The purpose of this study was to examine heart rate recovery and linear/non-linear heart rate variability before and after resistance training (RT). Fourteen young men (25.0 ± 1.1 years of age) completed a cross-over design consisting of a 4-week time control period, 6-weeks RT (3 days per week) and 4-weeks of detraining. Linear heart rate variability (HRV) was spectrally decomposed using an autoregressive approach. Non-linear dynamics of heart rate complexity included sample entropy (SampEn) and Lempel-Ziv entropy (LZEn). Heart rate recovery was calculated from a graded maximal exercise test as maximal heart rate attained during the test minus heart rate at 1-minute post exercise (HRR). There was no change in SampEn, LZEn or HRR following the time control portion of the study (p>0.05). Following RT there was an increase in SampEn (p<0.05), LZEn (p<0.05) and HRR (p<0.05). SampEn, LZEn and HRR returned to pre-training values following the detraining portion of the study. There was no change in spectral measures of HRV at any time point (p>0.05). These findings suggest that resistance exercise training increases heart rate complexity and heart rate recovery after exercise while having no effect on spectral measures of heart rate variability in young healthy men. These autonomic changes regress shortly after cessation of training.