How fast your heart rate drops after running will largely depend on your fitness level. Learn more about how your heart rate should be after running.
Fluctuations in heart rate
Your heart rate increases in frequency to meet the requirements of the activity you perform and decreases while you rest.
You can calculate the optimal heart rate increase during training, use a heart rate monitor to maintain this level throughout the training, and check your recovery rate afterward. Try to measure your heart rate immediately after exercise, and then your resting heart rate 2 minutes later. The difference between these two numbers is a measure of your recovery rate. You can monitor your progress by measuring this difference after each workout. You will quickly see an improvement in that your heart rate goes down faster right after exercise.
What is a normal heart rate after running?
An adult’s average resting heart rate is between 60 and 100 beats per minute, while well-trained athletes can achieve a heart rate between 40 and 60 beats per minute. A goal of maximum heart rate can be 220 minus your age (220-age), and the goal of a healthy heart rate during or just after exercise is 60-80 percent of this.
If you are 55 years old, your goal should be between 85-145 bpm, age 60 = 83-140 bpm. For target areas for other age groups, see the table below.
| Age | Measurement range heart rate | Average max heart rate |
| 20 | 100–170 bpm | 200 bpm |
| 30 | 95–162 bpm | 190 bpm |
| 40 | 93–157 bpm | 185 bpm |
| 45 | 90–153 bpm | 175 bpm |
| 50 | 88–149 bpm | 170 bpm |
| 55 | 85–145 bpm | 165 bpm |
| 60 | 83–140 bpm | 160 bpm |
| 65 | 80–136 bpm | 155 bpm |
| 70 | 75–128 bpm | 150 bpm |
If you keep track of how long it takes for your heart rate during running to return to your regular heart rate, you should have a noticeable reduction in recovery time within four weeks of starting running.
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