Are You A Candidate For HRV Training?
Heart-rate variability (HRV), or the change in the time intervals between heartbeats, is easily measured at home and can help you decide to go hard at the gym today or to take it easy and focus on recovery.
HRV has been mathematically correlated to resilience and physical readiness and a number of companies are offering apps to help you quantify and interpret this relatively new piece of data.
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Is HRV different from heart rate monitoring?
Yes, totally different. It is the same monitor (chest strap), but a different metric. Heart rate monitoring is used to measure cardiovascular exertion, while HRV is about the state of your nervous system.
The two angles that this biofeedback tool is usually presented for are:
- training yourself to achieve a desired state of calm and “centeredness” ideal for balancing stress hormones and entering a peak mental state (read more at www.heartmath.org)
- to monitor a daily HRV reading (after establishing a baseline) to see if you are ready to push yourself at the gym or pull back and focus on recovery (see elite athletes talk about how they use daily HRV monitoring)
Now the question is, Will YOU benefit?
You will love using heart-rate variability measurements to guide exercise if you are someone who:
- wants to optimize recovery but feel guilty when you don’t stick to a strict training regimen
- has had adrenal fatigue in the past and don’t want to relapse
- likes quantified data on the results of your lifestyle (i.e. does having two glasses of wine at book club change my ability to run fast the next day?)
- is a go-getter who doesn’t necessarily “listen to your body” very well
I have been there…
A few years ago, I was training for my third half-marathon and come hell or high water, I would complete or exceed my training plan. Although I met my time goal for the race, I was setting the stage for a major leg injury that happened only a week after the race and plagued me for two years despite thousands of dollars and months of treatments. Combined with some crazy work-stress, pushing myself past my physical limits sent me spiraling into exhaustive adrenal fatigue shortly thereafter.
Am I proud of my race? Yes. Was pushing myself past my limits worth two years of chronic pain and fatigue? Uh, no. But hearing my story probably isn’t going to convince you to pace yourself. Sometimes we have to learn this for ourselves and if you are still reading this, you may have already had a similar experience where “pushing through it” and “giving it 110%” left you hurting and wondering if you should even get back in the game.
So how to get started with HRV Training?
Once you have picked up an app and compatible heart-rate monitor, you will start by gathering your baseline for about a week. (Need an app? Take a look at BioForce, SweetWater or Myi
By closely monitoring HRV, elite athletes like swimmer Georgina Gardner Stockley and rower Shay Seager adjust intensity and frequency to get the adaptive benefits of workouts without damaging their bodies.
The BioForce model comes with a book with more explanation and instructions on how to modify training based on the results.
Curious? Going to give it a shot?
Let us know on the Facebook Community and maybe find an accountability partner or two. Already a fan of HRV based training? Share your experience in the comments below!!
About the Author
Questions for Erin? Feel free to reach out at [email protected] or connect on Facebook or Instagram.
22 Responses
Wow this is a great post, full of so much education for people like me who regularly work out…and don’t know enough about the tracking and ways to work out. Thanks for letting me learn about HRV. I have a monitor, so I am going to take your suggestions and try this!
Awesome Jul’s Arthur, I hope you get some good insights from using this!
Thanks to http://www.engineeringradiance.com for the post! 🙂
Jul’s, appreciate you and your comment. Thanks for being the best version of you – JT
Wow this is a great post, full of so much education for people like me who regularly work out…and don’t know enough about the tracking and ways to work out. Thanks for letting me learn about HRV. I have a monitor, so I am going to take your suggestions and try this!
Awesome Jul’s Arthur, I hope you get some good insights from using this!
Thanks to http://www.engineeringradiance.com for the post! 🙂
Jul’s, appreciate you and your comment. Thanks for being the best version of you – JT
Technology is amazing, but even better is having experts like you decipher that technology for the rest of us. What an interesting and enlightening post! Thanks so much for piquing my interest and sharing such valuable information!!
April thank you for reading and your comment! Have you used HRV?
Technology is amazing, but even better is having experts like you decipher that technology for the rest of us. What an interesting and enlightening post! Thanks so much for piquing my interest and sharing such valuable information!!
April thank you for reading and your comment! Have you used HRV?
Rae….. such a powerful (and informational) post!
Rae….. such a powerful (and informational) post!
i’m very impressed that you’ve done three half-marathons, erin! but i’m sorry that you were plagued with a long-term injury. this is fascinating technology – thank you so much for your easy-to-understand explanation.
April, Erin has a huge heart and brain to match 🙂
wonderful. 🙂
i’m very impressed that you’ve done three half-marathons, erin! but i’m sorry that you were plagued with a long-term injury. this is fascinating technology – thank you so much for your easy-to-understand explanation.
April, Erin has a huge heart and brain to match 🙂
wonderful. 🙂
April, So grateful for your kind words! What do you use right now to track your wellness?
April, So grateful for your kind words! What do you use right now to track your wellness?