Heart Rate Recovery

Heart rate recovery (HRR) refers to the rate at which the heart rate decreases to the resting heart rate after reaching the peak heart rate during intense exercise. It is an important indicator of cardiovascular health and autonomic nervous system function. The speed of heart rate recovery not only reflects an individual's ability to adapt to exercise load but is also an effective tool for assessing overall health status and predicting mortality.

In exercise science, heart rate recovery is typically evaluated by measuring the decrease in heart rate within 2 minutes after exercise stops. Delayed or reduced heart rate recovery may indicate weakened vagal activity, which is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular diseases. Specifically, if an individual's heart rate recovery value is less than 12 beats per minute within 2 minutes after intense exercise, it is considered abnormal heart rate recovery, which may be related to lower exercise capacity and poorer cardiovascular health.

There is a strong inverse relationship between heart rate recovery and individual exercise capacity. In other words, individuals with higher exercise capacity tend to have faster heart rate recovery. This phenomenon is observed in both men and women. Therefore, heart rate recovery can be used as an indicator of training adaptability for athletes and a reference for cardiovascular health assessment in the general population.

Moreover, measuring heart rate recovery can help doctors and fitness coaches assess an individual's adaptability to training load and physical condition. For example, athletes with faster heart rate recovery after exercise are usually considered to have better aerobic capacity and cardiovascular health. Conversely, slow heart rate recovery may indicate the need for further medical evaluation to rule out potential cardiac risks.

Heart rate recovery is a simple yet powerful indicator that can provide important information about an individual's cardiovascular health and exercise capacity. By monitoring heart rate recovery, exercise plans can be better formulated, training intensity optimized, and appropriate preventive measures taken to reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases.

References

  • Recovery of Heart Rate after Exercise. Published March 2, 2000 N Engl J Med 2000;342:662-663 DOI: 10.1056/NEJM200003023420915 VOL. 342 NO. 9
  • Heart Rate Dynamics During Acute Recovery From Maximal Aerobic Exercise in Young Adults
  • The Effect of Training Intensity on VO2max in Young Healthy Adults: A Meta-Regression and Meta-Analysis
  • Advance in the research of heart rate recovery after movement. KANG Mei-hua, WANG Cheng. Advance in the research of heart rate recovery after movement [J]. Chinese Journal of Evidence Based Pediatrics, 2014, 9(1):72-76.