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Max Heart Rate Calculator (Tanaka)
Estimate your maximum heart rate from your age using the research-validated Tanaka formula: max HR = 208 − 0.7 × age. This is more accurate than the familiar 220 − age, which is age-biased — it underestimates max HR in older adults (about 10 bpm low by age 70) and overestimates it in younger people, with the two equations crossing near age 40. For a 40-year-old, both give about 180 bpm; but at age 60 Tanaka gives 166 bpm while 220 − age gives just 160, a 6 bpm gap that shifts every training zone. Enter your age to get your Tanaka max HR, and the calculator also lays out the five training zones as percentages of that max (Zone 1 through Zone 5), with Zone 2 highlighted. Add your resting heart rate to see the Karvonen (%HRR) zones too. This is a fitness estimate — any age-predicted max HR carries about ±10–12 bpm of individual variation, so a graded lab test, a good field test, or a chest-strap wearable is the most accurate way to find your true maximum.
Max HR = 208 − 0.7 × age (Tanaka) — more accurate than 220 − age
- Age 40 → 180 bpm; age 60 → Tanaka 166 vs 220 − age 160 (6 bpm low)
- Five zones as % of max, with Zone 2 highlighted
Frequently asked questions
How do I calculate my maximum heart rate?
Use the Tanaka formula: max HR = 208 − 0.7 × age. For a 40-year-old that is 208 − 28 = 180 bpm. Tanaka is more accurate than the older 220 − age, which is biased by age. For your true maximum, a graded exercise test or a hard field test is more accurate than any age formula.
Is 220 − age accurate for max heart rate?
Not very. 220 − age underestimates max HR in older adults — about 10 bpm low by age 70 — and overestimates it in younger people, crossing over near age 40. The Tanaka equation (208 − 0.7 × age) tracks measured max HR more accurately across the age range, which is why this calculator uses it by default.