The basics of measuring HRR are simple: Right as you finish a bout of hard exercise, such as hard running or rowing, check your heart rate. Then rest — do nothing — and check it again one, two, or three minutes later.
If your heart rate was 180 BPM at the end of the exercise bout, and one minute later it’s 160 BPM, your one-minute HRR is 20 BPM. If you check it after two minutes and you’re at 125 BPM, your two-minute HRR is 55 (180 minus 125).
Your Oura Ring makes the heart rate measuring part easy to do: Use the Oura App’s Workout Heart Rate feature to record your heart rate throughout the workout. Note where your interval started, and what your heart rate fell to after a minute or two.
While the one-minute test is more common, Nelson says he prefers the two-minute test because it provides more data to the user: They can test both their one- and two-minute HRRs in a single test, and track both over time.
However, the two-minute test can be tricky, he says: You have to sit still and do nothing for two minutes, which can be a tough 120 seconds for busy, data-driven exercise lovers. But it’s one of the keys to getting an accurate measurement.