Many people who engage in exercise are encouraged by fitness professionals to reach and maintain a specific target heart range (THR) for maximal results. Maximum heart rates (MHR) are determined by subtracting an individual's age from 220. Because it is not safe to elevate intensity levels to MHR, fitness experts determine a target heart rate range based on age and fitness level. Ranges typically run between 55 and 85 percent of MHR. The goal is to achieve the highest limit safely for as long as possible. However, the true indicator of cardiorespiratory fitness is not how high or long you can elevate the heart rate, but how fast your heart rate returns to pre-exercise levels. The quicker the recovery, the more efficiently the heart is working.
Types and Methods
Determining heart rate recovery is typically done in one of two ways. First, there is the simple, inexpensive method of palpating, or touching, certain areas of the body to record the numbers of heartbeats per minute. The usual areas are the carotid artery and the radial artery. The carotid artery is in the neck area beneath the jawline. It has a stronger pulse and is usually the easiest to locate. The other location is the radial--thumb side--pulse. This pulse, in some people, is sometimes faint and difficult to palpate, even after intense exercise.
The use of a heart rate monitor is the second method for determining heart rate and recovery. These electronic devices either go around the wrist, like a watch, or come with an elastic band that wraps around the chest. Monitors can run from $29 to $159. Properly functioning monitors reduce the margin for error in calculating the heart rate.
Significance
An efficiently beating heart is one that does less work but produces sufficient blood throughout the body per beat. With all else equal, a person with a resting heart rate of 60 beats per minute has a healthier heart than someone with a resting heart rate of 90 beats per minute. The recovery heart rate is important because it indicates how hard the heart is having to pump blood through the body to meet oxygen demands. A strong heart will show a steep or rapid decline in beats per minute after cessation of physical activity. Poorer physical or cardiorespiratory fitness is represented by a heart rate that remains elevated for an extended period of time after exercise or activity is over.
Recording
Timing and documentation are of the essence when you want to record heart rate recovery. Before beginning exercise, you must determine your ambient heart rate. Sit quietly for three to five minutes prior to exercise. Use either the carotid or radial pulse and count beats for one minute. Record this number. However, the most important step is recording the heart rate after the exercise. Essentially, the heart rate begins to drop significantly within the first minute post-exercise. The goal is to quickly locate the pulse and begin counting within five seconds of finishing the exercise.
Considerations
The goal in determining heart rate recovery numbers is to decrease the difference between resting heart rate and one-minute recovery. For example, if a resting heart rate is 75 beats per minute and the one-minute recovery after a bout of exercise is 125 beats per minute, the difference is 50 beats per minute. The objective for the next workout session is to decrease this difference. This will indicate the heart is beating less often to perform the same amount of work, with the result that wear and tear on the heart is being reduced.
Warnings
Apply light pressure when palpating the carotid artery. Baroreceptor reflexes in the nerves automatically decrease heart rate when excess pressure is applied. Also, if you are taking the radial pulse, don't use your thumb. The thumb has a pulse of its own that can be confused with the radial pulse. Use the middle and forefingers instead to palpate heart rate in both locations.
References
- "ACSM's Health and Fitness Journal"; Monitoring Exercise Heart Rate Using Manual Palpation; D. John et al.; Nov/Dec 2007
- "Journal of Investigative Medicine"; Parasympathetic Effects on Heart Rate Recovery . . . ; 2004
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