As others have said, it’s very variable for different people.
I’m 53, and at the moment I’d guess I’m topping out at about 174-175.
However, last January (2021), I saw 185.
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56 years, almost 57. Using HR monitoring very rarely. Two weeks ago I was at 205 for a few seconds, think I could still get to 210 or 215, which was my max. HR 15 years ago when doing competitive running. Resting HR was below 40 at that time.
As said many times, a highly individual matter.
People who just use that silly formular 220 - age for controlling their training may put too much as well as too little effort in. Makes definitely no sense, I guess.
For really testing it out yourself, you have to have at least some decent kind of fitness, otherwise muscels give up before you get to your max. HR.
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I’ll be 60 in a couple of weeks and have been riding recreationally for about 35 years. My personal history is that my max HR has pretty much followed that simple formula through the years but that really means little to me regarding fitness goals. I’ve been on Zwift for a couple of years now and joined to put more training into my cycling, to ride more inside where conditions are controlled and to improve my ability to enjoy riding with my friends again- in other words, not be the slowest guy on group rides and stop making everyone wait at turns. As I’ve gotten more fit I’ve noticed that I can maintain a higher HR much much longer (my zones have shifted a bit) and I recover from hard efforts much easier. I assume my Max HR has increased but I don’t try to hit my max HR in my training. I will say that my experience has been that the targeted trainings available on Zwift do what they say they do- climbing training helps me climb better. FTP programs improve my ability to maintain a higher power output over time. Etc. Good discussion and I’ve enjoyed reading the different responses. Now if only I applied my newfound discipline to weight loss…
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Paul,
I use heart rate monitoring for the same reason. I was climbing Old La Honda Road and realized, wow, my heart rate was really high, and I had to stop. I was on a heavier bike and I was winded. From training, I think you can get about 20% better performance once you are generally in shape without any real danger. The medical research shows that overtraining syndrome is real for the middle aged athlete. Living a long time is simply not a competition, it is a collaboration.
Every article you read, every sincere expression based on reasonable experience, that really helps people you know, and those that you do not know and might influence.
Gary
I am 48 and my max HR is about 205.
I only go near the max (197+) when I am running outside.
When I cycle indoors I rarely go over 190… even on max effort.