How to Find Your Actual Maximum Heart Rate

The maximum heart rate displayed in most fitness apps represents merely an estimate based on your age. The standard formula — 220 minus your age — gives a starting point, but maximum heart rate is the highest possible heart rate your body can reach, and it should reflect your actual physical limits.

Getting this number right matters more than most athletes realise.

Why Accuracy Matters

Inaccurate maximum heart rate settings create cascading problems throughout your training:

• Set too high: You struggle to reach desired heart rate zones during workouts, making it difficult to train at the right intensity
• Set too low: Your graph peaks become invisible, you can't see complete workout data, and perceived intensity becomes distorted

This misalignment prevents proper zone-based training and skews post-workout analysis. If your zones are off by 10–15 bpm, you might be training in Zone 3 when you think you're doing Zone 2 work — or vice versa.

Three Methods to Find Your Actual Maximum Heart Rate

1. Comprehensive Fitness Testing

Professional fitness testing through gyms or personal trainers provides precise measurements including VO2 Max and maximum heart rate. This approach suits serious athletes training for events like marathons or triathlons. A trained professional will administer a graded exercise test and identify the true ceiling of your cardiovascular output.

2. Monitoring Over Time

The easiest approach requires no special equipment. During regular workouts, observe heart rate data and intensity levels. When you push yourself maximally:

• If displayed heart rate exceeds what seems like your absolute maximum, lower your app setting
• If readings exceed 100% of your configured maximum, raise your maximum heart rate setting

Over weeks of hard training sessions, the highest value you ever record becomes a reliable proxy for your true maximum.

3. DIY Fitness Test

Perform a self-administered maximum heart rate test:

1. Start a workout using FITIV Pulse with a connected heart rate monitor
2. Warm up thoroughly for 10–15 minutes
3. Exercise intensely for 5–10 minutes using sprinting, rowing, or jumping rope
4. Push to absolute maximum effort in a final all-out burst
5. Review your workout data to identify peak heart rate achieved
6. Update your app settings with this new maximum value

Wearing a chest strap heart rate monitor during this test gives more accurate peak readings than wrist-based optical sensors, which can lag during rapid intensity changes.

Key Takeaway

Accurate heart rate data enables better fitness decisions. Even if your data looks accurate at first, your body changes over time — fitness adaptations, age, and training volume all affect maximum heart rate. Revisiting your maximum heart rate setting every 6–12 months ensures your zones remain accurate and your training data stays actionable.