An Instrument for recovery - Heart Rate Variability

Every few years in the world of fitness, emerges ‘the next big thing’ that’s guaranteed to be the key to unlock, bio hack, crack the code to your fitness.  Ideas, tech and/or supplements that swarm like cicadas through your social media channels, but on a much shorter cycle.

Some are useful, some, not so much.

It can be overwhelming to sift through all the marketing trying to figure out what’s going to help you live a healthier life.  My goal is to make it less of a brain drain, so you can discern if or how you can use a specific fitness instrument to help you along the way.

By now I’m sure you heard of HRV (Heart Rate Variability).  If you haven’t, I’ll fill you in. 

HRV is a representation of the variance in time between heart beats over ‘X’ amount of time. The time from one beat to the next is called an R-R interval which is measured in milliseconds (ms).

R-R Interval = Time Between Heartbeats

Again, HRV is the measure of the difference between R-R intervals over a period of time.

Your HRV is an indicator of which branch of your Autonomic Nervous System is currently firing. 

Higher HRV = More Variance

Parasympathetic (Resting & Recovering)

Lower HRV = Less Variance

Sympathetic (Getting After It)

The Parasympathetic System of a Down

The reason your HRV is higher when you’re in a parasympathetic state is because the parasympathetic branch of your nervous system is mostly responsible for controlling your heartbeat.  And when it’s firing, it fires rhythmically, like jazz! Which is naturally variable.  And in turn reflects in your heartbeat.

Having a higher or lower HRV is neither good nor bad on its own.  It’s just an indicator. (Think turn signal) It must be taken in context with your current situation.

What’s your situation? Are you currently Resting & Recovering. Or are you getting after it?

It’s normal to have an HRV that’s in your lower range if you’re currently engaged in or have just finished a training session. You should be predominantly Sympathetic during training and somewhat so in the hours after. The level of intensity you train will influence this.  Like ringing a bell. The harder you hit it, the longer that sound reverberates. This is why Cooldowns after training are important, to compress some of that reverb.  More on why you should add cooldowns to your training routine in the future.

 But, if you are resting, rested, recovered or otherwise chilling, when you check your HRV it should be in your higher range.  If it’s not and it’s in your lower range, this means your body is in a Sympathetic state. 

Like ringing a bell. The harder you hit it, the longer the sound will reverberate.

Now, put those two together. You’re chilling, but your HRV is low. There’s a disconnect between your internal environment and external situation.  What this typically means is you’re stressed, and your body is currently dealing with that stress.  And that’s okay.

There’s a host of reasons why this would be the case.  You could have rung that bell harder than you thought! Or you didn’t sleep well, you’re sick, getting sick, etc.

There’s a bevy of reasons why there’d be a disconnect between your HRV and your current situation.  What’s important is to identify what that reason is, so you can decide what to do about it.  Better yet, which way to turn.

More is not always better.  

There are some situations where your HRV will be higher than your usual high ranges.  This usually means you probably rang that bell pretty dang hard, and your body is putting all it has into recovering.

What do I mean by Your High and Your Low Ranges?

Different HRV Apps use different algorithms and methods of presenting your HRV to you.  What they all have in common is that a single HRV reading doesn’t really tell you anything. And comparing or even competing with someone else’s HRV is equally useless.  Your Range is determined by several HRV readings over the course of several days.  Once you have your baseline, results that are above or below are considered your typical high and low ranges. 

How should you check your HRV?

For consistency, accuracy and a clear look at how well you’ve recovered, I have a few recommendations: 

·         Check at most and at least once a day. More is not better. Less is not enough.

·         Check first thing in the morning pre coffee.  Sleep is where you recover. First thing in the morning HRV readings give a good look at how well that went.  Coffee is a stimulant which changes your heart rate.

·         Use a chest strap heart rate monitor.  Detects electrical activity through the band, heartbeat is an electrical impulse.  Very accurate.

·         And avoid using a wrist or finger based HRM. They use optical sensors which are near useless for darker skin individuals.  Wrist based HRM (watches) move too much for an accurate reading due to their location. Over all they provide inconsistent readings.

Any app suggestions for HRV readings? 

Being a Bio Force Certified Conditioning Coach, I’m biased towards the Morpheus Heart Rate Training System.  Not only can you check your HRV, but it will adjust your training zones based on your recovery.  This is the only system I’m aware of that does that. Great if you’re looking to improve your conditioning intelligently.

Another option is Elite HRV.  What I like about Elite HRV is that you can use any chest strap monitor with the app to check your HRV.  As opposed to Morpheus where you have to use the Morpheus HRM for HRV readings.  With Elite HRV there’s also an option for open readings and guided breathing exercises where you can sit for specified amount of time and focus on your breathing.  Or for curiosities sake, see what your HRV is at any given point.  Morpheus doesn’t have this feature because the extra data doesn’t provide anything useful in improving your conditioning.  Which is the goal of the app.

I can’t’ say one is better or worse, just different.  If improving your conditioning is your goal, Morpheus.  Learning to better manage stress, Elite HRV. Both are good options that I’ve had positive experiences with and would be a good place to start.

Just keep in mind that your HRV is a great, objective fitness instrument for monitoring your recovery.  Recovery is important because that’s where the magic happens. Where your body adapts, grows and improves from your training.  And where you are restored to be ready to get after it, again.