# Maximum Target Heart Rate **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 5, 2018, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maximum-target-heart-rate/808195 "2018-02-05T01:30:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 2\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2018, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maximum-target-heart-rate/808195/21 "2018-02-06T00:12:48Z")
> [@EdelweissPirate](#): > > How tall are you? I bet you’re significantly taller than me. I’m 5’8". > > And again, if the lab tech told you the “goal” was 220 minus your age, the tech was misinformed. 220 minus your age has never been anything more than a gross approximation. > > Running Coach, I wasn’t aware that regular exercise can stave off a decline in max HR. I don’t doubt you at all, but if you have a cite, I’d love to learn more about that. For a stress test, they want you to hit your MHR. Since there’s no way to really enforce that for the average patient (many people will quit long before they are physically incapable of continuing), the technicians use the “rule-of-thumb” MHR calculation, and want you to meet that for the test to be considered valid. In my case, my MHR was calculated as 168, and they stopped the test at 172. I could have gone even higher, but they were satisfied as it was. Note that for stress tests, it’s not just the MHR that is of interest, but how long it takes you to get there. ---
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2018, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maximum-target-heart-rate/808195/22 "2018-02-06T00:53:37Z")
> [@EdelweissPirate](#): > > How tall are you? I bet you’re significantly taller than me. I’m 5’8". 5’ 10" [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maximum-target-heart-rate/808195.md?page=1)