Maximum Heart Rate Calculator
Estimate your maximum heart rate from your age.
Results update as you type.
About this calculator
A maximum heart rate calculator estimates the highest heart rate you can reach during all-out exercise, from your age. The classic estimate is 220 minus your age; the Tanaka formula (208 − 0.7 × age) is more accurate for older adults. These are population averages — individual maximums vary by roughly ±10–12 beats per minute.
The arithmetic is simple. At age 30, 220 − 30 = 190 bpm, while Tanaka gives 208 − 0.7 × 30 = 187 bpm. At 50 the two are 170 and 173 bpm. The gap between formulas widens with age because 220 − age tends to underestimate maximum heart rate in older adults, which is why the tool also reports Gellish, Nes and the women-specific Gulati estimates.
Maximum heart rate is mainly useful as the ceiling for setting training zones: feed it into a heart-rate-zone calculator to get target ranges for easy, endurance and threshold work. Because it is an age-based average, treat it as a guide rather than a precise personal number, and do not use it as medical advice about safe exercise intensity.
Frequently asked questions
Which max heart rate formula is best?
220 − age is the best-known but tends to overestimate for the young and underestimate for older adults. Tanaka (208 − 0.7 × age) fits the population better, which is why both are shown.
How accurate is an age-based estimate?
It is only an average. True maximum heart rate varies by about ±10–12 bpm between individuals of the same age, so a graded exercise test is the only precise way to measure yours.
What is my max heart rate at 30, 40 or 50?
With 220 − age the estimates are 190 bpm at 30, 180 at 40 and 170 at 50. The Tanaka formula gives slightly different figures (187, 180 and 173) and fits older adults more closely.
Is 220 minus age accurate for women?
It was derived mainly from men and can be off for women. The Gulati formula (206 − 0.88 × age) is tuned for women and is included in the estimates table.
How can I find my true maximum heart rate?
Only a maximal graded exercise test, ideally medically supervised, measures it precisely. A hard field test such as an all-out hill effort can get close but carries risk if you are not well conditioned.
What do I use maximum heart rate for?
It sets the top of your training-zone ranges. Feed it into a heart-rate-zone calculator to get bpm targets for recovery, endurance, aerobic and threshold training.
API — use this calculator from code
Call this calculator as a free JSON endpoint — no key required. Send the field values below as query parameters or JSON. Read the full API docs →
Endpoint
GET https://calculator.free/api/v1/max-heart-rate/curl
curl "https://calculator.free/api/v1/max-heart-rate/?age=30"JavaScript fetch()
const r = await fetch(
"https://calculator.free/api/v1/max-heart-rate/?" + new URLSearchParams({
"age": "30"
}));
const data = await r.json();
console.log(data.results);Results are estimates for general guidance only, not financial, medical or tax advice.