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I have a slightly less formal way: on my ride there's a fairly severe hill to climb. Usually by the time I reach the crest, I'm huffing and puffing pretty hard. Then I like to see how long it takes my breath to get back to normal and get my speed cranked back up. Usually about a half a block.

The key:

POOR less than 12 Beats Per Minute (BPM) recovery
FAIR 12-20
Good 20-30
Excellent 30-40
Over 40 is outstanding.

The recovery rate is important because this is a measure of the soundness of our cardiovascular system and not just our heart health.

A recovery rate of greater than 35 BPM indicates almost no risk of sudden death from heart disease!

12 or less increases the risk dramatically. People with this issue need to consult with their Doctor before exercising!

"After following over 5,700 men for 23 years, researchers concluded that the faster your rate drops after exercise, the lower your risk of dying of a heart attack. To perform the calculation, first take note of your heart rate at exactly one minute after you've finished your workout. Then, take that number and subtract it from the maximum heart rate you reached during the workout. If the difference is more than 35bpm, there's a good chance you do not face an increased risk.

If, however, it is less than 35bpm, the study suggests there's need for caution. Specifically, if the difference is between 31-35bpm, your risk is increased by 40 percent; 25-30bpm, risk increase is 30 percent; less than 25bpm, risk increase is 110 percent."

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A friend who scored a "good" and ended up needing open heart surgery....he was in good shape...not great shape. Good enough shape to survive the surgery and an aortic aneurysm. Surgeon found it upon opening him up.... He's a lucky boy because there had been debate about stents instead of open. The stent proceedure wouldn't have don't squat for the aneurysm.

Point is that everyone should strive for the 35 recovery based on what I've read.

Resting heart rate is another measure of heart health. The bigger the difference between resting and maximum heart rate is call "reserve capacity." Cardio exercise increases that "reserve."

Huffing and puffing means reaching maximum heart rate...problem is that there's no data on what "getting my breath back" means....it's subjective. That's why they use heart rate monitors for this research.

A 58 year old Doctor friend told me that he ran on the treadmill and got his heart to 180 and then checked it after one minute and it had dropped to 70. I told him tactfully that there's no way...turns out he grabbed the handlebar on the treadmill. Those things are notoriously inaccurate. A chest strap is the only accurate method other than a stress test setup.

OK a couple of questions? I Googled Anerobic but got no answer. Anaerobic came back as a lack of oxygen and not a heart rate number. One of the trainers at my gym calculated that I should get my heart rate up to 124 for 15 minutes to get a good aerobic workout. I take 5 minutes to warm up and get it up there, maintain for 15 minutes and them 5 minutes at a slower pace but I don't measure how low my heart rate goes or how long it takes. He took 220 - 55(my age) and multiplied by 75% to come up with the number of 124 so what number should I get to to do this test? Could I do it as a part of my aerobic workout?
Thanks in advance for any help

Wolfie

Very good objective test and easy to do yourself if you're up to it.

Calculated max bpm: (220 - 64) = 156

bpm @ rest: = 51

bpm @ end of 12 minute run: = 152

bpm @ 1 min. @ 1.5mph & 2.5% grade: 131

recovery rate 21bpm

Good enough to put off for a couple of days before seeing the "bucket list", but leaves a lot of room for improvement.

Ironguy, you're way is more fun and scenic, too.

Hey Rad, got a kick out of you saying those handlebars are inaccurate. I use elliptical machines at my gym and I chuckle at them sometimes. I've had them say I was in my target heart zone after about 1o seconds, yeah, right. I've also had them say I did not get to my target rate until about eight minutes.

Btw, I also get the same recovery rate results after a upper end tempo run (94%maxhr)

I clocked the distance today. The hill is 0.36 miles; then my maximum recovery point is the next light another 0.20 miles farther. Usually about half-way to the light I'm back up to speed and by the time I reach the light my breathing is normal again.

Not scientific but it gives me an idea that my recovery rate is pretty good. Matched with the other tests I have done with my yearly physical, I'm beginning to think that I just might make the 97 years that my longevity calculator says I'll make. If a car doesn't run over me first.