Neverpedia
Heart rate
Max HR
The highest heart rate, in beats per minute, you can produce during all-out exercise.
Max HR is the highest heart rate, in beats per minute, that your cardiovascular system can produce during a true all-out effort. It is largely genetic and changes only slightly with training.
How it is measured
- Best observation: Look at HR data from genuinely maximal efforts — hill repeats to failure, end of a hard race, or a structured Max HR test.
- Avoid formulas: "220 minus age" is wrong for most people by 10–20 bpm in either direction. Test it.
Why it matters
Max HR is useful for context — sanity-checking other zone numbers, comparing efforts in extreme heat, and recognizing when HR data looks abnormal. It is not the best anchor for training zones. LTHR is.
Common misconceptions
- Max HR drops with age, but slowly and unevenly. Some athletes show no decline for decades.
- A higher max HR does not make you fitter or faster.
- You cannot "raise" your max HR meaningfully through training.
Related concepts
LTHR, Zone 2, VO2 max.