What is Max HR?

Max HR (MHR) is the maximum rate your heart can beat per minute. I.E if your heart beats at its maximum rate at 3 times per second (180 times per minute) then your Max HR is 180.

Max HR reflects the upper limit that your cardiovascular system can handle during a workout. It is one of the most efficient fitness attributes for setting training goals.

Instructors and Studios working with HR monitors can use the Max HR attribute to design a class profile based on the Max HR zones.

A good rule of thumb for an efficient workout is to exercise within 55%-88% of the Max HR for at least 20 to 30 minutes.

Determining Max HR The standard formula to estimate Max HR is 220 - age. However, to achieve a more accurate Max HR value, one should conduct a Max HR test. When conducting a Max HR test in HR based cycling workouts, members should cycle as fast as they can with a high level of resistance. In generic cardio workouts, members should exercise at their maximum effort. 

The Max HR value will be determined by the highest HR sampled. Spivi offers multiple versions of Max HR test covering any fitness level of participants from beginners to professional athletes. For beginners, we recommend using the 1 minute Max HR test. During the test, the heart rate in BPM units is sampled and compared to the current Max HR value. Each time a higher value is detected the system replaces the Max HR value with the sampled value.

Max HR can also be manually updated from the Spivi user profile interface.

Training with Max HR Training using %Max HR is the basis for all HR training programs (HR based cycling workouts and generic cardio workouts). The goals are defined in %Max HR units and not in BPM units because each individual has different Max Heart Rate value. Using this method allow members to work at class according to their own fitness abilities. For efficient and accurate HR based workout the Max HR value should be updated on each user profile either by conducting a test during a class with the Spivi system or by manually updating it on the user profile level.

Max HR View One of the most efficient ways to guide the class to work on a specific training zone is to use the color-coded views. When training with HR it will be the Max HR View which is based on Max HR zones. The Max HR View on a Spivi System displays the HR output of each trainee in %Max HR. For example, if a trainee during a workout is 150 HR in BPM units and his Max HR is 180 then the displayed %Max HR will be 83% which is simply 150 / 180.

Max HR zones Studio Administrators can customize the Max HR zones of their Spivi system.The range and color of each zone can be fully configured by studio administrators on the My Studio dashboard at the Set Fitness zones link.