Assessment of Maximum Heart Rate Prediction Equations in Adults at Low and High Risk of Cardiovascular Disease

Maximum heart rate (HRmax) is commonly used to estimate exercise intensity. Since direct measurement of HRmax is not always practical, prediction equations were developed. However, most equations have not been properly validated in adults at low and high risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). We sought to: 1) assess the accuracy of commonly used equations to predict HRmax among adults at low and high CVD risk and, 2) determine if SuperLearner (SL) modeling combining base machine algorithms could improve HRmax prediction.