How does the Apple Watch calculate Heart Rate recovery?

Whenever I log a workout (definitely on ErgData for the rowing machine, but I believe it’s happening on the main workout app as well), the post workout HR seems to count the last minute of my workout as the first minute of recovery. So on my last workout, I pushed the last minute, bringing my HR up from 178 to 186, then stopped the workout and logged it. On the post-workout hr recover (on the Apple Watch heart app), it shows +8 HR for the first minute (178 to 186), then it drops about 40 after two minutes (my actual first minute after I logged the workout). Anyone know what’s up with this? I can tell it’s definitely logging the last minute of exercise because on the graph, the HR is climbing consistently up until the 1 minute mark, and then suddenly dropping by ~40 for the next minute.



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Apple Watch SE, watchOS 11

Posted on Jan 14, 2025 11:20 PM

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Jan 16, 2025 12:05 AM in response to Flincho

it has prompted me to write another user tip regarding this matter.


In the mean time I suggest that apart from races you keep sprints to the middle of your workout (Fartlek training). Set a suitable split distance with haptic notifications of say, 200m and make sure that your final split is within your normal working heart rate range so that it is not on the rise when you finish.


You can set audio heart rate notifications according to this user tip

How to create a heart rate notification w… - Apple Community

  

Particularly for older runners, such as myself (73) it is important that lactic acid is thoroughly cleared from the muscles. Finishing on a sprint and then immediately resting or driving back home is really bad painful, even harmful for general health. Certainly cardio recovery can appear terrible adter a sprint finish. It should be enough to have the last split at top of your set HR working range. However a further 200m walk after ending the workout will release lactic acid and show true cardio recovery.


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How does the Apple Watch calculate Heart Rate recovery?

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