About the same for me but I'll be more likely to just do an easy session instead of a total rest day unless I'm also feeling ill. I'm not one who has trouble going easy and cutting a session short if the signs indicate I should. That used to be harder for me, but I've learned from experience.

my RHR seldom changes much, thats just me i think. more than 2 bpm would be a concern for me!

i would say that in any discussion of RHR you need to be specific about what your definition/test protocol is eg asleep/immediate on waking/sitting/lying/no movement, duration of reading, some sort of calculation based on sleep and awake HR like fitbit does... there are some standards but a bunch of different interpretations which may or may not affect what the day to day variations are like - at the least if you don't have a good consistent test protocol then variations may not mean anything

Good point. I get up around 6am and take a pee then immediately go and sit on my bed and check it. Very consistent day-to-day.

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Madison photographer Timothy Hughes | Instagram

I use HRV which gives a slightly better indication of recovery. When that is red I rest.

I read somewhere that a variation of 5% on RHR is a warning sign, that is from a baseline that is got over a week. I suffer from anxiety a bit and that can throw my reading offs (Monday mornings always higher :-)). I make a note in the Ithelete app if that is the case.

I use HRV aswell. Resting HR can be misleading imo.

Never cancel a session tho.

This is good advice. Always be prepared to cut a workout short when the signs indicate you should. It isn't being weak, it is being smart.

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Ian

As stated above, there is a body of research supporting HRV over resting heart rate. There are a couple of apps on the market as well. EliteHRV and HRV4Training, which I am currently using. Also, a few watches, such as Polar, have this as part of their devices.

A quick pubmed search will highlight the details. FYI, Polar HR Strap is arguably the best for testing, and optical sensors are a bit up in the air on this topic due to sensitivity of measurements.

rhr is a fair indicator, hrv is better but it needs a whole lot of expensive technology to get hrv.

I won't cancel, just start slow and taper off.. walk if I'm feeling that bad. I figure getting up from my desk and outside is always worth it, even if it's mostly walking.

$60 HRM strap and free app. If you really want to get high speed you can use Kubios software (free) for analysis.

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Simplify, Train, Live

Mike,

Is a HRM strap that's fancier than a basic Garmin strap needed to work with the Kubios software? If so what strap would your recommend?

Thanks,

Hugh

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Genetics load the gun, lifestyle pulls the trigger.

[quote Mike Prevost
$60 HRM strap and free app. If you really want to get high speed you can use Kubios software (free) for analysis.[/quote]



apps need a smartphone - I'm investing in my healthcare, not an iPhone ;-)
joking apart, I did not know the HRM strap was all that was needed to work with the app. Thank you, might just invest in a new HRM strap then..

Looks like Polar H7 will work with most apps and Kubios, based on
https://elitehrv.com/compatible-devices/

Similar to the rest of the replies...I use RHR and HRV. I use the ConnectIQ app "HRV" on my 920xt.

My non-fatigued RHR is 60, HRV 80. Under normal fatigue levels, I see RHR is up 3-4 bpm, HRV is down 8-10 (units). On the day after big days (long bike/run, or threshold days...3x15 type work), I might see RHR up 4-6 bpm (mid 60 bpm), and HRV down 10-12 units (high 60 units).

When I get into a bad state, HRV drops off a cliff and might be down 20-30 units (mid 50s), and RHR is up 10-12 (low-mid 70 bpm). I found that Friel-esque MS-strength training would absolutely crush my HRV for 24-48 hours (down below 50), and spike my RHR up over 75 bpm. I tried to train through that for a couple weeks. That was NOT a recipe for success...after 3 weeks of "pushing through" and making decent gains, it all went south very quickly...pace/RPE/HR were all disconnected across S/B/R, and I couldn't even do my 3x15 LT workout. It took about 4 days for things to return to normal (1 fully OFF day, and 3 very light recovery type days).

I mostly watch HRV, as it seems more sensitive than RHR. But, since both are recorded anyway...I do look at both, and kinda take the worst case as my "indicator" for the day. I also might take multiple measurements if there is an inconsistency between the two (eg: RHR up, HRV up)---in those cases I usually end up taking three samples and "voting".

So, now I take an easy day when my HRV is down below 68 or so, and/or RHR is above 67ish.

I've seen other recommendations that suggest to base this judgment using standard deviation of HRV: more than x.y SD away from the average...then you take an easy/off day. I suppose that's probably about what I'm doing...but, only by eyeball.

The HRV 4 training app uses your iPhone camera. Their website tells you what you need re data validity.

I've used the app since January and really like it.

Ah that's brilliant! Of course there's a phone app for that.

As the owner of two working hr straps (Timex and Garmin ANT+) and a finger pulse monitor I've been using to get my RHR, I really didn't want to buy anymore hardware. But $10 is in my range and I'm going to give this a try. Downloading now.

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Madison photographer Timothy Hughes | Instagram

Please post your experiences after you have gathered a good collection of data. I have 3 months of information, which has included travel, a few burn-outs from too much intensity, a small volume camp, and various other events. I'm always curious how these track to HRV and rhr. I use wko, not training peaks, so unfortunately, I can't create at-a-glance TSS and TSB analyses, but the app certainly provides for it ... for TP users.

It also links to strava accounts so I've got that all set up. Apparently it does some pretty solid VO2 max estimations from heart rate data during runs. I'm really curious to so if this app is as robust as I'm hoping.

Anyone want to buy my finger pulse monitor I got a year ago to check RHR? lol

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Madison photographer Timothy Hughes | Instagram

"The HRV 4 training app uses your iPhone camera."

thanks - saw that app when I was poking around, but iPhone is the definition of 'a whole lot of expensive technology' to my mind..
HRM strap and existing cheap Android phone comes in a lot cheaper.

I actually got my iPhone 5s for 1¢ a few years ago when I signed a two year contract. Sadly, the days of free phones are nearly gone.

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Madison photographer Timothy Hughes | Instagram

I can't say enough about this app. My initial instinct was that chest-strap heartrate monitors or fingertip pulse oximeters must be superior to a smartphone camera-based measurement just because they cost more, have been around longer, etc. but after using this I'm firmly on-board with its accuracy in its present form. Of course n=1.

In the 22 days I've been using it, three times my values warned me I should rest or take an easy day. Once it was a day after doing some VO2 max intervals on the treadmill and twice while sick (two days ago and yesterday). Today it measured/listed my hrv as recovered so I went for an easy paced run and felt pretty good (for being sick). So far, it's been doing exactly what I had hoped it would do and I can't wait to see the app evolve and it is evolving quite fast. I've recommended the app to a few friends already and intend to write a proper review once I've gotten more data and a better grasp of some of the features.

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Madison photographer Timothy Hughes | Instagram

I use my HR after 5 minutes @200W on the bike. (I'm a pure cyclist). Resting HR and the one HRV app I tried were too inconsistent for me. But my HR @200W is pretty consistent, between 108 and 112BPM, e.g. the times it's been way higher I've had some issue, like gotten sick that day.

After reading this thread though I'm maybe willing to take another shot at HRV. The one I tried seems to not be considered one of the more reputable ones.

The thing about this topic is that I can never get any device to accurately measure my heart rate below about 60 bpm. It always screws up, this is heart rate, optical, the pulse ox devices, and this new technology, slipping me at the moment. I am not the product engineer but I suspect these devices do a wide range of thinking, predicting, filtering etc and miss beats and keep getting more and more screwed up if can't lock on so to speak. I posted a while back about the AliveCor, which I think you have seen my posts about. It is the first device that shows me visually what is going on from a electrical perspective. Not a surrogate. No it doesn't feed into any other systems (automatically) that I know about it but at least I can sit down in the morning first thing and get a true accurate heart rate.

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i don't know if this fits with original post - but my comments/questions are related to hrv data (and maybe resting/morning hr a bit less so). during my spring break week this year (3 weeks ago/biggest riding 10 days of my year and pretty cold this year) - i started using the elite hrv app as i was super tired. so far it has done a pretty good job tracking the days i have been most tired (more so than resting hr which has varied less). i'd say sleep quality/quantity has the biggest effect (though big tss days are a close second).
i don't quite understand how elite hrv uses resting hr and hrv score to get a readiness score, but one thing i find interesting is my second lowest readiness score was when i had a very high (for me) hrv value and actually should have been pretty recovered (2 easy days). the readiness score was lower saying it was a parasympathetic response.
anyway, i'm curious if others are finding hrv helpful and if there is a better/best app for tracking it.
sincerely, rick

 

people using hr to make decisions...can you not actually 'feel' when you need to take it easy? or rest? personally i find the way i feel to be pretty accurate...