Heart Rate Recovery Calculator

How it is calculated

The calculation is a plain subtraction: HRR = peak HR − HR after 1 min, with both heart rates in beats per minute (bpm) and the answer in bpm, shown as a whole number. The peak value is the highest rate reached at the end of exercise, and the second value is read one minute after you stop. The tool gives no result if the later rate is higher than the peak (that would be a rise, not a recovery), if the peak is below 20 or above 250 bpm, or if the later rate is below 20 bpm; equal rates give 0 bpm. It does not label the result as good or poor; you compare the drop with your own earlier values, measured the same way each time.

Common mistakes

• Entering the heart rate after one minute as the first value and the peak as the second. The tool then finds the later value higher and returns nothing.
• Reading the second value at 30 seconds or 2 minutes. The drop depends on timing, so the figures are not comparable with a one-minute value.
• Entering the recovery figure itself (for example 27) in the second field instead of the heart rate you read. A value below 20 gives no result, and 27 gives a nonsense drop of 148 bpm, almost the full peak.
• Typing a peak above 250 bpm, which gives no result and is usually a typo or a watch error from a loose strap. Check the reading rather than the tool.
• Comparing a cool-down walk with a complete stop. Walking after exercise usually changes the one-minute number, so keep the protocol the same each time.