Recovery heart rate after sub maximal work

The purpose of this study was to determine the factors that influence the decrease of heart rate at the beginning of the recovery after submaximal work. 84 high school male students, 17-19 yr old, were examined. Maximal oxygen consumption was predicted for each subject from 3 submaximal work loads on a bicycle ergometer, according to Astrand. For each subject heart rate was measured at the end of submaximal work during the first 15 sec of the recovery. Pearson correlation coefficient between heart rate at work and the 5-15 sec of the recovery was r=-0.98. The decrease of heart rate during the 5-15 sec recovery was 11.5%. An equation that describes the relationship between the 5-15 sec recovery heart rate and the heart rate at work, V(O₂)max and the difference between the work and rest heart rates, is established.