What Is My Maximum Heart Rate?

If you’re like me, you get on the treadmill or other exercise equipment at the gym and see it talk about exercising at X% of your maximum heart rate. Or, you get a heart rate reading on the device and wonder what it means.

It appears that the simple answer is to take 220 minus your age. For example, if you’re 30, then your maximum heart rate would be 90.

Now, when I plugged my age into a Mayo Clinic site, it shows me all the caveats about this answer.