Max Heart Rate Calculator
Estimate your maximum heart rate from your age with four published equations side by side, from the familiar 220 minus age to newer research formulas.
Maximum heart rate falls with age, and there are several published ways to predict it. At 40, 220 minus age gives 180 bpm, Tanaka's 208 minus 0.7 times age also gives 180, Gellish's 207 minus 0.7 times age gives 179, and Nes's 211 minus 0.64 times age gives 185. So for a 40-year-old, expect about 179 to 185 bpm.
This calculator gives population estimates for general education; it is not medical advice, an exercise prescription, or a substitute for care from a qualified health professional. Your own maximum heart rate can differ from every prediction by 10 bpm or more, and medicines such as beta blockers and some heart conditions can change it. Do not exercise to these numbers if you have heart disease, chest pain, dizziness or shortness of breath with exertion, or have been inactive; talk to your doctor first, and stop exercising if you feel unwell.
Whole years from 18 to 99. The equations were built on adults; they predict an average for your age, not your own measured maximum.
Predicted maximum heart rate
179 to 185 bpm
- 220 − age (Fox, 1971)
- 180 bpm
- 208 − 0.7 × age (Tanaka, 2001)
- 180 bpm
- 207 − 0.7 × age (Gellish, 2007)
- 179 bpm
- 211 − 0.64 × age (Nes, 2013)
- 185 bpm
A measured maximum commonly sits 10 bpm or more above or below any of these predictions.
Embed this calculator on your site →
About the Max Heart Rate Calculator
The best-known formula, 220 minus age, traces to a 1971 review by Fox, Naughton and Haskell, who drew a line through earlier data rather than fitting one. Tanaka and colleagues pooled 351 earlier studies in 2001 and proposed 208 minus 0.7 times age, which runs lower than 220 minus age for young adults and higher for older ones. Gellish's 2007 equation, 207 minus 0.7 times age, followed 132 people through 908 exercise tests over 25 years. Nes's 2013 equation, 211 minus 0.64 times age, comes from 3,320 healthy adults in Norway's HUNT study and predicts a higher maximum than the others at most ages. The formulas agree closely in midlife and drift apart with age: at 30 they span 186 to 192 bpm, and at 60 they give Fox 160, Tanaka 166, Gellish 165 and Nes 173, a 160 to 173 range. Any one person's true maximum can sit 10 bpm or more away from all of them.
Frequently asked questions
Is 220 minus age accurate?+
It is a rough average, not a measurement. Studies since have found it tends to overestimate the maximum in younger adults and underestimate it in older ones, which is why newer equations such as Tanaka's change the slope to 0.7 beats per year.
Which formula should I use?+
Looking at all four is more useful than picking one, because the gap between them shows how uncertain an age-based estimate is. If you train by heart rate zones, a maximum measured during a supervised exercise test is far more reliable than any of these.
Why can my heart rate go higher than the predicted maximum?+
Because the equations describe an average for people your age. In the Nes study the standard error of the estimate was 10.8 bpm, so many healthy people exceed it and many never reach it.
Do medicines change my maximum heart rate?+
Some do. Beta blockers and certain other heart and blood pressure medicines lower the heart rate you can reach, so these predictions do not apply. Ask the doctor who prescribed them what heart rate range is right for you.
Equations: Tanaka H et al., J Am Coll Cardiol 2001;37(1):153-156; Gellish RL et al., Med Sci Sports Exerc 2007;39(5):822-829; Nes BM et al., Scand J Med Sci Sports 2013;23(6):697-704; Fox SM 3rd, Naughton JP, Haskell WL, Ann Clin Res 1971;3(6):404-432.
Embed this calculator
Free to use on your own site. Paste this snippet where you want the max heart rate calculator to appear — it resizes itself automatically.
<iframe
src="https://manytools.co/embed/max-heart-rate-calculator"
title="Max Heart Rate Calculator by ManyTools"
data-manytools="max-heart-rate-calculator"
width="100%"
height="640"
loading="lazy"
style="border:0;width:100%;max-width:720px"></iframe>
<script>
(function () {
window.addEventListener("message", function (e) {
if (e.origin !== "https://manytools.co") return;
var d = e.data || {};
if (d.type !== "manytools:embed:height" || d.slug !== "max-heart-rate-calculator") return;
var f = document.querySelector('iframe[data-manytools="max-heart-rate-calculator"]');
if (f && d.height) f.style.height = d.height + "px";
});
})();
</script><a href="https://manytools.co/health/max-heart-rate-calculator">Max Heart Rate Calculator by ManyTools</a>