What Is My Max Heart Rate?

[@gtn]

How much attention do you pay to your max heart rate? 🤔🫀 Let us know in the comments! 💬

[@TimWhild]

Hi Heather, lots of attention. I'm not a triathlete, my sport is kickboxing but I used to ride for Andy Blow when he ran Votwo. I'm really interested in the max because I don't seem to get anywhere near the predictions and need to do a proper ramp test.

[@Sutlore007]

I just use whatever number after finished my Vo2max test 6 months ago, and it is still valid until today.

[@richcrompton6891]

I’m 58, my max HR is 186. I guess 220 - my age isn’t very accurate 🤣 My HR reacts really quickly too. It’s into triple figures just getting ready to go out on my bike! I’ve been trying to keep it in the 145ish range, but I feel comfortable at 165, so I do t think I’m doing g particularly well at training with HR🤣😊

[@mandagrath]

I have never checked my heart rate. I’m not sure what I would do with that info.

[@kennethward9530]

I use peak at end of ramp test for whatever it’s worth. 193 at age 60, a little higher than the formula.

[@noone-ld7pt]

lol Mark outrunning the Treadmill is such a flex.

[@integralsun]

I"m 70 YO triathlete. My resting HR is 45 and my maximum HR is 171.

[@HomeInBeing]

I only bike 3-5 times a week and that's what mine is but my blood pressure got too low . I took a week off

[@bca-biciclindcuaxel7527]

I am a 90 YO quadrathlete. My resting HR is 20, maximum 360.

[@HomeInBeing]

@@bca-biciclindcuaxel7527 that is dangerous

[@ssudarso]

​@@bca-biciclindcuaxel7527congrats ...you will live forever .. 🎉🎉🎉

[@laskahusky7313]

I would see a cardiologist about a pacemaker...way too low for someone 70 and I am a 65 year old ironman tri and cardiologist ...you have heart issues😊

[@winklertribe5268]

What a fun episode!! And it has given me a guideline for doing my own max heart rate test at the gym. Thanks GTN crew! And Welcome Back Heather!!

[@innesdunbar]

The last formula works well for me. Max HR is the one thing that really has changed with age for me, I am 54 and I go by 176 as my max. It makes you have to work hard to keep in zone 2 when your max is so low. Nice work Belinda! Really going for it in the test.

[@acasualviewer5861]

I'm almost your age.. and my max is 190.

[@evantozer]

Treadmill manufacturers tremble when Mark sets foot on the factory floor.

[@sebastienbrochard9812]

Lol

[@Zackinator2017]

Thank god! Was worried my heart rate would be -200!

[@tf-ok]

Me too. Us 420 years old folks need to unite.

[@bighammer3464]

@@tf-ok not 420. Look at the formula again and you’ll get why it’s negative

[@tf-ok]

@@bighammer3464 I am 420 years old

[@emiliosagichnicht7521]

So your heartrate is - 1*2*3*4*....*200 ?

[@SamuelLudden]

​@@emiliosagichnicht7521🤓

[@kimaboe]

Hit 201 during a race last year, after going all out for the final 2k trying to keep up with the pacer for my target time. That was measured with a chest-strap in the final 10% of an hour long race, showing steady increase rather than any spikes, so I feel pretty confident in the measurement. Haven't quite hit those extremes since the race, but during hard runs and bike sprints, I get up in the mid 190s, which seems to track. 36 years old, did no exercise for most of my 20s, so I think I'm pretty lucky to have that capacity.

[@Keydet1992]

If someone is smiling for their last max effort, you need to hit the incline. This will extract more effort and provide a more accurate MaxHR

[@OaxSport]

Finding my max heart rate has always been a challenge. This video really helped break down the process and made it easier to understand. Thanks, GTN! #triathlon #heartratetraining #MaxHeartRate

[@mikes1976]

I'm 75, and both my max (180) and resting (65) defy the conventional wisdom. I test regularly, and rely on the results for my training.

[@richardlevasseur6771]

Nice to see someone about my age monitoring the max hr. At 55, I ran a qualifier 10k in 37:30. I told our company doctor that it was easy. He asked me to go down to the LEAP laboratories at Georgia State University for testing. My VO2 was measured at 68. RHR 40. Max 190. AT at 160. Now at 70 cycling only due to car accident.

[@dudefromlaveenaz]

That's pretty good. That's about my max at 35, though I am overweight and not in the greatest shape.

[@acasualviewer5861]

Yeah, I'm over 50 and my max is around 190. I get to 187 if I push hard (usually a finishing sprint and the end of a long run). My resting is around 52-55.

[@mako-re7rr]

I'm a 19-year-old Japanese girl. I specialize in middle distance running, and the other day I recorded a maximum heart rate of 202 bpm during the 6th interval run in practice.

[@franzkuntschnig1320]

41. measured 185 during Badminton Max. this year. Garmin estimates around 187-188 max and I think that gets pretty close, maybe I could reach a little bit higher. I’ll give it an all out try someday but from the feeling and breathing while running I thinks it’s quite ok.

[@skycrafts5140]

Interesting video to watch. I do find it useful to use my Max HR to work out heart rate 'zones'. Something that comes through on the video is that people seemed to think that having a higher Max HR was better. In fact, some research has shown that as VO2 Max (and general fitness) increases, Max HR decreases.

[@aaroncogs]

I recorded a max of 237 when I was 19, often going over 220 during surges in races. I could average 200 for an hour during hard road races. I actually went to a doctor to see if there was something wrong with me. Now I'm 32, and can still can go above 210.

[@hildingsense4011]

Same here, my heart was stress tested and totally fine. Doctor said I have generally high HR and I was offered beta blockers to reduce it, didn’t take em.

[@joshphillips9033]

As a medical professional, I’m impressed. Never seen a HR above 190 on a monitor that wasn’t really bad news😂

[@VeejayRampay]

that's OK I guess, i personally recorded a 246 when I was 20, I went to see a doctor and he told me that anything above 240 is the real gifted athletes

[@MrHaggyy]

^^ I hit 220 when we tested it in school at 18 years. Haven't tested it in a while but should be lower right now as I'm sitting way too much for university and work.

[@TheLifepipe]

245 last Week n' ihav 47 old 🎉 Bee ✔️

[@larrylem3582]

Should have changed the slope on the treadmill for Mark.

[@hannesaltenfelder4302]

37 years old, hitting 193-200 ocassionally for fun. If you haven't trained for a longtime, your heart beats a lot higher and a 180bpm run is no longer as hard as before. But once your heart is trained a 180bpm run becomes much harder, but at the same time you are also faster.

[@MrHaggyy]

For me, it's the other way around. When I take a break it's harder to hit the high numbers. After a view of harder interval sessions each week I'm quite a bit faster and can beat a bit faster.

[@takingbackvegan4007]

I’ve been going off the stress test from my cardiologist where I went over 200 (I’m 35) but their test is slower speed but it increases both speed and incline at set increment (2mins if I remember correctly) I think incline spikes my heart rate more than moving my legs faster 😅

[@jasonweber753]

Among my friends who run and bike, i think im the only one whose max heart rate is actually 220 - age. I’ve never used that formula, but my max is 178, and im 42. But i know a guy in his 60s whose max is around 215!

[@bartreisender6765]

Same. I’m 42 and I max out at 178. Sometimes 180 for a few seconds

[@amandanorth6526]

I'm 45. I can get up over 200 on occasion but I tend to use 186 for zone calculations as it seems to ramp up quickly at high intensity

[@zeroelus]

42 and for a long time went by the 220-age formula, but months ago when I went back into the tennis courts I saw my HR max out during really intense sessions at around 185, though I might have spiked at 190 (all this according to my apple watch). Now that I'm in decent shape the new calculation (211 - 0.64*age) gives me around....185. I rarely see my HR go that high during training or match play anymore....I also haven't felt like puking from the effort in a while so it makes sense lol.

[@ahnilatedahnilated7703]

I have been bicycling for decades. My max HR is way above 220 - age (56). Typically I set my max HR to 180. If you do 211 - 35.84 = 175.16. So that is pretty close to what I set. A couple years ago on a 15% climb doing 1100W for nearly 1mn, my HR hit 197 and I was way beyond what I should have done. I couldn't fully recover past that. I typically ride at average speeds of 27 kmh. My ftp is pretty low at 257 and my vo2max is 43. I am working on dropping weight, currently 6'4" and 227lbs. Normally I can tell when I am getting close to my max HR, I start getting light headed. This can really depend on the day but 180 is my "safe" spot as I can go above it and still not get light headed/fuzzy most days. At those HR's I still don't taste blood after a hard ride/effort. When I hit 197, I sure did.

[@davemcd2579]

The things that needs clearing up in most of these videos about HR are that - your max HR is literally just the maximum rate your individual heart muscle is capable of beating at. It's not a recommended HR, its just a capacity for you and your physiology. On top of that the 220- age stat is only acurate +/- 5 bpm for 50% of tested athletes. That means that 50% of runners are outside +/- 5 and can be quite a lot out and still be normal and healthy. Case in point I'm 47 years old with a max HR of about 208 bpm. Every medical professional I've revealed that to merely responds with "impressive" I think the sooner running videos get a cardiologist in front of the camera to actually explain what max HR really is and true spread of ranges across all age groups the better off we'll be.

[@skiziskin]

I am now 67 and have not tested in a while. But when I was 44 I hit 209 on a stress test when I went to the cardiologist with a mysterious episode of tachycardia. My blood pressure during the test never got higher than 130/90. I got the same numbers a few years later on a follow up stress test when I didn't have tachycardia. My cardiologist said he didn't have any equipment that could stress my heart and that I have an abnormal physiology. I am a lifelong runner and ski mountaineer and my heart has always run faster than predicted. My cholesterol is slightly elevated but my TG/HDL ratio is 0.88, extremely good. my blood pressure is usually 100/60 and my resting heartrate is in the low 50s but I have to be very relaxed to get it that low. I don't use heart rate in training. I just do hard things that are enjoyable for me. I have Ankylosing Spondylitis, which my rheumatologist says has been well controlled by my active lifestyle. My spine shows signs of the disease and I have bone fragments in the ligaments along my spine and three previous fractured vertebrae that I never knew I had. My SI joints show signs of fusion but are not completely fused either. There are indications that the disease has been dormant and active at various times in my life and is currently controlled pretty well with Humira and Sulfasalazine. I'm not concerned about my heart and I'm not changing my lifestyle in any way other than needing a lot more rest and recovery than I'd like to admit. But what the hell, I'm a senior citizen and still crushing in the mountains. None of the predictors are anywhere close to my reality. I'll take it. 😊

[@adventuredogs8773]

Interesting. I'm similar. I've always been active (although only started runing 2yrs ago) but also think it's genetic. I'm 45 with a heart rate that gets up to 210bpm semi frequently and my resting is about 51 when I'm sleeping, giving a very broad range (heart rate reserve). Cool to hear of someone with similar stats.

[@kabbirgkmutube]

Good for you mate..iam 65 and a triathlete...max HR 170...min at 57..I have spinal stenosis early stages and I will beat it....keep doing what you enjoy and love

[@kabbirgkmutube]

@user-ec9hb3bo7m That is only a ratio....Which means...It can vary frm person to person....GET ACTIVE if you are not We all need cholesterol....Without which we will shrivelup

[@anandthande3836]

Amazing indeed with you having AS (seronegative, I guess) and keeping it under control being so active. You are an example to show for those with rheumatoid arthritis that being active they can have excellent control of this every day painful condition. You are really an inspiration, great to read your story, wish you the very best always...

[@alicejwho]

It would be great to see older people do this. Say, 60+

[@brannmacfinnchad9056]

I would be curious to see you to a multi-faceted one; testing it separately with both running and cycling, and comparing you guys to specialists (get GCN and the Running Channel in on it!) to see how much specialization effects a difference between sports.

[@pinjaliina]

It's so very, very difficult to stay motivated enough to measure your max HR! I don't know if I could ever do it on a treadmill; I need a hill, and preferably also a race, but if the race is too short or too long, I won't hit my absolute max. Usually I just use the estimate of my smartwatch; I always wear an HR strap.

[@petterikaristo9528]

Does it matter if it is your "absolute physical" maximum or simply your practical mental maximum 🤭

[@kar-gonet2187]

Max is 171 , after two heart procedures. I can feel the max by the tingling on my skin

[@danielakerman8241]

220-(.64 x age) works well for me. It’s within one or two beats of what I’ve empirically found in tests. I’m 49 years old and consistently land at 186-190

[@pierce9128]

Agreed 220-age for those training regularly shouldn't be used. But for beginners like the video shows it's a handy method to get started and learn / understand heart rate in training zones.

[@lafamillecarrington]

Just got a Fitbit Charge 6, so can now get an idea of my heart rate. I'm a proper oldie, at 68, and seem to be regularly getting to 175-180 on bike rides, which is a lot higher than 220 - age would predict. But I have no idea what that means! It seems that a lot of people think it is dangerous to go above your calculated maximum heart rate - I assume that is complete rubbish.

[@danielschechter8130]

I've done the Bruce treadmill stress test several times over the course of the last 20 or 30 years, and my maximum is usually one or two BPM below the predicted 220 minus my age.

[@Galahad54]

The numbers produced by Tanaka et. al. in 2001 is 208 - .7 * age, and is the best calibrated for people of all ages, including over age 50. That other formula I don't have in front of me was heavily weighted with people under age 40, so for people over age 50, it's more an extrapolation, while Tanaka is still interpolation up to age 60+.

[@DR_1_1]

It's a good approximation I guess, now everyone is different, this MHR value doesn't mean you can't get higher, some HIT training include peaks at 105% for example...

[@infovidasupps8640]

Marc was jogging lol He is an absolute stud !!

[@MrHaggyy]

I made my sports teacher scratch his head back in school. I easily went above 200 and maxed out around 220 as a 18-year-old. I haven't tested it in a while but I'm at 180-190bpm at my racepace at 30 years of age. But the 220-age is also just an approximation so most people will be above or below. You might want to test it again on a hot day at a track outdoors. It's much easier to flat-out max effort in those conditions than on a treadmill. We jogged a few laps, made a warm-up, sprinted some 50m just shy of full power, and then fully sent it for as long as we could.

[@IT-fr4wb]

an intriguing question/ I’m now 70 + experienced an aortic dissection @62 + miraculously survived + sort-of recovered! breathlessness is now my companion when beginning exercise (lifetime runner/biker/last 10 yrs swimmer) + as lost toes(dry gangrene from loss of circulation end of surgery. Orthotics are amazing🎉).. having rediscovered mountainbiking thnx to an ebike, I consider myself extremely fortunate but do monitor my HR on long rides (60+km) in t wilder parts out here in NZ. t Cardiologist who’s overseen my life since is NOT impressed w my mtb activities (swimming not an issue/ HR starts around 120 + ends after a km about 80.. PS I’m slow! +technically V smooth/relaxed) + has warned me sudden death is a possibility. having said all that I’ve found operating between 140-150 is OK but often requires a “breather” to settle t rate(recovers quickly) + have scared myself once seeing 203. It’s a bugger mountainbiking is Soo addictive! particularly downhill lol. something for you’s to mull over. I believe we’re all unique + can be quite different within our bodies, + I’m not going to change anything lol.

[@D2traveller]

Runner and rider aged 68 so the three formulas give me 152/159/170. The third formula is pretty close for me - in the last year I’ve hit 174 riding and 180 on the treadmill - using a heart rate strap, both probably close to all out efforts but not specifically trying to test HR. Usually find my HR is higher when running than riding.

[@thomaswilson5228]

yes, this is me also. 66.5 andI can see 180"s on treadmill going hard. I swim , bike and run, weigh 183 can bench 225 x 1.

[@kiwiintrovert6676]

Did a max Hr test on my bike once. Took days of psyching myself up to face it. Hardest thing I ever did cycling. About 25km long with 800m climb at the end. 1st 5km warmup on small ring, 2nd 5km big ring but not pushing just getting HR up. 3rd 5km pushing up to threshold. 4th 5km threshold, last 5km going above lactate threshold into anaerobic and pushing huge gear reaching bottom of hill anaerobic and chuck it into sprint gear and sprint on drops up 800m climb full noise. I was in so much pain from about a 3rd of the way up. I think I was on my back for about 20mins after recovering. People stopping to ask if I was ok. Couldn’t speak just waved them off 😂. Never again. In all the races I’ve done I never felt like that.

[@briansteele2723]

Weekend cyclist and runner aged 51, male, can hold 165/170 for an hour or so but typically run at 160 and max out 195 on wahoo on bike. Varies with temperature and asthma

[@klasse3406]

26 year old male. Max - never tested Highest recorded - 217 bpm Resting heart rate ~ 45 bpm Should i be worried about going over 200 bpm when doing exercise ?

[@WoodCat]

I’m 30 and recorded 210 when I was sprinting but not even full out. We all just have different bodies. You should look up the distribution graph for max heart rate and you will see that you fit in there somewhere.

[@DR_1_1]

Most people have episodes of supraventricular tachycardia, too.

[@nukez88]

I did one of these test's in the hospital a few years ago and got 188 Max HR. Which is coincidentally 220-my age at the time. And the thing that got me to do that test was the fact I complained to my doctor that one night I woke up, and my heart was racing like never before, so I measured it and it was also 188. So I had to go into the kitchen and walk it off till it calmed down.

[@joeyGunz1-w1r]

Thats scary, why was it that high? Panic attack?

[@nukez88]

@@joeyGunz1-w1r I honestly dont know. That happened that one time and never again.

[@jchidley]

197 measured recently - I'm 56. It tends to be higher when I first start training after a break. Highest measured in my 20s 186. I mostly cycle now and I concentrate on power measurement (Assioma pedals).

[@miguelalonsoperez5609]

There are a tone of formulae about heart rate decrease with age, because it decreases with age and no other better predictive factor was found in physiological non-medicated conditions. So the first thing we should take care is measuring year by year: even with the best lab measuring, next year you can decrease 3-4 beats / minute or not decreasing at all. Who knows… The other thing is ALL formulae are statistical! If you see a graphic with 1.000 HR patients on Y axes vs. their ages on X axes you will not see a perfect straight line going slowly downwards since 220 at 0 age. You will see a huge cloud of points that is bounded less and less high: I have actually a 33 yo. patient with MHR = 172 and a 42 y.o one with MHR = 204 Formulae give you a reasonable chance of your HR with some accuracy which is given on studies (you can read for example F(some arithmetics around age) = MHR +- 10 bpm that mean usually Standard Deviation from the average or less usually the interval for 90 % studied population interval. That is, MHR based formulae are given with the advice of taking care of sensations, efficiency of training (if you overtrain your MHR was overestimate or your intensity may be recalculated) and local changes on HR (heat, humidity, caffeine, drugs, sleeping etc). My personal advice is to use your intensities TO CALCULATE your zones, not adapt your intensities with any HR model which is only a global line for people who train large populations (school teachers, physiotherapists, trainers on teams without technical resources)

[@panzerveps]

For me the 3rd calculation (which I'd never heard of until today) is the closest one of the 3, but still off by at least 6 bpm. I'm 41, and the highest I've seen in a while is 191. Pre pandemic was around 196.

[@pauloshdias]

So I reached the end of the video not know what does that mean? How important it is our to heart rate? What does that value tell us? How can that be of use to me in my trainings? Why should I care about that number? Are there reasons to be worried about? These were the things I was expecting to see on this video. 😅Plus: You ended up not saying what is the best way to go about measure our heart rate. Is just running for 400m with regular speed increases? And for those who can't (or shouldn't) run?

[@thejeffinvade]

I am 38. My max HR is at least 205, that is recorded using chest strap, so I know it is accurate. Last year I also recorded HR of 209 from my Garmin watch.

[@ZawirRunner]

Did i missed something or u did not mention what tools are being used to get their MHR. Chest strap or Optical or Arm band HRM? Thanks

[@richarddobson4382]

I'm 63 and cycle quite a lot and recently got a chest band monitor. I have got up to 179 which is 22 more than 220 - age.

[@SprintTri58]

I’m 58 and my max HR running is 185. Resting HR 39. My last 5K a few weeks ago was up to 179 on last mile. 220-58 is 162 which is only tempo pace. So that formula is off by 23 BPM!

[@krishnansrinivasan830]

Awesome & Thanks :)

[@DeputatKaktus]

Weird. I am a volunteer firefighter. During our last exercise where I had to help carry two people out of a building while wearing full kit (about 50 lbs worth of breathing apparatus, tools, the works), I peaked at 197 if my watch is anything to go by. I am 43 years old. Yes I was toast after. Yes, I was sweating buckets. But it was OK. I recovered pretty quickly.

[@mikhilito]

Come on Mark! Let’s goooo.

[@mirekkowalski2284]

This test would be more useful if everyone was using it's own watch to monitor heart beat rate. This way you could also compare precision of wrist/chest measurement methods.

[@softpool1286]

I'm 26 and I have seen my hr hit 205 during a very intense run day. I do tests to set my zones but also look at what different calculations would predict my max to be just to have a general idea of what might be expected. I generally am much higher than the calculators for whatever reason

[@melibaut]

It would be interesting to see max heart rate comparison for Mark on bike, run, swim. Also compare to other presenters.

[@giodc8599]

Thank you! You have no idea how many times a week i have to call people out on reddit when they use this stupid formula to calculate max HR.

[@icord50]

I’m 74 and my MHR when in my 50’s was 185 bpm’s and ran Boston at 165 bpm’s, however that all changed at age 73 when I had a pacemaker installed and have been advised that160 is my max and going harder could result in feinting.

[@IT-fr4wb]

wise man, it could b worse than fainting too/ you might not “come to”. hope that doesn’t happen. : )

[@MikeDavis-g1f]

Just wondering if anyone else has seen an increase in max HR after having COVID. Mine increased by 4 to 5 bpm and has stayed there since. That was in 2021. Was worried initially but recovery is still good and resting HR not changed. Just a bigger range to play in 👍

[@terolaitanen]

Age 56, max HR 184 (tested with 2 different HR belts running a hill), never used this general formula.

[@belst_]

I've never hit max hr on a treadmill, so not so sure about the test. Only way I hit max hr is on hills

[@ACs946]

52 yrs and had HR190 from two devices during VO2 max/lactate test last week. (all I was doing was walking)

[@Alecmcq]

I reckon do a hard parkrun and make sure the last 500m is flat out. At the end you will be at your max.

[@emberchord]

So happy to see heather again. I panicked for a while that she had left.

[@Pepesilvia267]

Basic calc says I am 182. I’ve run hard for 3 years. I hit 193 last sprint day. I’d say the basic calc is good for new runners or younger runners as it’s probably more accurate but once you are over 30 and a regular runner, I think the 220 - age breaks down.

[@Panoplyimaging]

Age 66: 182 MHR cycling, RHR 48

[@t2smith]

211 - (age X 0.64) gave me 179 which I hit at the end of my treadmill run by increasing the incline and speed to as much as I could handle.

[@richardmiddleton7770]

Your maximum ACHIEVABLE heart rate will depend how deep into training and/or rested you are. A grand tour rider might be able to hit 200bpm on stage 1 of a grand tour but will struggle to hit 165bpm by the end. Not only does their blood volume increase but their muscles get more efficient and actually atrophy so they no longer require such high blood flow. 180 minus age probably puts you in the middle of these two extremes.

[@valerieprema9432]

My max hr according to the 220-age formula is almost the same as my current lactate threshold lol. I don't think I know my max hr, but I have measured my threshold with a heart rate strap and I calculate my zones with that.

[@LUMIGOCHA]

Interesting experiment. Would like to see the difference in technique (steps per minute, angles of foot, knees and hips, arm movement , etc.between elite/pro like Marc and the rest (amateurs, beginners).. Would really like to know why Marc looked so relax on the treadmill . Can you get there with peoper training or is rhere a limiting factor? (Physiology, length of limbs. Etc.)

[@user-cx2bk6pm2f]

How about testing older athletes and show us how HR changes with age?

[@stefanweilhartner4415]

yeah, testing the formula with people of similar age does not make sense.

[@dimitar297]

The upbeat jazz funk music in the background made the narration somehow more interesting

[@brettansley8600]

When I was 23 I did a VO2Max test and they stopped the test when my heart rate reached 245 because they said the risk was too high to continue. Now I'm 48 and my max is 195 or so.

[@Borntoberolled]

I am 31 years old and my maximum heart rate is 201 (using den Garmin HRM Pro). During my last half marathon my average HR was 180 while reaching 200bpm in the final k (the last 3k with 194bpm average). During my last 10k my average HR was 190 while reaching 201 bpm. I think these numbers are pretty accurate.

[@eliaspirig1640]

These are some massive stats haha, i thought i can work long at high HR (10k avg 186 with max 196) also garmin hrm pro

[@MrTubeRichie]

30y old, Max reached at hill training of 205 one time. Rest at night according to my watch is 48

[@cameronmacdonald772]

When Mark maxed out the speed, you could have increased the incline to put more stress on his heart and maybe get closer to his MHR.

[@thepainphantom]

Inclining slopes always manage to get my rate up.

[@jdaviesaudio3924]

I regularly fly through the 205bpm mark (measured with a chest strap) I see 219 a few times per year during races. (27 years old)

[@DR_1_1]

Supraventricular tachycardia is common at any age...

[@edwin5419]

I highly doubt anyone's still using it. And people only know it now by all the coaches saying not to use it

[@gtn]

There are still quite a few people using it as a rough guide!

[@tinshield]

55 years old and regularly see high 180’s mountain biking

[@davissi]

My resting is 39, my HR at running 8min/mile is 114bpm, 7min/mile is 133bpm and maximum is around 138-140bpm at 6'30min/mile and I'm 52 years old but all that was the same when I was 17. Don't try to work out an average and apply it to anyone, it's futile and dangerous.

[@CaptainBrash]

This is interesting, I'm 37 ex unfit guy. and all the calculations were pretty far from what my watch+chest strap says. The closest was the final calculation at 187 and my watch says 193. My rhr is fairly high though despite being in good shape.

[@roccotarulli2464]

I do have questions. As you joke the heart rate test isn't a compotation well in my case it is just that. I'm a young 66 year old whose max heart rate heart rate is 154. I on occasion get to that high a number also above on a run. I haven't tried an all out run for 400 meters yet but I might try that to see how high it will go. So my question is if you go over your max heart rate does that indicate a level of health? I've also heard you should shoot for 80% that number for a good work out. I'd be interested to learn more from you. Thank you.

[@edittide9842]

I presume all of us who are interested stopped using 220 - age as soon as we have some data points.

[@gtn]

yep!

[@Aidan-tu4un]

2.27’ I have used AppleWatch and Garmin chest strap at same time and Watch is pretty identical.

[@Toomanydays]

80 bmp thanks to bradycardia probably caused by decades of endurance training. Zone 2 training is all I do now😅

[@cupiddstunt]

Ok so I’m curious, I’m a 73 yr old biscuit muncher, 6ft2in and 15.25st. Resting heart rate is 42/43 bpm. Not been an athlete since leaving school, although have always been moderately active. Took up off-road cycling around my mid 60’s (gravel bike and full suspension hill cycling). My Garmin has regularly clocked me at 166 to 168bpm when climbing some of the tracks I visit. MHR indicated to be somewhere around 147, should I try to keep under or closer to my theoretical max?

[@DR_1_1]

Maybe try to do some ECG or holter under effort to be sure, supraventricular tachycardia is quite common at any age. I also have some HR well above my theorical MHR, and average and maximum HR are quite variable, even when I'm trying to stay in Z2 on mostly flat terrain...

[@Fehr270]

Not sure what mine is but not sure it really matters. Now I’m going to check my Garmin app anyway.

[@smoore5540]

Cyclist for 40 years, ex racer, still ride and odd park run. 56 now. Find that I've lost 20 beats off my max, and resting 43 bpm. defo recovery takes longer👍

[@Zyzzyx42]

50 yo M, lifelong recreational cyclist who thinks running is stupid. ;) Recent max efforts have had me in low 190s. I can hold 175-180 for a long time. I remember checking my HR when I was ~20yo after hard sprints on the bike and getting 225-230 on a 10 or 20 second manual pulse count.

[@HikingUtah]

I'm not sure if I entirely understand the idea behind my maximum heart rate. Is it simply the highest my heart can possibly beat? I'm not an athlete but hike each week. I'm 63 and my HR got up over 150. I can't figure out if that's a concern, or if I should just push to whatever I have energy for.

[@RichardTuzinkiewicz]

I'm 60 and according to galaxy watch during swimming it regularly hits 200 and average between 170 and 180. I've just had a stent fitted and now stopped smoking, starting swimming again soon so will repost new figures.

[@uralmutlu4320]

I am 46yo. I exercise on and off. I started cycling recently and when I push very hard my HR reaches 180bpm for about maybe 30-60 seconds, I can not physically sustain exercise at this level for longer. I end up with an average HR of ~155bpm for the training session. Acording to my watch, my long term resting HR is 59bpm, including night time. I would like to know if I'm actually doing long term damage to my heart by pushing my limits.

[@gordonchan89]

I pay lots of attention as I've noticed that if I can keep my heart rate under 160BPM, I can sustain a fast run/ride/swim pace. My garmin HR monitor says my max is 178 but that said...my last 3 triathlons, my HR per my Garmin watch has spiked to 210 at the beginning of every run so I have no clue what my true max HR is.

[@jc10747]

Missed conclusion….how many showed 220-age was wrong, how many showed other calculations were right. And next is calculation of the training zones and the thresholds.

[@damiandormer7868]

Why is it important to have an accurate estimate of max HR? How does it help in a practical sense? Doesn't the 'maximum' actually depend on the circumstances, for example 'running for one's life' is different to 'how to perform best in a triathlon' - presumably the focus here is on the latter definition/type of maximum? If the workout example is supposed to produce 'max HR' then why didn't it work for one participant? If there are different parameters for the commonly used max HR formula what are the intuitions behind how the parameters change?

[@oldtwinsna8347]

allows you to get rough estimates of your zone and train to that. cheap and effective without having to go see a professional physiologist for testing and unnecessary for recreational fitness.

[@tobiaslink4698]

Once I learned about FTP I started wondering if the "max" in the max HR formulas actually meant "sustainable max" rather than absolute mechanical max. By this definition a sustained FTP effort would line up better with the formula and an all-out anaerobic ramp-style effort (like in this video) would exceed the formula estimate by some margin. I tend to favour the "sustainable max" definition because in my experience it lines up much better for predicted training zones. How useful is HR based on a peak anaerobic output that lasts a few seconds?

[@Finnspin_unicycles]

Since most of the research on training zones is based on this "absolute max", I think it is useful. But of course, those training zones are also just an estimate for an individual, so you may need to adjust them a bit. I do the opposite to you, I have to adjust my HR max up from what I can actually achieve as a peak to get them to line up with perceived effort/breathing markers. (It would probably be "cleaner" to adjust the HR thresholds for each zone instead, but honestly, as long as zone 2 seems reasonable I don't care too much about the rest.)

[@MattSwain1]

The last one seems closest for me given that I’ve exceeded the number produced by both of the first 2 methods in the past few weeks. I seem to get a higher number running outside than on the treadmill (and it’s not due to me outrunning the treadmill 😂)

[@LeeChetwynd]

Any chance you can do a video on Heart rate zones for swimming please? I cannot seem to get mine right. Much lower than my running heart rate I think due to being mostly horizontal.

[@steveshort4330]

194 last week and im 51, 5 years back I was hitting 202.

[@peterhallstrom7951]

Man 66. Did reach 179 with chest strap and Garmin e few years ago. Garmin optic puls while sleeping 52 to 55. Hard for me to get into higher zone 4.

[@mad4tar77]

I'm 47M, 183cm, 91kg, and I began cycling again 3 months ago, after 5 years off the bike due to multiple back surgeries. I had been doing a 6km walk daily for the last year. I now do three or four 25km cycles per week, over some undulating terrain, which takes me an hour. Normally, my average heart rate is around 150bpm and max around 175bpm, measured from a Samsung Galaxy 4 smartwatch. Yesterday, it was very windy, and my average heart rate for the hour was 183bpm, and my max was 217bpm. Yes, I was going hard, but it didn't feel anything like as hard as those numbers from my smartwatch suggest. Is this normal? Should I be worried? Should I make a conscious effort to cycle slower?

[@HerrKlais]

For me: Max around 205bpm Sustainable for 10-15min: 185bpm Heavy excercise: 175bpm Resting Hr: 50-55bpm Age 30.

[@GabryMood]

Same to me. 34

[@solefreak2]

@@GabryMood similar for me at 42

[@abhiwithwings]

I have hit 222 running while its 40 degree C, measured from garmin hrm pro plus, im 29

[@mattmarcus]

I think you died 😂

[@abhiwithwings]

@@mattmarcus nah i was totally fine just pushed a bit at end of 5k. I regularly hit 210-215

[@alicejwho]

I'm 58 and my max hr whilst cycling is 184bpm. Going by 220 minus age, it should be 162!! My rhr overnight is 39 to low 40s

[@MarkPuckett]

I did an intense workout where my heart rate got to 188 BPM for 5 seconds (15 steps), and a10-second average of 185 BPM. I'm inclined to use 188 as my HRmax - is that the right choice?