Max Heart Rate Formulas Compared
Use Tanaka for men over 40, Gulati for women, and Nes / HUNT for highly trained endurance athletes. Skip Fox (220 − age) — it systematically overestimates HRmax by 5–10 bpm for active adults. All five formulas carry ±10–12 bpm population variability.
HRmax by Age Across All Five Formulas
| Age |
Fox |
Tanaka |
Gellish |
Nes / HUNT |
Gulati |
Spread |
| 20 | 200 | 194 | 193 | 198 | 188 | 12 bpm |
| 30 | 190 | 187 | 186 | 192 | 180 | 12 bpm |
| 40 | 180 | 180 | 179 | 185 | 171 | 14 bpm |
| 50 | 170 | 173 | 172 | 179 | 162 | 17 bpm |
| 60 | 160 | 166 | 165 | 173 | 153 | 20 bpm |
| 70 | 150 | 159 | 158 | 166 | 144 | 22 bpm |
Origin & Best-Fit Population
- Fox (1971): 220 − age. Editorial approximation, not original research. Overestimates for active adults.
- Tanaka (2001): 208 − 0.7 × age. Meta-analysis of 18,712 subjects. Default for adults 40+.
- Gellish (2007): 207 − 0.7 × age. 132 regularly active adults tracked 25 years.
- Nes / HUNT (2013): 211 − 0.64 × age. 3,320 healthy Norwegian adults. Best for trained endurance athletes.
- Gulati (2010): 206 − 0.88 × age. 5,437 women (St. James Women Take Heart). Recommended for women.
Why Formula Choice Matters
Because training zones are percentages of HRmax, a 10 bpm HRmax difference shifts the top of Zone 2 by 6–7 bpm and the top of Zone 4 by 8–9 bpm. Enough to turn a Zone 2 session into a Zone 3 session — the most common polarised-training mistake.
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