Max Heart Rate Calculator

Estimating your max heart rate

The classic 220-minus-age formula has been used for decades but tends to overestimate max heart rate in younger people and underestimate it in older adults. The Tanaka formula (208 - 0.7 × age), from a large 2001 meta-analysis, tracks somewhat more accurately across a wider age range.

Both are population-level estimates. Individual max heart rate varies meaningfully — a supervised max effort test or a hard, all-out race effort near the end gives a far more accurate personal number than any formula.

Where these numbers come from

The formulas and default values in this calculator are based on:

• Tanaka, H., Monahan, K.D., Seals, D.R. (2001), "Age-Predicted Maximal Heart Rate Revisited," Journal of the American College of Cardiology
• classic 220-minus-age formula (origin debated, in common use since the 1970s)

These are planning estimates for training purposes. Check with a coach, trainer, or physician before starting a new program or maxing out.