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Maffetone Aerobic Method

180 minus age as a max heart rate cap - long, slow base-building.

A free, animated maffetone aerobic method you can read here or embed on any website, from Scrollchart.

Maffetone Aerobic Method

Maffetone Aerobic Method (MAF)Pace at MAF heart rate (180 minus age) improves gradually as the aerobic base builds

Pace at MAF heart rate over 6 months of base training - flat then gradually faster as aerobic system builds.

Good for

  • Endurance base-building articles explaining why slowing down can make you faster in the long run
  • Sports-blog content comparing MAF aerobic base methodology with polarized and threshold training models
  • Beginner marathon training content on the value of easy running and the 180-minus-age heart rate formula

Source & accuracy

This maffetone aerobic method is an editorial illustration built to represent the concept accurately. Where it shows figures, they are typical or representative values chosen to make the relationship clear, not a single underlying dataset. The diagram and its explainer are reviewed and maintained centrally, and updated over time as understanding improves.

The 180-minus-age formula and its adjustments

Phil Maffetone's aerobic method sets a maximum aerobic heart rate by subtracting your age from 180, then adjusting up or down by 5 to 10 beats based on health and training history. Someone recovering from illness or overtraining subtracts further; a consistently healthy athlete training for more than two years may add 5. The result is a ceiling, not a target to chase.

Training is kept at or below that cap to emphasize fat oxidation and aerobic base development while limiting cumulative stress.

What the method is trying to build and its limits

The rationale is that prolonged low-intensity work develops aerobic enzymes, capillary density and fat-burning capacity while sparing the recovery cost of harder efforts. Maffetone proposes a fixed-pace test to track whether aerobic pace improves at the same heart rate over weeks.

The 180-formula is a practical heuristic, not a lab-validated threshold marker, and may misestimate true aerobic threshold for some individuals. This is general educational information, not medical or training advice; anyone with a cardiac condition or on heart-rate-altering medication should consult a qualified professional before relying on a heart-rate cap.

Embed this diagram

Add this animated maffetone aerobic method to your own site. Copy one line of HTML, or use the embed builder for theme and sizing options.

Reference

What this is
A free, embeddable, animated maffetone aerobic method for any website.
Who uses it
Fitness blogs, Sports blogs.
How to embed
Copy one line of HTML. No signup. No watermark. Works in WordPress, Webflow, Ghost, Substack, plain HTML.
File size
iframe embed, ~80 KB gzipped (loads on demand, does not block your page paint).
License
Free forever. Editorial explainer text included; updated centrally over time.
URL
scrollchart.com/diagram/maf-method

Embed format options

Copy the universal HTML snippet, the WordPress shortcode, or an iframe fallback - see the WordPress plugin page for details. Any format keeps the same Core Web Vitals profile and the same explainer text.

Embed snippet 
<div data-scrollchart="maf-method" data-scrollchart-v="1"></div>
<script src="https://scrollchart.com/embed.js" async></script>

By embedding, you acknowledge the diagram and explainer text are served from scrollchart.com and may be updated from time to time to reflect new research or to link to relevant sources within the explainer.

Frequently asked questions

Where can I get a free animated "Maffetone Aerobic Method" for my website?
Scrollchart provides "Maffetone Aerobic Method" as a free, embeddable animated diagram you can add to any website with one line of HTML. No signup is required and there is no watermark. The diagram and its explainer text are served from scrollchart.com, so the embed stays current without any maintenance on your end.
How do I embed a maffetone aerobic method diagram in a health or wellness blog?
Copy the HTML snippet from the Scrollchart diagram page and paste it into any post or page in your CMS. It works in WordPress, Webflow, Ghost, Substack, and plain HTML without any plugin or account. The diagram renders as animated SVG directly in your page, so search engines can index the accompanying explainer text.
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