If you are new to running, or only want an approximation of your maximum heart ate, you can use the formula of 214 – (0.8 x age) for men and 209 – (0.9 x age) for women. Unfortunately for 5-10 per cent of the population, this figure can be wrong

for cardiovascular fitness development. For example, if you are 40, your estimated MHR would be 180 (ie 220-40). You can then calculate training heart rates from this, using a formula such as 70 per cent MHR (which would be 126).Its quite simple, but unfortunately

Q I know three ways of calculating maximum heart rate (MHR): 220 – age; 214 – (0.8 x age); and 205 – 1/2 age. For a 30-year-old, they all come out at 190, but for a 60-year-old, the results are 160, 166 and 174 – a large range. Which is the most

for someone in their 40s, because maximum heart rate declines as we get older. The rough rule of thumb for estimating your ‘age-predicted’ maximum heart rate is to subtract 0.8 times your age from 214 for men, or subtract 0.9 times your age from 209 for women

to sit too low (the straps aren’t adjustable) so the signal can take a while to settle down. Contact www.polar-uk.com; 01926 816 177; www.triumph-international.co.uk, 01793 720 232 Timex Ironman Ladies 30 Lap HRM – £80This is not really a women’s heart-rate

Heart-rate monitors vary hugely in price and functionality. For less than £20 you can pick up an HRM that simply measures your pulse, while parting with £150+ will give you a monitor that will set training zones for you, tell you how many calories

from total time, lap time, HR or time of day.Contact: 0800 056 1640; www.nike.comReebok Precision Trainer £129.99Displays both HR in beats per minute and as a percentage of maximum HR.Press a single button while running and watch scans through maximum

-marathon race pace. Sample session: 1.5 miles at 60%, then 15-20 mins at exactly 85%, then 1.5 miles at 60%.85-90% Approx 5K-10K pace. Sample sessions: 6 x 800m peaking at 90% in each rep; 5 x 2000m peaking at 85% in each rep. 95% Peak heart rate at 400m rep

, but your new training paces might come as a surprise too. Before you get started, work out the right benchmarks to work towards by finding your maximum heart rate. If you're a complete beginner, start off with this very approximate formula: 214 - (0.8 x

Q Following your advice, I did a treadmill test using a heart rate monitor to work out my maximum heart rate. The result was 177bpm. However, during 40-minute steady runs my pulse easily reaches 165bpm, about 94 per cent of max! Am I training too