Max heart rate by age
Estimated maximum heart rate in beats per minute for ages 20 to 80, by each of the five formulas. The Gulati formula comes from a study of women only. The others were built on men and women together, apart from 220 − age, where no equation was fitted to the data.
| Age | 220 − age | Tanaka | Gellish | Nes | Gulati women |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 | 200 | 194 | 193 | 198 | 188 |
| 25 | 195 | 191 | 190 | 195 | 184 |
| 30 | 190 | 187 | 186 | 192 | 180 |
| 35 | 185 | 184 | 183 | 189 | 175 |
| 40 | 180 | 180 | 179 | 185 | 171 |
| 45 | 175 | 177 | 176 | 182 | 166 |
| 50 | 170 | 173 | 172 | 179 | 162 |
| 55 | 165 | 170 | 169 | 176 | 158 |
| 60 | 160 | 166 | 165 | 173 | 153 |
| 65 | 155 | 163 | 162 | 169 | 149 |
| 70 | 150 | 159 | 158 | 166 | 144 |
| 75 | 145 | 156 | 155 | 163 | 140 |
| 80 | 140 | 152 | 151 | 160 | 136 |
Rounded to the nearest beat. These are averages for an age: in the study behind the Nes formula the standard error was 10.8 bpm.
Target heart rate by age
The American Heart Association (AHA) puts moderate-intensity activity at about 50 to 70% of maximum heart rate and vigorous activity at about 70 to 85%, and estimates maximum heart rate as about 220 minus your age. This chart applies those figures to each age.
| Age | Max 220 − age | Moderate 50-70% | Vigorous 70-85% |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20 | 200 | 100-140 | 140-170 |
| 25 | 195 | 98-137 | 137-166 |
| 30 | 190 | 95-133 | 133-162 |
| 35 | 185 | 93-130 | 130-157 |
| 40 | 180 | 90-126 | 126-153 |
| 45 | 175 | 88-123 | 123-149 |
| 50 | 170 | 85-119 | 119-145 |
| 55 | 165 | 83-116 | 116-140 |
| 60 | 160 | 80-112 | 112-136 |
| 65 | 155 | 78-109 | 109-132 |
| 70 | 150 | 75-105 | 105-128 |
| 75 | 145 | 73-102 | 102-123 |
| 80 | 140 | 70-98 | 98-119 |
Beats per minute. At age 40 the AHA’s whole target zone, 50 to 85% of max, is 90 to 153 bpm.
Heart rate zones by age
This heart rate zones chart has the five training zones as Polar and Garmin define them, each a band of 10% of maximum heart rate from 50% up, with max heart rate from the Tanaka formula. For zones from your own max or by heart rate reserve, use the heart rate zone calculator, and for zone 2 alone the zone 2 calculator.
| Age | Zone 1 50-60% | Zone 2 60-70% | Zone 3 70-80% | Zone 4 80-90% | Zone 5 90-100% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 | 97-116 | 116-136 | 136-155 | 155-175 | 175-194 |
| 25 | 95-114 | 114-133 | 133-152 | 152-171 | 171-191 |
| 30 | 94-112 | 112-131 | 131-150 | 150-168 | 168-187 |
| 35 | 92-110 | 110-128 | 128-147 | 147-165 | 165-184 |
| 40 | 90-108 | 108-126 | 126-144 | 144-162 | 162-180 |
| 45 | 88-106 | 106-124 | 124-141 | 141-159 | 159-177 |
| 50 | 87-104 | 104-121 | 121-138 | 138-156 | 156-173 |
| 55 | 85-102 | 102-119 | 119-136 | 136-153 | 153-170 |
| 60 | 83-100 | 100-116 | 116-133 | 133-149 | 149-166 |
| 65 | 81-98 | 98-114 | 114-130 | 130-146 | 146-163 |
| 70 | 80-95 | 95-111 | 111-127 | 127-143 | 143-159 |
| 75 | 78-93 | 93-109 | 109-124 | 124-140 | 140-156 |
| 80 | 76-91 | 91-106 | 106-122 | 122-137 | 137-152 |
Beats per minute. A zone ends where the next begins, so each edge appears in two columns.
How it works
Maximum heart rate is the highest rate your heart reaches in an all-out effort. It falls with age, which is why it can be estimated from age alone. Each formula is a straight line through data from a different group of people, so they give different answers:
- 220 − age (Fox, 1971). A line that sits near about 35 data points gathered from earlier studies. No equation was fitted to them.
- Tanaka, 2001: 208 − 0.7 × age. A pooled analysis of 351 studies with 18,712 healthy adults, checked in a lab study of 514 more. No difference between men and women.
- Gellish, 2007: 207 − 0.7 × age. 132 adults of both sexes, followed through 908 maximal exercise tests over 25 years at a university fitness center.
- Nes, 2013: 211 − 0.64 × age. 3,320 healthy men and women in Norway (the HUNT Fitness Study), each tested to a verified maximum.
- Gulati, 2010: 206 − 0.88 × age. 5,437 women with no symptoms of heart disease, average age 52, each given a maximal exercise stress test.
The calculator shows all five. At 40 they run from 171 to 185 bpm. Tanaka and 220 − age agree at exactly 40. Below that age 220 − age gives the higher number, and above it the lower one: at 70 it gives 150 against Tanaka’s 159.
Target heart rate is a share of that maximum. There are two ways to take the share:
- Percent of max. Multiply max heart rate by the percentage. The American Heart Association defines moderate intensity as about 50 to 70% of max and vigorous intensity as about 70 to 85%.
- The Karvonen formula. Take the percentage of your heart rate reserve, which is max minus resting heart rate, then add the resting rate back on. It gives a higher heart rate than the same percent of max, so the two sets of numbers should not be mixed.
The charts and ranges on this page are worked out here from the published figures. Plates & Pace is not affiliated with the American Heart Association, Polar or Garmin.
The formula
Max heart rate (bpm)
Fox 220 − age
Tanaka 208 − 0.7 × age
Gellish 207 − 0.7 × age
Nes 211 − 0.64 × age
Gulati 206 − 0.88 × age
from a study of women
Target, percent of max
target = max × percent
Target, Karvonen
reserve = max − resting
target = reserve × percent
+ resting
AHA, percent of max
moderate 50 to 70%
vigorous 70 to 85%Worked example
A 40-year-old with a resting heart rate of 60.
- Tanaka: 208 − 0.7 × 40 = 180 bpm. The other formulas give 180 (220 − age), 179 (Gellish), 185 (Nes) and 171 (Gulati).
- Moderate intensity, 50 to 70% of max: 180 × 50% = 90 and 180 × 70% = 126 bpm.
- Vigorous intensity, 70 to 85% of max: 126 to 153 bpm.
- Karvonen at 70%: (180 − 60) × 70% + 60 = 144 bpm, against 126 for 70% of max.
How accurate are age formulas
They give the average for an age, and people of the same age differ a lot.
- In the HUNT Fitness Study behind the Nes formula, the standard error of the estimate was 10.8 beats per minute. The authors write that this error must be taken into account when max heart rate is predicted from age alone.
- A 2002 review by Robergs and Landwehr collected 43 formulas and found prediction errors of 7 to 11 beats per minute, with most age-only equations above 10. It concluded that there was no acceptable method of estimating max heart rate.
- The same review traced 220 − age to a 1971 paper by Fox and colleagues, where it describes a line that sits near the data points in a figure. No regression was run on them.
- Tanaka and colleagues found that 220 − age underestimates max heart rate in older adults.
To know your own maximum it has to be measured, which is what the studies above did in maximal exercise tests. If you have a heart condition or take medication that affects heart rate, ask your doctor what your heart rate should be.
Questions
What is my max heart rate by age?
By the Tanaka formula, 194 at 20, 187 at 30, 180 at 40, 173 at 50, 166 at 60 and 159 at 70. By 220 − age, 200 at 20, 190 at 30, 180 at 40, 170 at 50, 160 at 60 and 150 at 70. These are averages: your own maximum can be well above or below. The chart above has five formulas for every five years of age.
Is 220 − age accurate?
It is a rough guide. No equation was fitted to data to get it: it comes from a 1971 review, where it describes a line near the points in a figure. Tanaka and colleagues, who pooled 351 studies, found it underestimates max heart rate in older adults and proposed 208 − 0.7 × age. Whichever formula you use, the typical error for one person is around 10 beats per minute.
What is a target heart rate?
The heart rate range to aim for at a chosen intensity. The American Heart Association puts moderate-intensity activity at about 50 to 70% of maximum heart rate and vigorous activity at about 70 to 85%. With 220 − age, a 40-year-old has a max of 180, so moderate is 90 to 126 bpm and vigorous is 126 to 153 bpm.
What is the Karvonen formula?
Target heart rate = (max heart rate − resting heart rate) × percent + resting heart rate. The part in brackets is your heart rate reserve. With a max of 180 and a resting heart rate of 60, 60% is (180 − 60) × 60% + 60 = 132 bpm and 80% is 156 bpm. Enter your resting heart rate above to fill the Karvonen column.
Is max heart rate different for women?
The studies disagree. Gulati and colleagues tested 5,437 women and got 206 − 0.88 × age, which is lower than the general formulas: 162 at 50 against 173 by Tanaka. Tanaka’s analysis found no difference between men and women, and the HUNT study found only minor ones. The calculator shows the Gulati figure next to the others so you can see the spread.
How do I find my real max heart rate?
By measuring it in a maximal exercise test, which is how the studies behind these formulas got their data. A formula gives the average for your age, with a standard error of about 11 beats per minute. If you have a measured max, choose My own number in the calculator and the targets will use it.
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Sources
- Fox SM 3rd, Naughton JP, Haskell WL. Physical activity and the prevention of coronary heart disease. Annals of Clinical Research. 1971;3(6):404-432. The review that 220 − age is traced to.
- Robergs RA, Landwehr R. The surprising history of the “HRmax=220-age” equation. Journal of Exercise Physiology online. 2002;5(2):1-10.
- Tanaka H, Monahan KD, Seals DR. Age-predicted maximal heart rate revisited. Journal of the American College of Cardiology. 2001;37(1):153-156.
- Gellish RL, Goslin BR, Olson RE, McDonald A, Russi GD, Moudgil VK. Longitudinal modeling of the relationship between age and maximal heart rate. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise. 2007;39(5):822-829.
- Nes BM, Janszky I, Wisløff U, Støylen A, Karlsen T. Age-predicted maximal heart rate in healthy subjects: the HUNT Fitness Study. Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports. 2013;23(6):697-704.
- Gulati M, Shaw LJ, Thisted RA, Black HR, Bairey Merz CN, Arnsdorf MF. Heart rate response to exercise stress testing in asymptomatic women: the St. James Women Take Heart Project. Circulation. 2010;122(2):130-137.
- American Heart Association. Target Heart Rates Chart. Last reviewed 12 August 2024.
- Karvonen MJ, Kentala E, Mustala O. The effects of training on heart rate; a longitudinal study. Annales Medicinae Experimentalis et Biologiae Fenniae. 1957;35(3):307-315. The origin of the heart rate reserve method.
- Polar. Heart rate zones: the five zones as percentages of maximum heart rate.
- Garmin. Forerunner 965 Owner’s Manual: Heart Rate Zone Calculations.