Heart Rate Recovery: Enter BPM Drop

When to use direct BPM drop entry

Many fitness wearables and apps automatically calculate your heart rate recovery after workouts. Apple Watch shows HRR in the Workout summary. Garmin devices display it in the post-activity stats. Whoop tracks recovery metrics automatically. If your device has already calculated the BPM drop for you, enter it directly here instead of entering two separate heart rate values.

This mode is also useful if you recorded your heart rate drop from a treadmill stress test or a gym-based fitness assessment where the equipment provided the recovery value directly.

Understanding heart rate recovery benchmarks

Heart rate recovery is one of the simplest and most powerful markers of cardiovascular health. The number of BPM your heart rate drops in the first 60 seconds after peak exercise reflects how quickly your parasympathetic nervous system reactivates to slow the heart. Here are general benchmarks for 1-minute HRR:

• Below 12 BPM: Clinically significant. Multiple studies have linked an HRR below 12 BPM to increased risk of cardiovascular events. Discuss with your doctor.
• 12-20 BPM: Below average. Indicates room for improvement through regular aerobic exercise and stress management.
• 20-35 BPM: Average to good. Most healthy, moderately active adults fall in this range.
• 35-50 BPM: Excellent. Indicates strong cardiovascular fitness and healthy autonomic function.
• Above 50 BPM: Athlete level. Typically seen in endurance-trained individuals with high parasympathetic tone.

Improving your heart rate recovery

Regular aerobic exercise is the most effective way to improve HRR. Zone 2 training (sustained moderate effort at 60-70% of max HR) builds the aerobic base that drives parasympathetic adaptation. High-intensity interval training (HIIT) also improves recovery speed. Beyond exercise, sleep quality, stress management, and avoiding excessive alcohol and caffeine all contribute to better autonomic function and faster recovery.

Need to measure from scratch?

If you do not have a pre-calculated BPM drop, use the peak and recovery HR mode to enter your two heart rate values and have the drop calculated for you.