Medically Reviewed By: Dr Paul Lim – MBBS, M.Med (Int Med), MRCP (UK), FAMS (Cardiology)
Max Heart Rate Calculator (Your Maximum Heart Rate by Age)
Your maximum heart rate is the fastest your heart can beat during all-out effort. It is the number every heart-rate training zone is built from. The quick estimate is 220 − your age; a formula shown to be more accurate across ages is 208 − 0.7 × age. Enter your age below to see both, in beats per minute.
What Is Maximum Heart Rate?
Your maximum heart rate (HRmax) is the highest number of times your heart can beat in a minute during maximal effort. It matters because it is the reference point for exercise intensity: heart rate zones — and the moderate and vigorous ranges guidelines recommend — are all defined as a percentage of it.
Maximum heart rate is determined largely by your age and genetics, and it declines gradually as you get older. It is not a sign of fitness — a fit person and an unfit person of the same age tend to have a similar maximum. What fitness changes is your resting heart rate, how much blood your heart pumps per beat, and how comfortably you can work at a high percentage of your maximum.
Maximum Heart Rate Calculator
Drag the slider or type your age to see your estimated maximum heart rate, both ways.
For educational purposes only. These are estimates and can be off by around 10–12 bpm for any individual. If you take medicines that affect your heart rate (such as beta-blockers), or you have a heart condition, your maximum will be different — talk to a doctor for advice specific to you before training near your limit.
Maximum Heart Rate by Age
Estimated maximum heart rate for ages 20 to 70, both formulas side by side. The row matching the calculator above is highlighted.
| Age | 220 − age | 208 − 0.7 × age |
|---|---|---|
| 20 years | 200 bpm | 194 bpm |
| 25 years | 195 bpm | 190 bpm |
| 30 years | 190 bpm | 187 bpm |
| 35 years | 185 bpm | 184 bpm |
| 40 years | 180 bpm | 180 bpm |
| 45 years | 175 bpm | 176 bpm |
| 50 years | 170 bpm | 173 bpm |
| 55 years | 165 bpm | 170 bpm |
| 60 years | 160 bpm | 166 bpm |
| 65 years | 155 bpm | 162 bpm |
| 70 years | 150 bpm | 159 bpm |
Estimates only; a healthy person’s true maximum can sit above or below these figures.
220 − Age vs the Tanaka Formula
The 220 − age formula is easy to remember and fine as a rough guide, but it was never meant to be precise — it can be off by around 10 to 12 beats per minute for any individual, and it tends to overestimate maximum heart rate in younger people and underestimate it in older people.
A large analysis proposed a more accurate estimate, 208 − (0.7 × age), published as “Age-predicted maximal heart rate revisited” in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology (2001). The two formulas agree at around age 40 and diverge either side of it — which is why the chart above shows both. For everyday training either is close enough; the honest answer is that any formula is an estimate.
How Maximum Heart Rate Is Measured
A formula estimates it; only a test measures it.
-
1
Formula estimate
The quickest approach — 220 − age, or the Tanaka formula. Good enough to set training zones for general fitness, but an average rather than your personal number.
-
2
A supervised exercise test
The accurate way is a graded maximal exercise test — the intensity is raised in stages while your heart is monitored until you reach your true maximum. A treadmill stress test is done in a similar way and, importantly, also checks how your heart behaves under load, not just how fast it goes.
-
3
Field tests & monitors
Trained athletes sometimes estimate maximum from an all-out effort recorded on a chest-strap monitor. This is only for healthy, experienced exercisers — pushing to a true maximum is not something to attempt if you are unfit or have any heart concern.
What Affects Your Maximum Heart Rate
Age is by far the biggest factor — maximum heart rate falls by roughly one beat per minute per year. Genetics explain much of the person-to-person difference at any given age. Fitness does not raise it; if anything, very well-trained endurance athletes can have a slightly lower maximum. Some medicines, especially beta-blockers and certain calcium-channel blockers, lower it, so the age formula will read too high if you take them.
Stop and seek medical help if you feel chest pain or pressure, unusual breathlessness, dizziness, or a fast or irregular heartbeat during hard exercise — see when to see a cardiologist. If your heart rate readings seem far from the estimate, or your heart races or skips at rest, that is worth having checked rather than explained away by the formula.
Clinical Experience
Reviewed by Dr Paul Lim
Senior Consultant Cardiologist & Cardiac Electrophysiologist
Dr Paul Lim is a Senior Consultant Cardiologist who assesses how the heart behaves at rest and under exertion — using ECG, echocardiography and treadmill stress testing — and who subspecialises in heart rhythm disorders. If your heart rate feels too fast, too slow, or irregular, he can help find out why. He completed advanced fellowship training at Barts Heart Centre, London under Singapore’s HMDP award.
Book a Cardiologist Appointment
Contact us to schedule a consultation or to find out more about our cardiac services.
Send Us a Message
Maximum Heart Rate: FAQ
Answers to common questions about calculating and interpreting your maximum heart rate.
How do I calculate my maximum heart rate?
The simplest estimate is 220 minus your age in years. For example, a 40-year-old has an estimated maximum heart rate of about 180 bpm. A formula shown to be more accurate across ages is 208 minus 0.7 times your age, which also gives about 180 bpm at age 40 and diverges from the 220-minus-age figure at younger and older ages. The calculator on this page works out both for you. Both are estimates — individuals vary.
Is 220 minus age accurate?
It is a convenient rule of thumb, but it is only an average and can be off by around 10 to 12 beats per minute for any individual. Research has found it tends to overestimate maximum heart rate in younger people and underestimate it in older people, which is why the formula 208 minus 0.7 times age was proposed as more accurate. For a precise figure, a supervised maximal exercise test is needed.
What is a normal maximum heart rate by age?
Using 220 minus age, a rough guide is about 200 bpm at age 20, 190 at 30, 180 at 40, 170 at 50, 160 at 60 and 150 at 70. These are population averages — a healthy person’s true maximum can sit above or below the estimate for their age.
Does maximum heart rate decrease with age?
Yes. Maximum heart rate falls gradually as you get older, by roughly one beat per minute per year on average. This is a normal part of ageing and happens whether or not you are fit — it is why heart-rate training zones, which are a percentage of maximum, shift lower with age.
Can I increase my maximum heart rate with training?
Not meaningfully. Maximum heart rate is set mostly by your age and genetics, and regular training does not raise it. What fitness does improve is everything else — a lower resting heart rate, a stronger heart that pumps more blood per beat, and the ability to work at a higher percentage of your maximum comfortably.
Do beta-blockers lower maximum heart rate?
Yes. Beta-blockers and some other medicines slow the heart and lower both resting and maximum heart rate, so the 220-minus-age estimate will be too high if you take them. If you are on medicines that affect your heart rate, ask your doctor what maximum and target heart rate are appropriate for you rather than relying on the formula.
Where These Numbers Come From
The formulas on this page come from established sources. The main references are below.
Both formulas are population estimates, not personalised medical targets. If you have a heart condition or take medicines that affect your heart rate, your maximum should be set with a doctor rather than from a formula.