Originally Posted by
daredevil
The typical easy formula to determine max heart rate is 220 minus your age. That of course only gives you a ballpark number. Is it correct to assume that for most fit people this formula doesn't work?
My max is 12-15 beats per minute higher than the formula says it should be. A good sign I hope?
220-age is pretty useless for the majority. The variation of heart size (and therefore max heart rate) is pretty wide. You may find 20 year-olds who have max heart rates of 180, or maxes of 220. Or even more.
Even if you figure out your max via testing, it's also a mostly useless measure. If you want to do a good job of setting heart rate zones you need to base that on a field test (or a lab test, if you want to spend the money). That can tell you where your LT is, and that's what you use to base your zones on.