HR prescription helper

Age, %HRmax, and formula → target bpm; see which published no-BCTT bands your choice overlaps.
Published

June 12, 2026

ImportantRead this first

Not medical advice. Educational use only.

  • This helper is for the age-predicted % band path when symptom-threshold testing (BCTT) is unavailable—not for symptom-only or RPE-only prescription.
  • The bpm output is a ceiling, not a goal. Stop if symptoms rise ≥2/10 from session baseline.
  • Published bands overlap without converging; matching a number to a paper does not validate it for your patient.
  • Formulae (220−age vs 208−0.7×age) are not validated in adolescent PPCS specifically.

Why this exists

The installment No treadmill in the room argues that the literature does not give one universal %HRmax when BCTT is missing. Parents and clinicians still ask for a watch-readable number. This page separates that practical step from the article’s main claim.

Related reading: Figure 2 — overlapping %HRmax bands · A note on the formula

HRmax formula

Estimated HRmax

Target bpm (ceiling)

Overlaps published bands

Dashed brown line on Kozlowski row = ~75% symptom limit (observed); orange bar = RTP guidance <70% when HRt is unknown.

Boundaries

Topic What this tool does / does not do
PPCSexRx The CRAN package encodes one published fallback. At age 16 and ~60–70% band its example lands near 133 bpm—illustration only, not a mandated dose.
Symptom cap Always apply ≤2/10 rule from the pillar2-002 SOP.
Device Wrist optical HR may misread vs chest strap in exercise testing contexts.
Pillar 4 Fuller “ceiling not goal” checklists will live in future SOP installments; this page stays the calculator.

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