Heart Rate Recovery Calculator
Measure how much your heart rate falls in the first minute after stopping exercise — a simple marker of recovery and cardiovascular fitness.
How quickly your heart settles after effort — a fitness marker in one number.
How the heart rate recovery calculator works
Heart-rate recovery is the drop in beats per minute one minute after stopping exercise. It reflects how quickly the parasympathetic nervous system takes back control; fitter hearts slow faster. In a large study (Cole et al., 1999) a drop of 12 bpm or less in the first minute was associated with higher risk, so 12 is the usual line.
Take the peak reading at the end of a hard effort, stop (or walk slowly), and read again at exactly 60 seconds; Detailed mode adds the two-minute reading, where a drop of 22 or more is often quoted as the healthy sign.
Formula: HRR₁ = peak heart rate − heart rate one minute after stopping
Worked examples
| Inputs | One-minute recovery | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Peak 170, after 1 min 145 | 25 bpm | a 25 bpm drop |
| Peak 165, after 1 min 156 | 9 bpm | only 9 — the warning band |
| Peak 180, after 1 min 150, after 2 min 128 | 30 bpm | two-minute recovery 52 |
FAQFrequently asked questions
What is a good heart-rate recovery?
More than 12 bpm in the first minute is the usual healthy cut-off; well-trained endurance athletes often see 25–35. The two-minute drop should be larger still — 22 or more is commonly quoted.
How do I measure it?
Read your heart rate at the end of a hard effort, stop, and read it again exactly one minute later. A chest strap is more reliable than a wrist sensor for the peak.
Does it change with training?
Yes — improving recovery is one of the earliest signs that aerobic training is working, often within weeks.
Why does it matter?
It reflects the balance between the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems. Slow recovery has been linked in large studies with higher cardiovascular risk, which is why cardiologists watch it during stress tests.
Where these figures come from
- Riegel PS, "Athletic records and human endurance", American Scientist 1981 — T2 = T1 × (D2 ÷ D1)^1.06
- Cooper KH, "A means of assessing maximal oxygen intake", JAMA 1968 — the 12-minute run test
- Ainsworth BE et al., Compendium of Physical Activities (2024 update) — MET values by activity
- OpenPowerlifting — DOTS coefficients (Tim Konertz, 2019) — the DOTS polynomial used for scoring
- Naismith's rule (1892) as used by UK and Australian walking bodies — 1 hour per 5 km plus 1 hour per 600 m of ascent
- UK Sport — national high-performance body
Last checked: September 2026. Formulas are fixed by their published sources; the MET values come from the Compendium of Physical Activities.