Maffetone's MAF method: the 180 formula and its limits
The formula
Subtract your age from 180, then adjust for your situation.1
| Situation | Adjustment |
|---|---|
| Major illness, surgery, hospital stay, rehabilitation, regular medication, stage 3 overtraining | minus 10 |
| Injury, no progress in tests, more than two colds or infections a year, allergies or asthma, overfat, stage 1 or 2 overtraining, inconsistent training or a restart | minus 5 |
| Consistent training (at least 4 times a week) for up to two years, without the problems above | no adjustment |
| More than two years without problems, with progress in MAF tests and racing, no injury | plus 5 |
Exemptions: above 65 further individualisation may be needed (up to 10 beats more, only for the category with more than two years of training). Up to 16 years the formula does not apply and 165 has been used.1
Illustrative example
| A 40-year-old | MAF heart rate |
|---|---|
| Returning to training after a break | 180 − 40 − 5 = 135 |
| Training consistently for under two years | 180 − 40 = 140 |
| Training for over two years, with progress and no injury | 180 − 40 + 5 = 145 |
| Recovering from a major illness | 180 − 40 − 10 = 130 |
Example numbers to show the calculation, not a prescription.
Why, according to the author
Maffetone writes that he linked heart rate, posture and gait: at higher intensity, more anaerobic work and more mechanical distortion. From measurements on athletes he derived a heart rate that promoted aerobic function without much stress. He says this rate was often lower than the one given by 220 minus age. This is his explanation, not a demonstration.1
What the literature says
In 2020 Maffetone and Laursen published a review of the program in Frontiers in Physiology. In the abstract they write that the relationship between training at this heart rate, laboratory measures of fat oxidation, health outcomes and athletic performance “must be verified scientifically”.2 Maffetone is the author of the formula: the review is not independent.
Limits
- The sources are the author's site and a review co-authored by him. Controlled studies of the formula were not read, and the abstract says they are missing.
- The formula gives one number per person. The adjustment categories rely on self-assessment.
- The source talks about endurance athletes in general. For running paces and distances, the Daniels sheet and the intensity-distribution entry describe other approaches: they should not be merged.
- People with heart problems or on medication should ask a doctor: the formula does not replace that.
Sources
- Phil Maffetone, The MAF 180 Formula, updated July 2020. philmaffetone.com. Read.
- Maffetone P, Laursen PB. Maximum Aerobic Function: Clinical Relevance, Physiological Underpinnings, and Practical Application. Frontiers in Physiology, 2020. frontiersin.org. Abstract and introduction read.
Sources read on 29 October 2026.