Maximum Heart Rates

Calculating Maximum Heart Rate

  • In general, maximum heart rate can be calculated by subtracting a person's age from 220. Therefore, middle school students will have a general maximum heart rate somewhere between 206 and 209.
  • This number is used in order to identify target heart zones. Most people want to exercise at a heart rate between 60 and 80% of their maximum heart rate. 50 to 70% is associated with mild to moderate intensity exercise, while 70 to 85% is associated with moderate to vigorous intensity exercise.
  • General target heart zones for middle schoolers, utilizing a max heart rate of 208, fall between 126 beats per minute (bpm) and 175 bpm.


How do we use Maximum Heart Rate

  • Students are entered into our polar program and are assigned a maximum heart rate of 200 beats per minute.
    • This is a built in safety feature that protects students from working at a dangerous heart rate. When teachers observe a heart rate percentage approaching 90 and 100%, students are encouraged to slow down and rest. (90 to 100% at 200 bpm is between 86 and 95% for what students actual max heart rates at this age, therefore they are not working at an overly dangerous level at any time)
    • Students begin earning credit at 140 BPM
  • Pacer results give students the opportunity to lower their max heart rates to specific numbers depending on the amount of laps they complete.
      • Super Elite= 175 BPM (begin earning credit at 122)
      • Elite = 180 BPM (begin earning credit at 126 bpm)
      • Exceeds = 190 BPM (begin earning credit at 133 bpm)
      • Meets = Remains 200 BPM (begin earning credit at 140 bpm)
      • Needs Improvement= 208 BPM: Raising their heart rate slightly increases the bottom threshold of their target heart zone, creating opportunity for students to improve the efficiency of their cardiovascular system (begin earning credit at 145 bpm)

Pictured above is a screen shot of the live demonstration teachers used to illustrate how personalizing maximum heart rates can modify the Physical Education experience for students. Mr. Shaver wore one heart rate monitor and was connected simultaneously in 4 different classes. The numbers shown at the top of each square indicate the maximum heart rates that students can earn based on pacer scores (175, 180: not pictured, 190, 200, 208). During this demonstration, Mr. Shaver was slowly walking back and forth while explaining what viewers were seeing on the screen.

Mr. Shaver, when set to a max heart rate of 175 beats per minute, even though the actual heart rate in all four squares are the same, is at a higher percentage (82%). This illustrates that students who have earned a lower maximum heart rate, are able to begin earning their time in zone with less effort than students who have not lowered their maximum heart rate.