What is the maximum heart rate of a 16-year-old?

What is the maximum heart rate of a 16-year-old?

• A. 90 beats per minute
• B. 120 beats per minute
• C. 170 beats per minute
• D. 204 beats per minute

Answer: (A)

The concept being tested is estimating maximum heart rate using age. The common formula is 220 minus age. For a 16-year-old, that equals about 204 beats per minute, which represents the upper limit your heart can safely reach during intense activity. The number 204 is the best estimate of maximum heart rate here because it aligns with that formula and reflects the peak the heart can achieve. Resting or lower-intensity rates around 90–120 bpm are far below maximum; 170 bpm is high and plausible for vigorous effort but still below the estimated max, while 204 bpm is the closest to the true maximum for this age.

The concept being tested is estimating maximum heart rate using age. The common formula is 220 minus age. For a 16-year-old, that equals about 204 beats per minute, which represents the upper limit your heart can safely reach during intense activity. The number 204 is the best estimate of maximum heart rate here because it aligns with that formula and reflects the peak the heart can achieve. Resting or lower-intensity rates around 90–120 bpm are far below maximum; 170 bpm is high and plausible for vigorous effort but still below the estimated max, while 204 bpm is the closest to the true maximum for this age.