This calculator uses the calculation formula developed by Tanaka 2001 (208 - 0.7 × age). It produces more reliable results for younger and older people.
Max heart rate is the maximum possible heart rate during exercise.
Determining your personal maximum heart rate reliably is best done in a fitness test instructed by a professional. Calculation formulas have also been developed for calculating the maximum heart rate, the most used of which is 220 - age. However, this calculation formula has been found to produce too low values for older people, and too high results for young and active people.
Tanaka, H., Monahan, K. D., & Seals, D. R. (2001). Age-predicted maximal heart rate revisited. Journal of the American College of Cardiology, 37(1), 153–156. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0735-1097(00)01054-8