Finding Your Maximum Heart Rate
Your maximum heart rate (HRmax) is the single number every heart-rate zone is built on. Get it wrong by 10 beats and every zone shifts by 5–10 bpm, so it's worth getting right. Here's what it is, how to estimate it, and how to test it for real.
What max heart rate actually is
HRmax is the highest your heart can beat during all-out effort. It's largely genetic, drifts down slowly with age, and, importantly, is not a measure of fitness. A fitter athlete doesn't have a higher HRmax; they just do more work at the same heart rate.
You can't train your max heart rate up. Its only job is to anchor your zones.
Estimate it in five seconds
The fastest way to a number is an age formula. The famous 220 − age rule is easy to remember but was never derived from solid data. It runs high for older athletes and low for some younger ones. Modern equations like Tanaka (208 − 0.7 × age) are more accurate.
Rather than do the arithmetic, drop your age into the live calculator below: it shows six published formulas side by side so you can see the spread:
권장 HRmax
184bpm
Tanaka (2001)
6개 모델 전체의 평균
183bpm
확실하지 않으면 이 값을 사용하세요
여섯 가지 발표된 예측식을 나란히 비교 (일반적 오차 ±10–12 bpm)
| Fox / Haskell (1971) | 185 bpm |
| Tanaka (2001)권장 | 184 bpm |
| Gellish (2007) | 183 bpm |
| Nes (2013) | 189 bpm |
| Gulati, women (2010) | 175 bpm |
| Londeree & Moeschberger | 181 bpm |
| 여섯 모델의 평균위 예측식들의 평균값 | 183 bpm |
- Tanaka (2001)를 권장하는 이유는 18,712명을 대상으로 한 메타분석에서 다시 도출되었으며, 고령 선수에게 높게 나오는 경향이 있는 기존의 220 빼기 나이 규칙보다 모든 연령대에서 더 정확하기 때문입니다.
- 공식으로 예측한 HRmax는 대략 ±10–12 bpm의 표준편차를 가지므로, 같은 나이의 두 선수가 20 bpm 이상 차이 날 수 있습니다. 출발점으로만 사용하세요.
- 정확도를 위해 최대 필드 테스트(예: 강도 높은 언덕 반복 세션이나 감독하에 진행하는 램프 테스트)를 실시하고 기기에서 실제 HRmax를 읽으세요.
당신의 개인 맞춤 결과가 담긴 PDF와, 언제든 다시 열 수 있는 QR 코드.
Notice how much the estimates differ? That spread is exactly why a formula is a starting point, not gospel.
Test it for real
A field test is more accurate than any equation. After a thorough warm-up:
- Run or ride 2–3 minutes hard uphill.
- Recover briefly, then go again, building to an all-out final 30 seconds.
- The highest number you see is close to your true HRmax.
Stop if you feel unwell: this is a maximal effort and not for beginners. One good test lasts a long time: HRmax drifts down only about 0.7 bpm per year.
Then build your zones
Once you have a trustworthy HRmax, everything downstream falls into place:
- Heart-rate zone calculator: the standard %HRmax 5-zone split.
- LTHR zones: if you'd rather anchor to lactate-threshold heart rate, which many coaches prefer.
- Max heart rate calculator: the six-formula tool from above, on its own page.
Train by the number, not the formula, and your easy days stay easy and your hard days stay honest.