Max Heart Rate Calculator

HRmax formulas

This max heart rate calculator consists of six formulas that essentially determine the maximum heart rate through six different methods, some of which, quite similar.

These are used when a cardiac stress test cannot be performed but it is important to note that these are just estimations.

1. Tanaka, Monahan, & Seals: HRmax = 208 − (0.7 × age)

2. Haskell and Fox formula: HRmax = 220 – age

3. Robergs & Landwehr formula: HRmax = 205.8 − (0.685 × age)

4. Gellish gender specific formulas:

men: HRmax = 203.7 / (1 + exp(0.033 × (age − 104.3) ) )

women: HRmax = 190.2 / (1 + exp(0.0453 × (age − 107.5) ) )

5. HRmax often attributed to “Londeree & Moeschberger - University of Missouri": HRmax = 206.3 − (0.711 × age)

6. HRmax often attributed to "Miller - Indiana University": HRmax = 217 − (0.85 × age)

About the maximum heart rate

Heart rate can be defined as the speed of the heartbeat measured in beats (contractions) per minute.

The normal resting rate is between 60 and 80 bpm. However, this varies according to personal factors, even same age and gender people might have different measurements. For instance, athletes can experience as low as a 40 bpm resting heart rate.

General factors that influence heart rate include exercise, different stressors, sleep and even genetic determination.

Significant changes are often connected to some underlying disease. For example:

■ A slow heart rate may be caused by: underactive thyroid gland, heart disease, blood clots, diseases of the blood vessels etc.

■ A fast heart rate may be caused by: anemia, overactive thyroid gland, fever, stress, heart disease etc.

HRmax on the other hand, is the highest heart rate possible to achieve, usually during exercise of some kind. It is a measure of how much physical exertion the heart can withstand.

There are gender differences, for example women tend to have higher MHRs than men. Altitude can influence the potential MHR, by lowering it.

HRmax and fitness

A mistake often made is to confuse the value with a measure for level of body fitness. MHR doesn’t reflect it.

On the contrary, in some cases, with extended training, the heart manages to expand the blood and stroke volume, therefore needs less contractions to circulate blood.

Heart zones offer information about the exercise intensity percentage should be aimed at. These can be estimated based on the outcome of the training, i.e losing weight, building resistance or given the level of exercise:

References

1. Tanaka H, Monahan KD, Seals DR. Age-predicted maximal heart rate revisited. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2001; 37(1):153-6.

2. Robergs R, Landwehr R. The Surprising History of the 'HRmax=220-age' Equation (PDF) Journal of Exercise Physiology. 2002; 5 (2): 1–10.

3. Kolata G. 'Maximum' Heart Rate Theory Is Challenged. New York Times. 2001.

4. Gellish RL, Goslin BR, Olson RE, McDonald A, Russi GD, Moudgil VK. Longitudinal modeling of the relationship between age and maximal heart rate. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2007; 39(5):822-9.

5. Jackson AS. Estimating maximum heart rate from age: is it a linear relationship? Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2007; 39(5):821.