Max Hr Test #1: The 20
First one is your regular 5K test. For a fit individual 20 minutes should be enough to complete 5 kilometers. If you can run 5K. If not just run 20 minutes.
Since its a maximum capacity test, the aim is to go hard. Generally, within the first 3 minutes the heart rate will increase beyond 90% of maximum and to beyond 95% within 10 minutes.
Pick up the pace for the last kilometer where you feel you cant possibly maintain it until the finish and then go all-out for the last 200m. The heart rate at the finish is most definitely your maximum heart rate.
This will require some time to recover from, so better reserve this effort for an actual race.
How Do You Calculate Your Recovery Heart Rate
The individual should take their resting pulse and record it. Take a pulse rate immediately after finishing exercising. Record the number. Take a pulse rate one minute later. Record the number. Subtract the number for the second pulse rate from the first pulse rate after exercise. This is the recovery heart rate number.
Max Heart Rate Field Test Example
Do this field test with a training partner. Use a heart rate monitor and note the highest heart rate you can reach. This is your maximum heart rate.
Doing a maximum heart rate field test while unprepared is a surefire way to end up in maximum distress. If you are unsure, consult your physician before undertaking the test.
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What Does The Max Heart Rate Mean
Your maximum heart rate is the highest number of beats per minute that your heart can achieve during intense, strenuous exercise. Maximum heart rates vary from person to person, and while they are not an indicator of fitness, knowing your max HR can be very helpful in deciding what types of workouts or workouts you want. wish to do.
Below, well explain how to determine your maximum heart rate, what to do with it, and answer some frequently asked questions about it.
What Is My Max Heart Rate Discover With Whoop

When you first put on a WHOOP strap, we use a proprietary formula based on the demographic information you provide to create an initial estimate of your max HR. From there, WHOOP monitors your heart rate 24/7 and adjusts accordingly based on your own heart rate data to reliably measure your maximum heart rate.
WHOOP also uses your heart rate data to quantify the strain your body takes on individual activities and throughout the day. Each morning, our recovery metric tells you how prepared your body is for the day. effort. Plus, when you track your workouts with the WHOOP Strain Coach, youll see in real time what percentage of the maximum heart rate zone you are in so you can get the most out of your workout.
An article written by MARK VAN DEUSEN
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How Long Can You Stay At Your Maximum Heart Rate
Since your maximum heart rate is reached by the most intense level of physical exertion your body is capable of, it is only sustainable for very short periods of time. For the average person, this is probably between 10 seconds and 1 minute.
Very good athletes can often perform at their maximum HR for about 2 minutes, while the best in the world can perform for 3-4 minutes.
Calculate Your Aerobic Training Heart
This fat-burning range will lie between 50 and 75 percent of your heart-rate reserve.
Using the example above, 50 percent of 100 beats per minute is 50. And 75 percent of 100 is 75. Next, add your resting heart rate to both numbers: 50 + 80 = 130 and 75 + 80 = 155. Therefore, during aerobic training, the heart rate that will most efficiently burn fat is 130 to 155 beats per minute.
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Does Maximum Heart Rate Increase With Fitness Is It Good To Have A High Heart Rate
No. Maximum heart rate by itself is not an indicator of physical condition. It does not increase as your fitness improves, nor is it a sign that you are fitter than someone else if you have a higher HR max than them.
However, as noted above, as your fitness level increases, you will be able to maintain your maximum heart rate for longer periods of time.
Activity Tracker Or Smartwatch
Activity trackers are easily the most convenient way to measure your heart rate. Theyre relatively inexpensive, they dont take up a lot of space and they have a substantial battery life. Best of all, activity trackers are comfortable enough to wear for long periods of time to get a very accurate measure of your heart rate.
Wearing a Fitbit, Apple Watch, Garmin or other tracker allows you to measure your heart rate at all times of day: when youre sleeping, during typical daily activities and during exercise. They then present this data to you in an easy-to-digest way. Activity trackers and smartwatches use optical technology to read the pulse in your wrist. With optical technology, your tracker sends light into your skin and reads the light that bounces back.
The;Apple Watch Series 5 can even generate a PDF of your heart rhythm that you can share with your doctor.
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Calculate Your Maximum Heart Rate
The easiest way to do this is a simple paper-and-pencil calculation. Subtract your age from 220. The result is an age-predicted maximum beats per minute.
It’s important to note that this method does not take into account your fitness level or inherited genes, which can make your true maximum heart rate 10 to 20 beats per minute higher or lower than the age-predicted number.
A second method to calculate your maximum heart rate is to have an exercise tolerance or stress test. This usually is supervised by a physician and performed in a hospital or clinical setting in three-minute stages, during which the speed and incline continue to increase in an effort to elevate your heart rate until it climbs to its highest level.
Part 3 Of 3: Determining Your Exercise Target Zone
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What Is Maximum Heart Rate
Maximum Heart Rate is the amount of beats a heart makes in a minute under maximum stress.
Max HR is used as a benchmark for maximum output the athletes body can produce. Knowing that number enables the athlete and his coach to structure the training process around specific training intensities or training zones.
Maximum heart rate can vary significantly from person to person. In fact, high or low Max HR is neither good nor bad. Its just what a person is born with.
Instead, using it as a reference to build a structured training plan focused on specific exercise intensities is what makes all the difference.
All 5 of the training zones are defined as a percentage of maximum heart rate. Which is why its critical to determine maximum heart rate that is accurate to achieve desired results from training.
Read also: What Is Target Heart Rate Zone And How To Calculate Yours
What Is My Maximum Heart Rate

So now youre ready to start calculating max heart rate, where should you start?
If youve ever attempted to calculate resting heart rate, then is obviously the opposite of this. Instead of calming your heart down, youre going to push it to the limit.
Calculating maximum heart rate requires that youre ready to sweat and have the right equipment to measure it for you. If youre simply curious to know what is my max heart rate, then you can always start by using the tools below to estimate it.
Is there anything that will influence your maximum heart rate? Factors such as age, fitness level, stress and medication like beta blockers will affect your heart rate.
Does your sex affect your max heart rate? To calculate max heart rate male or female is exactly the same. However, you may be interested to know that smaller people usually have a higher maximum heart rate, which is why;women often have a higher rate than men.
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How Do I Get My Heart Rate In The Target Zone
When you work out, are you doing too much or not enough? Theres a simple way to know: Your target heart rate helps you hit the bullseye so you can get max benefit from every step, swing and squat. Even if youre not a gym rat or elite athlete, knowing your heart rate can help you track your health and fitness level.
So Your Maximum Heart Rate Is Calculated Now What Do You Do
Dive into your heart-rate-focused training with these easy, actionable steps
After you have figured out your Maximum heart rate , using the right method for you, we move onto the next steps
You have a few options here, you can enter it into a heart rate calculator which will calculate your heart rate zones for exercising. OR if your plan has specific percentages for your zones you might want to calculate them yourself. Dont worry Ill walk you through both.
Please note: if you purchase a HR focused run plan online, it will specify the percentages per zone for that particular event and plan, traditionally the zones are:
- Zone 1: 50-60% of MHR
- Zone 2: 60-70%
- Zone 4: 80-90%
- Zone 5: 90-100%
You can use this simple online calculator in order to find your zones out effortlessly. However, you will require to have your resting heart rate calculated too to maximise the accuracy.
On another note, these zones can differ slightly, for example MyProCoach works with:
- Zone 1: 68-73% of MHR
- Zone 2: 73-80%
- Zone 4: 87-93%
- Zone 5: 93-100%
And coincidently also have their own Zone calculator for their training plans. Pick what plan and zone percentage are right for you, if you are new to running and HR training, then I would stick to the traditional zones, most fitness watches have this feature pre-set so for ease and simplicity, stick to your basics.
If you dont want a calculator to do it for you, then to find zone 1 50-60% of MHR the sum is:
0.5*MHR = 50%
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How To Calculate Your Target Heart Rate
This article was co-authored by Steve Bergeron. Steve Bergeron is a Personal Trainer, Strength Coach, and the Co-Owner of AMP Fitness in Boston, Massachusetts. With over a decade of experience, Steve specializes in educating, guiding, and empowering his clients to develop healthy habits and reach their individual fitness goals. He holds a BS in Exercise Physiology and is an NSCA Certified Strength and Conditioning Coach , ASCM Health and Fitness Specialist , Strong First Kettlebell Coach , and Certified Functional Movement Screen Specialist . AMP Fitness mission is to create a community that is inclusive and gives people the tools and support they need to succeed.There are 8 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page.wikiHow marks an article as reader-approved once it receives enough positive feedback. In this case, several readers have written to tell us that this article was helpful to them, earning it our reader-approved status. This article has been viewed 2,656,595 times.
I Determined My Max Hr Now What
Calculating individual max HR is a starting point in the whole heart rate training journey.
Once maximum heart rate is known calculated with a formula or tested put it into this heart rate zone calculator. The tool will show your heart rate ranges for each of the training zones, which you can use to make the training process more efficient. Heads up: youll also need a resting HR measurement for that to be super precise.
Id be more than happy to guide you and work with you as a coach reach out to me via my coaching page, if youre interested. If youre not yet ready for a formal coaching or are willing to figure it out on your own, this guide to heart rate training zones would be a great starting point.
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Maximum Heart Rate And Exercise
During 4×4 interval training, you use your maximum heart rate to give the heart good exercise. Our HRmax Calculator calculates at which heart rate you should exercise when performing this kind of interval training. The 4×4 principle can be;used in a variety of activites, including running, biking, swimming and rowing.
Watch our video for further explanation on how to perform effective 4×4 interval training:
Can I Go Over My Estimated Maximum Heart Rate
The answer is yes.
But its not in a sense that the heart would explode if someone goes beyond what formula would suggest is Max HR. No, its because formula generalizes people and tends to get imprecise for very fit athletes and people of older age who are very active.
Maximum heart rate does decrease with age, but not nearly as much as formulas would suggest . It goes down mostly due to the decreased level of overall activity.
In fact, trained athletes dont really see a drop in maximum heart rate until they end their careers and reduce training volume. Its not uncommon to see a 40-year-old athlete with a maximum heart rate of 195 where a formula would suggest only 180.
Setting a Max HR benchmark too low would force athlete to under-exert himself and not get the optimal benefit from training.
In any case, if an athlete is serious about his training, estimating maximum heart rate should only be a starting point. After getting into a structured training or competing in races it should become clearer where the true maximum heart rate is.
Heart Rate Zone Training
Have questions about heart rate training? Need help with your new & fancy sports watch? Ready to take your training to the next level?
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Learn What Is A Normal Heart Rate And How To Find Your Pulse With Your Fingers Or A Device
Measuring your heart rate is any easy way to gauge your health, as it provides a real-time snapshot of your heart muscle function. For most adults, a normal resting heart ratethe number of heartbeats per minute while at restranges from 60 to 100 beats per minute. A normal heart rate can vary from person to person. However, an unusually high or low resting heart rate can be a sign of trouble.