you’re right in that the 220 – age formula to calculate maximum heart rate is outdated and doesn’t hold much merit. this particular formula was developed by william haskell in 1970 and he openly acknowledges that he didn’t use a very representative sample and that it was only meant to be used as a rough estimate. there have been many other studies that have attempted to develop a maximum heart rate formula since haskell developed the 220 – age formula in 1970; the only problem is that i don’t believe there is a consensus in regards to which among those is the most appropriate formula to use. there have even been other formulas developed that attempt to distinguish between males and females and others that differentiate between athletes and non-athletes. the 220 – age is the easiest method of calculation for maximum heart rate applicable to the general population though it’s certainly not the most accurate. there are other formulas developed by different researchers but i don’t believe that there’s a clear consensus in regards to which is the most accurate or the best replacement
how was maximum heart rate determined? . your target heart rate calculator page claims to calculate the highest safe heart rate during exercise using the formula 220 minus age for maximum heart rate. i thought haskell and fox made up that formula in 1970 from 11 experimental studies of maximum attainable heart rate and no subjects were harmed in these experiments. if that's so that formula has nothing to do with safety. am i right? if not what studies were used to determine what heart rate is safe?