c220-minus-AGE\u201d formula you\u2019ve probably heard recommended by trainers and seen printed on treadmills, bikes, and elliptical machines in gyms the world over since time immemorial.<\/p>\n<p>220-minus-AGE\u00a0is based on data collected and analyzed by Drs. William Haskell and Samuel Fox in the 1970s. Despite its popularity, the formula can be inaccurate for many people. Haskell himself has\u00a0denied\u00a0that the formula was ever intended as a hard-and-fast rule to govern cardiovascular conditioning for all populations.<\/p>\n<p>Given the unreliability of this well-worn formula, many researchers have since come up with age-based formulas of their own. They include:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>The Gelish Formula: 207 \u2013 (0.7 x AGE)<\/li>\n<li>The Tanaka Formula: 206.9 \u2013 (0.67 x AGE)<\/li>\n<li>The Hunt Formula: 211 \u2013 (0.64 x AGE)<\/li>\n<li>The Inbar Formula (205.8 \u2013 0.685 x AGE)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Each formula, naturally, yields a slightly different estimate for max heart rate. Using these formulas, a 48-year-old exerciser, for instance, will get results ranging from 172 beats per minute (using 220-minus-AGE) to 180 beats per minute (using the Hunt formula). A 25-year old will see results from 189 BPM (Inbar) to 195 BPM (220-minus-AGE).<\/p>\n<h3>2. Max heart rate formula for women<\/h3>\n<p>In 2010,\u00a0Dr. Martha Gulati, working off of data from over 5,000 women, proposed a different max heart rate specifically designed for women:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Multiply your age by .88 (i.e. 88 percent of your age).<\/li>\n<li>Subtract that number from 206<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Gulati\u2019s results are typically slightly lower than other age-based formulas. So if you\u2019re a 55-year-old woman, you can find your MHR by multiplying .88 by 55 and subtracting the result from 206. That gives you an MHR of 157.6, which you would round up to 158.<\/p>\n<p>Like the age-based formula, this one works fine, but still suffers a broad range of uncertainty: MHR can vary widely, based not on fitness, but primarily on genetics. So some fit people tire quickly at a low percentage of their age-based MHR; others the same age may feel very little at that percentage. If you\u2019re female, use either the Inbar formula or the Gulati formula.<\/p>\n<h3>3. Heart rate reserve (HRR) formula<\/h3>\n<p>While not technically a measure of max heart rate, another formula you can use to determine training intensity is the Karvonen method, or heart rate reserve formula. Your heart rate reserve is a measure of the difference between your maximum heart rate and your\u00a0resting heart rate\u00a0(RHR) \u2014 in other words, the range of speeds at which your heart is capable of contracting.<\/p>\n<p>Since HRR factors in your resting heart rate \u2014 a loose measure of your current level of cardiovascular fitness \u2014 it\u2019s a good one to use if you\u2019re training consistently and seeking higher levels of cardiovascular fitness.<\/p>\n<p>To calculate training intensity using HRR, follow these steps:<\/p>\n<p><strong>First, measure your resting heart rate:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Gently place your fingertips on one side of your windpipe until you find a pulse.<\/li>\n<li>Count your heartbeats for 30 seconds and multiply the result by 2 to calculate beats per minute (BPM).<\/li>\n<li>For a more accurate reading, measure your RHR first thing in the morning, before getting out of bed.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Second, find your heart rate reserve:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Subtract your RHR from your MHR. Men should use the Inbar formula (205.8 \u2013 [0.685 x AGE]) for this; women can use either Inbar or the Gulati formula (206 \u2013 [.88 x AGE]).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>So, a 30-year-old man with a resting heart rate of 60 BPM would subtract his age x 0.685 from 205.8 to get an MHR of 185, then subtract his resting heart rate to get 125.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Third, determine your exercise intensity:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Use the chart above to determine the appropriate heart rate percentage for your fitness goal.<\/li>\n<li>Multiply the desired heart rate percentage by your heart rate reserve (HRR).<\/li>\n<li>Add your resting heart rate.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>So, a 25-year-old woman with a resting heart rate of 55 BPM who wanted to work out at 75 percent intensity would find her HRR by multiplying 25 by .88 and subtracting the result (22) from 206 to get 184. She would then subtract her RHR to get 129.<\/p>\n<p>Then she would multiply that HRR (129) by the desired percentage (.75) to get 97, then add back her RHR: 97 + 55 = 152. That number represents 75 percent of this exerciser\u2019s maximum intensity.<\/p>\n<p>HRR is the most math-heavy formula of the bunch. And because your resting heart rate changes over time, it also requires you to re-calculate heart rate reserve periodically. However, since the HRR formula can factor in age, sex,\u00a0and\u00a0fitness level, it\u2019s the best one to use short of an individualized test.<\/p>\n<h3>4. Active training heart rate<\/h3>\n<p>The final, and most accurate, method for determining training heart rate requires a\u00a0wearable heart rate monitor.<\/p>\n<p>Instead of using a passive, catch-all formula, \u201cRide or run a 30-minute time trial [going as far and as fast as you can] with no stops,\u201d suggests endurance coach Gareth Thomas\u00a0(FFI\/ NCF\/ RAW\/ ITEC). \u201cLook to cover as much distance you can,\u201d then make the following calculations:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Record your average heart rate for the last 10 minutes of effort.<\/li>\n<li>Multiply this number by 95 percent to get your \u201cfunctional threshold heart rate.\u201d This is the highest intensity you can sustain for more than a few minutes, and therefore will be lower than your MHR, which is the maximum speed your heart is capable of beating.<\/li>\n<li>Input this number into the formulas that come with your smartwatch or heart rate monitor to calculate your training zones.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>If you want to maximize your performance \u2014 usually for endurance racing \u2014 this kind of road testing works best.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis allows you to avoid the flawed maxHR theory, and will give you a far more accurate basis for your ongoing training,\u201d Thomas says. For day-to-day workouts, however, the paper-and-pen formulas work fine.<\/p>\n<h2>Road-Test Your Numbers<\/h2>\n<p><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-159732\" src=\"https:\/\/bod-blog-assets.prod.cd.beachbodyondemand.com\/bod-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/15190104\/max-heart-rate-road-test.png\" alt=\"woman checking wrist watch on run | max heart rate\" width=\"600\" height=\"400\" title=\"\"><\/p>\n<p>A max-heart-rate formula isn\u2019t much good until you\u2019ve applied it within your workouts. So whichever formula you choose (we recommend the heart-rate reserve formula), you\u2019ll eventually need to try it out see how it works in practice.<\/p>\n<p>To refine your numbers, strap on a heart rate monitor and go for a workout or two. Does the \u201crecovery zone\u201d feel comfortable at the heart rate you calculated for it? Does the \u201cspeed and power\u201d zone feel close to your top effort?<\/p>\n<p>If not, re-toggle your estimated MHR up or down by 5 to 10 points to match the appropriate\u00a0rate of perceived exertion\u00a0and recalculate your training zones from there. Remember, they\u2019re formulas based on data about the general population \u2014 not data based on you.<\/p>\n<h2>Use the Talk Test<\/h2>\n<p>No heart-rate monitor? No watch? Try the talk test: in the recovery zone, you should be able to talk fairly comfortably; in the intermediate zones, talking becomes increasingly difficult as your breathing rate increases, and in the speed and power zone, you should barely be able to grunt out a word between breaths. This simple method requires no gadgets, no counting, and no interruption to your workouts.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The concept of a \u201cmaximum heart rate\u201d can sound terrifying (what happens if it goes any faster??), but it\u2019s not like a warning light on your dashboard. To the contrary, MHR can be beneficial to ensuring ongoing progress towards your fitness goals. Here\u2019s what max heart rate is, and how to use that number to [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1998,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1997","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-fitness"],"blocksy_meta":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/movewithnicole.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1997","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/movewithnicole.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/movewithnicole.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/movewithnicole.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/movewithnicole.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1997"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/movewithnicole.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1997\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1999,"href":"https:\/\/movewithnicole.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1997\/revisions\/1999"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/movewithnicole.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1998"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/movewithnicole.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1997"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/movewithnicole.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1997"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/movewithnicole.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1997"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}