Heart Rate Recovery is a key indicator of cardiovascular fitness.

“Heart Rate Recovery is an indicator of the autonomous functioning of the heart, and it results in the withdrawal of the so-called sympathetic activity and the reactivation of the parasympathetic nervous activity. The latter is responsible for the ability to relax. Evidence using specific blockers indicates that that the reactivation of parasympathetic activity is the main driver of immediate Heart Rate Recovery, while the withdrawal of Sympathetic activity comes later in play to affect the longer term HRR.”