Modern Athlete Magazine Issue 62, September 2014 | Page 35

body science

Ma

re You MAXED Out?
While running with an older running friend the other day, he looked
at his heart rate monitor, then asked me if I knew how high is
too high for a heart rate, because his wife had told him she was
convinced he is going to blow his heart up! Damned good question,
I said, so I decided to look into it, and found that maximum heart
rate is an elusive number, especially for runners. – BY SEAN FALCONER

W

hen calculating your maximum
heart rate (MHR) for your age, the usual
equation used is 220 minus your age, but
that does not apply to everybody – many
people can tolerate higher heart rates, while
others cannot get to the formula-driven max,
no matter how hard they push themselves.
Also,