Heart rate variability is a science that has been helping elite athletes achieve their best over the past couple of decades. How does it work, and how can it work for you?<\/p>\n
We often see users making three common mistakes when they start using the HRV Health Platform to assist them with their training:<\/p>\n
1) Taking the reading at the wrong time<\/strong><\/p>\n Like any good science, the measurements must be taken under the same conditions each time, reducing the number of variables. The readings should be taken at rest, as close as possible to the user\u2019s resting heart rate. Taking readings during exercise, or immediately afterwards is wrong.<\/p>\n You will achieve nothing, and it will affect the reliability of readings that are taken at rest. As a result, HRV will not work for you – so please don\u2019t be surprised that you are not getting any benefit from the system if you take your readings at the wrong time.<\/p>\n 2) Using RMSSD<\/strong><\/p>\n We have seen numerous articles where the authors refer to RMSSD as the measure of the user’s training status. Yes, it is an indicator, but there are significant flaws in its use as the primary measure of training status. Firstly, it works on a geometric scale. Secondly, people with a heart condition will have High RMSSD. The most effective measure for athletes is SD2, one of the metrics of the Poincar\u00e9 plot.<\/p>\n 3) Taking multiple readings<\/strong><\/p>\n Unless you have an error in the reading, or the reading is compromised in some way, it is wrong to take multiple readings in a day. You need to take a single reading each day, while at rest, and without having taken any stimulants (coffee, alcohol or medication).<\/p>\n How HRV works to indicate training status.<\/strong><\/p>\n The Poincar\u00e9 plot[1]<\/sup><\/a>Understanding the Poincar\u00e9 plot<\/a><\/span><\/span>