What is Maximum Heart Rate (Max HR) and why is it important?
Maximum Heart Rate (Max HR) is the highest heart rate (in beats per minute) achieved by someone exercising to exhaustion despite increasing workload. It is usually determined from a maximal exercise test, such as a graded treadmill test but it can be estimated using your age. Your Max HR is important because we use heart rate in the gym as a guide to set exercise intensity for the purpose of improving cardiorespiratory fitness or meeting a daily workout objective.
What affects Max HR?
While it is clear that Max HR is inversely correlated with age, the effect of other factors like gender, fitness level or BMI, are more controversial and studies have reported mixed results. It has been reported that genetics contribute more to maximum heart rate than these other factors.
How does Myzone calculate my Max HR?
Myzone uses a formula derived by ‘Londeree and Moeschberger (University of Missouri)’ to automatically establish your estimated Max HR based on age: Max HR = 211 – [0.64 x your age]
What to do if you think the Myzone calculation for your HRmax is wrong?
If you think your HRmax is incorrect in the Myzone app, you may decide to modify it. You can contact Myzone at support@myzone.org and request a change. If you have used your Myzone HR monitor for some time, go back and review your maximum HR data and reset it to 5 beats per minute above your highest measured reading.
How are MEPs and calories calculated by Myzone?
MEPs, or Myzone Effort Points, are calculated from time spent in each HR zone. You get more MEPs for zones closer to your Max HR, and you have to spend at least one minute in the zone to get the MEPs for that zone. See the table below for the MEPs calculation.
Calories, on the other hand, are estimated based on a published algorithm; the calculation takes into account an athlete’s sex, weight, age and muscle mass. Myzone does not assign any MEPs or calories when your heart rate is less than 50% of your Max HR so it pays to have the Max HR set appropriately!
| Myzone Zone Color | Percent of Max HR | MEPs/minute |
| Grey | 50 – 59% | 1 |
| Blue | 60 – 69% | 2 |
| Green | 70 – 79% | 3 |
| Yellow | 80 – 89% | 4 |
| Red | 90 – 100% | 4 |
