Maximum heart rate calculator
The famous 220 minus age rule is the Fox equation, and it is the least accurate of the four here. Tanaka fits adults better; Gulati was fitted to women specifically.
years
bpm
Maximum heart rate (Tanaka)
184bpm
- Fox, 220 minus age
- 185 bpm
- Gulati, fitted to women
- 175 bpm
- Nes
- 189 bpm
- Heart rate reserve
- 124 bpm
- Zone 2 lower bound
- 134 bpm
- Zone 2 upper bound
- 146 bpm
- Zone 4 lower bound
- 159 bpm
- Zone 4 upper bound
- 171 bpm
Show the working
- Age = 35
- Resting heart rate = 60
- Fox, 220 minus age = 220 - 35 = 185
- Maximum heart rate (Tanaka) = 208 - 0.7 * 35 = 183.5
- Gulati, fitted to women = 206 - 0.88 * 35 = 175.2
- Nes = 211 - 0.64 * 35 = 188.6
- Heart rate reserve = 183.5 - 60 = 123.5
- Zone 2 lower bound = 60 + 0.6 * 123.5 = 134.1
- Zone 2 upper bound = 60 + 0.7 * 123.5 = 146.45
- Zone 4 lower bound = 60 + 0.8 * 123.5 = 158.8
- Zone 4 upper bound = 60 + 0.9 * 123.5 = 171.15
Values are shown to six significant figures here; the arithmetic itself runs on exact fractions and is only rounded where a number is printed.
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The formula
- Fox: HRmax = 220 - age
- Tanaka: HRmax = 208 - 0.7 x age
- Gulati: HRmax = 206 - 0.88 x age
- Karvonen zone = resting + intensity x (HRmax - resting)
Standard deviation on any age-based estimate is around 10 to 12 bpm, so an individual can easily be 20 bpm from the prediction.
A measured maximum from a hard field test beats every formula here.
This is a population formula, not a diagnosis. Individual metabolism, body composition and medical history all move the real answer, so treat the number as a starting point and talk to a clinician about anything that matters.