Just got a Garmin 530 with a heart rate monitor and a power meter. I've been riding for many years with some road racing, always had the basic speed+distance only cheap bike computers, no power meter or heart rate. So I thought I'd jump in and see what everyone's talking about with the latest GPS based bike computers with power and HR.
After riding with the Garmin for a month I'm now getting lots of training info from it about my FTP, Vo2max, Training Status, Recovery Time, etc. Very surprised what comes out of it. Looks like Garmin uses Firstbeat software for generating these reports (a training analytics research company). Like having a fitness coach built into the Garmin. I'm trying to understand how accurate and useful this data is.
My first surprise when using the Garmin was the long Recovery Times that is recommended after each ride. I'm getting 45-65hrs of recommended recovery time after each ride. Before getting the Garmin, for 10+ years, I never wanted that long between rides.
So here's my question: does anyone closely follow the Garmin suggested Recovery times? Did this make a difference in your riding performance and fitness?
If I take more time between rides, this reduces my weekly mileage. But if more time between rides improves my fitness and performance, then it does make sense. Thoughts?
thx!