Gellish et al.
About this reference
Gellish and colleagues used longitudinal data from 908 participants tested repeatedly over time to model the relationship between age and maximum heart rate. Unlike most max heart rate studies that use cross-sectional designs, this study tracked the same individuals over multiple years, providing a more direct measure of how max heart rate changes with aging within individuals. The resulting formula (207 - 0.7 x age) is similar to Tanaka's but derived from a fundamentally different study design.
Known limitations
- Relatively small sample size compared to meta-analyses
- Participants were regular exercisers at a fitness facility — may not represent sedentary populations
- Single US centre limits generalisability