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How High Can a Pulse Rate Get While Running

Other than getting on a treadmill and running at top speed until you collapse, you can only estimate your maximum heart rate with an equation based on your age. Your predicted maximum heart rate is the best educated guess as to how many times per minute your heart can beat during strenuous exercise. The vast majority of running and other exercises are done at a sub-maximal level; however, having an idea of your heart rate potential can help you train at an intensity that is most effective for your body.

Things You'll Need

  • Calculator
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Instructions

  1. Maximum Heart Rate Calculation

    • 1

      Plug your age into the formula. There is more than one formula to calculate predicted maximum heart rate, but the Tanaka, Monahan and Seals formula is one of the most accurate with a margin of error of 7 beats per minute. The formula is 208 – (0.7 x age) = maximum heart rate (MHR). If you were 30 years old, your equation would look like 208 – (0.7x 30) = MHR.

    • 2

      Calculate your maximum heart rate. Once your equation is set up, pull out your calculator and figure out what your answer is. As an example of the calculations, 0.7 times 30 is 21. Subtract this number from 208, and you will get a maximum heart rate of 187. Therefore, the predicted maximum heart rate for a 30-year-old individual is 187 beats per minute.

    • 3

      Find maximum heart rate range. Since the Tanaka, Monahan and Seals formula is an estimated of maximum heart rate, you need to take potential margin for error into account. With a standard deviation of 7 beats per minute, the calculated maximum heart rate actually ranges from 7 less to 7 more beats per minute than the calculated maximum heart rate. For a calculated maximum heart rate of 187, the maximum heart rate range is 180 to 194.

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