Tanaka
208 − 0.7 × age
Pooled from 351 studies (18,712 people), then checked in the lab on 514 adults. Most recent research uses it by default, and so does the heart rate zone calculator when you only give your age.
Max heart rate calculator
220 minus age is quick arithmetic and misses by 10 to 20 beats. Tanaka, Fox, Gellish and Nes sit side by side here on one scale, so you read a range instead of one number.
years
Tanaka, Fox, Gellish, Nes
Each formula is a line fitted to a different group of people. When they split, go with the range, not a single number.
Fox
220 − age
The rule of thumb on most watches, because you can do it in your head. Its authors drew it by hand through older data instead of fitting an equation.
Gellish
207 − 0.7 × age
The same 132 people followed for 25 years, 908 treadmill tests. The paper also offers a curved version; this tool uses the straight line.
Nes
211 − 0.64 × age
Built on 3,320 healthy Norwegians, each pushed to a verified max. Past 30, it comes out higher than the other three. Standard error: 10.8 bpm.
Frequently asked questions
Which max heart rate formula is the most accurate?
None of them nails it for one person. For healthy adults, Tanaka, Gellish and Nes match lab data better than 220 − age, especially past 40. If you run regularly, Nes tends to land closest: it comes from active adults tested to exhaustion. Give any estimate about 10 bpm of slack either way.
Is 220 minus age still worth using?
Only because you can do it in your head. It tends to run high for young runners and low for older ones. At 40, 220 − age and Tanaka both give 180 bpm; at 60, it’s 160 against 166.
Is there a different max heart rate formula for women?
The Tanaka and Nes teams both looked for a difference between women and men and didn’t find one big enough to need its own equation. Same age, same estimate.
Can I use this number for zone 2 or my Garmin zones?
Yes, as a starting point. Enter it as your max heart rate in Garmin Connect, Coros or the Apple Watch, then let the watch’s auto-detection or a hard race correct it. If your max is 10 bpm off, every zone shifts by several beats.
My watch showed 205. Should I believe it?
Look at the graph, not the number. A real max shows up as a short plateau at the end of a hard effort. A lone spike of 205 three minutes into an easy jog is a sensor artifact. And if the value sits more than 15 beats outside the range the four formulas give, measure again with a chest strap.
How do I find my real max heart rate?
The most accurate way is a supervised stress test. Otherwise, wear a chest strap and note your highest reading at the end of an all-out 5K or a set of hill repeats. Get cleared by a doctor before any max effort.
Guides that use this calculator
- Max heart rate by age: formulas and a real test 220 minus age misses by more than 10 beats for one adult in three. Three hill reps and a chest strap find your real max; the formulas only check it. Updated
- Heart rate zones for running: how to set yours Percentage of max heart rate, or Karvonen? Both give five zones for running, but a slow resting pulse moves the easy ones up 15 to 25 beats. Updated