Maximum heart rate

I had a typical question come up the other day regarding maximum heart rate.   I know a little about it but thought it would be a good time to bring up my favorite friend Google.  The standard max rate calculation is 220 - your age for adults.  From there you should take certain percentages of that number to hit your different "zones".   Someone correct me if I am incorrect but I don't believe there really is any difference in this calculation for men or women or for heavy or petite sized people.   It's all based on age......

With this in mind; I was monitoring my HR this morning during my Interval X session.  I only put the monitor on at about half way point of the workout when I was maxing out already.  I had it on for the the remainder  and was right between 155-165.  Since I am 38 and an expert mathematician :-0:

According to this chart I was right in that interval / intense range.  Sounds about right according to how I was feeling and sweating!  Maybe the 90% should be called something different like "hovering over pulling on shorts trying to catch breath"?  At the anaerobic level, you burn the most calories in the shortest amount of time.  This increases your metabolism the most.  You burn less fat from the activity but more calories are used overall, which is beneficial for fat loss and muscle gain.   

In a nutshell, the high level of activity strengthens your heart and makes you healthier.  That is our overall goal isn't it?

Example of me at 90% :-)