You can get a rough ballpark for HR max with 220 - age, but many people vary a lot from that basic notion. My max HR is higher on the run than bike, and I assume that's true for most, as more muscles are being used. I'm 41 and my HR at the end of a 5k is generally in the low to mid 180's. On the bike I've only seen 180 at the very end of a 5' effort to determine CP. So, I guess I'm relatively close to 220 - age, but I know a few people who have a much higher HR or much lower HR at a similar 'effort' even if ages are similar.

Resting HR and HR variability are also two other metrics to compare. The thing that amazes me is looking at the HR of top runners and triathletes and how low their HR seems at what for me is threshold or faster pace. I guess that's why I'm not a pro, though.

---

Blog: http://262toboylstonstreet.blogspot.com/
https://twitter.com/NateThomasTri
Coaching: https://bybtricoaching.com/ - accepting athletes for 2023

My resting is 40....which seems normal based on other life long "athletes" although it's always a concern at the Dr's
I'm 55 now and when I was racing years ago had a max of ~203......best I could hit now is the mid 190's.
Any event I do on Zwift, most of which are just group rides, I run an average usually in the mid 170's - max in the 180's. I feel a bit out of place so to speak when I see others will have an average in the 130/140's and max in the 150's. I think to myself, WTF..........I'd ride to the mailbox and back and hit those numbers......

Two things:

1. It's personal. Also some people are older and have lower maxes and lower "in work" rates.

2. People sandbag like crazy on Zwift. Not every event enforces Zwiftpower website rankings or boots you. So, you'll see people in a B-race for example that wind up with HR's that makes it look like a Z1/Z2 training ride.

I've seen people on Zwift putting out 5 W/Kg with a HR of 110 bpm.

They must be in amazing shape!!!

On the internet no one knows if you're not calibrated. ;P

---

ECMGN Therapy Silicon Valley:
Depression, Neurocognitive problems, Dementias (Testing and Evaluation), Trauma and PTSD, Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)

It’s mostly random/genetic. A lot of people here would have a stroke at the avg heart rate I do an olympic or half marathon in.

So over the last 50 years or so, I have seen max's as low as 140(even lower when older athletes have to take certain drugs), and as high as 255. So there is your range, anyone thinking 220 minus your age is a good measure, well they are about 30+ years behind the times. Over a given population that might be the average, or close to the sweet spot for many/most, but imagine if you were the outliers here, or even close to them. And all those basic HR guideline workouts and programs, it either kills some, or others never get past a fast walk.

It should be all over the place on zwift, if it wasn't then I would think something was up and really wrong..

Everyone's max is different. On top of that there seems to be a lot of individual variation for how quickly ones hr will get up to those upper ranges. My hr is really low for submax efforts, like 110-115 for endurance pace. Threshold for me is roughly 155-165, and time above 160 is borrowed time.