Recovery Heart Rate Feature - How to Use?

This pops up 2 minutes after you stop the watch, before you save the run. The figure it gives you in the difference between the HR at the end of the run and the HR after 2 minutes. The bigger the number the better (well it shows better recovery, but you do have to have been pushing yourself to get the initial HR up to get a high number).

HTH

CW

Unfortunately the Garmin Connect Platform doesn't show the data anywhere for tracking/trending - and doesn't use it as far as I know for determining training effect, fatigue, fitness...etc.

The value apparently (iirc) is saved in the .fit file for the activity... but not used anywhere.

As mentioned the value will vary greatly depending on how high your heart rate was at the end of the activity. If you go through a longer and mellow cooldown jog as you wrap up a Tempo run, will result in a very low final HR...not giving much room to drop to get to near resting. Whereas if you ended the activity at Tempo pace.... you'd have a much higher potential to drop. I still try to wait two minutes before closing out the activity....with the hope that Strava or Garmin eventually uses the data somehow productive...long shot.

They do appear to be changing some of the reports (added aerobic effect graphs) - so maybe someday soon fatigue, smart recovery advisor, or Fitness (similar to Strava's "Fitness and Freshness" graph) will come into play.

Is this the rate after one minute or two minutes?

Two, according to the owner's manual.

How do I use this feature?

You were already using it, if you mean “how” in the procedural sense. How you use the information offered by the feature is up to you.

Do I just look at the last HR reading for that run and use that? Or do I use the Max HR on that run or the average HR? And then do my subtraction.

You've lost me. Why would you need to do any subtraction? The whole point of the Recovery Heart Rate feature is that the watch performs the noting (of your HR when you press to stop tracking a run) and then the subtraction for you, once it has taken a second HR reading after two minutes.

Subtraction

Two, according to the owner's manual.

You were already using it, if you mean “how” in the procedural sense. How you use the information offered by the feature is up to you.

You've lost me. Why would you need to do any subtraction? The whole point of the Recovery Heart Rate feature is that the watch performs the noting (of your HR when you press to stop tracking a run) and then the subtraction for you, once it has taken a second HR reading after two minutes.

I'm assuming that the figure of 139 given is too high a figure to be a real recovery figure and that this is just the heart rate after two minutes. You are saying that, if that figure is correct, I have a recovery rate of 139 (which would mean I was back to my rhr of 40 in two minutes). I like what you're saying, but I guess the figure is wrong, though like most things, they seem to get more accurate the more running I do.

I'm assuming that the figure of 139 given is too high a figure to be a real recovery figure and that this is just the heart rate after two minutes. You are saying that, if that figure is correct, I have a recovery rate of 139 (which would mean I was back to my rhr of 40 in two minutes). I like what you're saying, but I guess the figure is wrong, though like most things, they seem to get more accurate the more running I do.

I think you are confusing recovery heart rate and resting heart rate, both of which are unfortunately abbreviated to RHR. 2 minutes after a workout you get 2 numbers. One is your current heart rate (i.e. 2 minutes after stoping workout) and it is called recovery heart rate, and the other is the difference between your current heart rate and heart rate 2 minutes ago, i.e. at the end of workout.

Normally, it should tell you how well you recover immediately after a hard workout. If the difference between workout heart rate and recovery heart rate is relatively small it could mean that you are over-fatigued, dehydrated, ill, or there is something wrong with your heart.

Please note, that recovery heart rate might be skewed if the last section of your workout is of low intesity.

You are saying that, if that figure is correct, I have a recovery rate of 139.

No, I wasn't saying that at all.

I don't have a photo (or screenshot) of the resting heart rate notification on my FR235, but I'm pretty sure it tells the user what his/her current heart rate is (which I'd assume what your figure of 139 is) and the recovery heart rate in square brackets.

Edit: OK, I found one on the web – ">://www.wareable.com/media/images/2016/01/photo-20-01-2016-14-02-24-1453472931-CgX4-full-width-inline.jpg">https://www.wareable.com/media/images/2016/01/photo-20-01-2016-14-02-24-1453472931-CgX4-full-width-inline.jpg

One is your current heart rate (i.e. 2 minutes after stoping workout) and it is called recovery heart rate, and the other is the difference between your current heart rate and heart rate 2 minutes ago, i.e. at the end of workout.

With due respect, according to Garmin the recovery heart rate is the difference between the two heart rate readings two minutes apart.

If the difference between workout heart rate and recovery heart rate is relatively small it could mean that you are over-fatigued, dehydrated, ill, or there is something wrong with your heart.

When I first started running, about a year ago, my heart rate would peak at around 185 and stay there after the first 2km, and when I stopped, it would stay north of 160 for the following two to three minutes. That's just poor cardiovascular fitness, although I don't think any doctor would conclude there was “something wrong” with my heart medically. Thankfully, these days my heart rate typically drops to around 125 within two minutes of stopping (irrespective of whether the last section was a hard workout or a relatively easy run).

For anyone who truly cares about his/her cardiac response after exercise has ceased, I think it's far better to simply mark the end of exercising with the Lap button, and then let the FR235 continue to record for two (or more!) minutes, so that changes in the heart rate can be reviewed in detail (graphically or otherwise), instead of having it summarised to a single scalar figure and then try to make sense out of the ‘tea leaves’.

With due respect, according to Garmin the recovery heart rate is the difference between the two heart rate readings two minutes apart.

Ok. Just a matter of naming convention. I tend to agree with you on this. Anyway I hope everyone understood what I meant.

When I first started running, about a year ago, my heart rate would peak at around 185 and stay there after the first 2km, and when I stopped, it would stay north of 160 for the following two to three minutes. That's just poor cardiovascular fitness,

... or your first workouts were just too hard for your fitness level, leaving you too fatigued to properly recover.

although I don't think any doctor would conclude there was “something wrong” with my heart medically.

Sure. Even a persisting low RHR doesn't necessarily indicate a heart disorder, but if there's nothing else to indicate any reason for it, then it is at least a signal, that perhaps a doctor should have a look at your condition.

New Data and Clarity

Just got back from a medium intensity 6k (T.E. 3.5) and there are indeed two figures, both called Recovery Heart Rate (117BPM) and (50 BPM).

I assume that 50 is the actual recovery rate and the 117 is the lower figure from which it was calculated. That would mean the upper was 167. 167-117=50. As a 48 year old male, I'm pleased with that.

I've asked Garmin to update the manual to explain what the two figures are.

@Toxsterize: You are correct. It doesn't show the high number (167) after 2 minutes, but if you add the 2 numbers together that you see (117 + 50 = 167), 167 was the last HR recorded while running. 117 is your HR 2 minutes after your run and 50 is your Recovery HR.

Just curious, do you sit still while waiting for your RHR? That is a pretty big number. I personally keep walking at a normal pace after my run and the best I ever get is around 26-36. I think yesterday I was 140 26 = 166, but it usually is closer to 130 36 = 166, pretty normal walk pace after run.

Max

I typically on a solid but 'easy' pace run for me - my recovery number is 45-55 or so - I typically take it pretty easy at least the last half mile of my run to cool down.

During the two minutes - I am typically walking into the house, doing some stretching, taking off shoes, etc. So active - yet being pretty chill.

I typically do 6-9hr of running/biking a week - I don't recall the numbers when I was restarting my training after injury this fall - but 30's comes to mind.

I don't look at it very often... since it varies so much based on how fast/hard I come into the house....(large 'hot' HR vs low cooled-down HR) Also I recover very fast after strong shorter run at 80-90% MaxHR.... vs a 2hr Run at 75%....