QUICK ANSWERS
What is a good heart rate recovery?
How fast your heart rate drops after exercise, what’s a good number, and how to use it in your workouts
How to measure it
- Do a hard effort of a few minutes, such as an interval at 90% of your maximum.
- Note your heart rate the moment you stop.
- Walk slowly for one minute and note it again.
- The difference is your one-minute heart rate recovery.
Measure it the same way every time, with the same effort and the same cool down, so you can compare. A chest strap reacts faster than a watch.
What the study found
Key study
Slow recovery, higher risk
- Cohort study
- 2,428 adults
- 6 years
Adults who had an exercise test and whose heart rate fell by 12 beats per minute or less in the first minute of recovery were about twice as likely to die in the next six years, after allowing for other risks.
Source 1Using recovery in your intervals
Instead of resting for a fixed time, you can rest until your heart rate comes down to a target, such as 60 to 70% of your maximum, so each round starts from a similar place. In Cero, Adaptive HR does this for you, extending the rest by up to the time you choose.
Sources
- Cole CR, Blackstone EH, Pashkow FJ, Snader CE, Lauer MS. Heart-Rate Recovery Immediately after Exercise as a Predictor of Mortality. N Engl J Med. 1999;341(18):1351-1357. doi.org/10.1056/NEJM199910283411804
YOUR NEXT SESSION STARTS HERE
Bring the effort.
We’ll keep the time.
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Cero is a timer, not a medical device. If you’re new to hard exercise, are pregnant or have a health condition, check with your doctor first, and stop if you feel unwell.