"After five weeks, both groups showed an increase in maximal and submaximal power. The HRV group boosted their power to the same level as the BP group but with lower strain (around 25%), generally lower volume, a reduced training impulse (a product of volume and intensity), and less time spent at or above the lactate threshold."


https://www.triathlete.com/culture/news/science-says-triathletes-should-be-training-with-hrv/

I do have issues with the study that include that it was only 5 weeks of training and that it doesn't include trained cyclists. As someone who is currently racing at a fairly high level, my ability to absorb fatigue is much better than when I was new to competitive cycling. As far as the 5 weeks, that's pretty much just 1 block of training for me. While not totally following a plan, I do prioritize a certain power zone during my blocks, and I don't take too much stock in the results from just one block.

That being said, I do track overnight HRV. I don't put a ton of stock in 1 bad reading, but I do track how it trends. I expect it to trend downwards during a training block, but I will modify my workouts if it's trending exceptionally downward. This is just anecdotal, but if I trained to keep it trending stable, I wouldn't be able to develop continued training adaptations.

It's just one metric for me, I'll look at it as a whole along with RPE compared to power, how well I sleep, and just my mental outlook towards training. At a certain point, my perceived fatigue is a pretty good indicator of how I should train. I did flirt with some non-functional overreaching, late last season, but I did recognize it before it descended into actual overtraining.

The research seems to be testing the notion that "adaptive training is better than slavishly following a rigid training plan".

You think?

I track HRV via an app called Heart Watch. The App generates sleep and waking HRV. I have a smart bed that also generates sleep HRV. I give the value generated a meh. I have a lot of training experience based on "me" n=1. I have a training plan that includes a lot of flexibility. What I fear the most are chainless days, PRs and etc. Why?

My physiology, muscle strength and other soft tissue are slow to change. Chainless days that produce record accomplishments generate a lot of training stress although I feel great doing it. And I may have days in a row. I know that I am punching above my capability for whatever the reason and that is when I tend to back off.

I have been hitting higher and higher longer term power metrics each week and my HRV is high. I could increase my power set points again based upon HRV. No. I am going to let this new level consolidate a bit i.e. go sideways and see how I feel. Not rest per se but no PRs or KOM hunting.

I tried a Garmin adaptive training plan. I assume that it incorporated HRV in its analysis. I felt uncomfortable with how little training it had me doing. A lot of recovery. Too much in my mind. So I stopped using it and started using my resting HR as my measure of overtraining.

But I'm curious to see additional research and might be willing to give it another try.

john m flores Not to put you on the spot. But do you mind sharing how long you used that Garmin adaptive plan? Perhaps it just had you starting out at a low level of training just so it could learn about you. And hadn't gotten to the point of increasing it after that particular learning period.

I have looked at Garmin and other training plans. But I'm so much more use to just doing what I want to do and so far am happy with the results. What I really need is someone to both tell me to and make me ride more. But I don't want to pay for a coach. Not because I can't afford it. But because I never liked people telling me what to do. <grin>

I think I tried the adaptive plan for about a month, with the first two weeks part of the base building phase. So under those circumstances, it kind of made sense. Still, the weeks were very light and I had a lot more time and effort to give. So sometimes, I just went harder than the plan. Then they'd give me an extra day off even thought I felt good. Then, when the building phase was supposed to start, I was hoping to get much harder workouts. And I kind of didn't. That whole time, my HRV was within the good range, so I didn't understand why my training load was so low.

And maybe even more importantly, there wasn't any real coaching going on, just a simple, "here's your ride for today." No useful feedback on how I was doing, no constructive criticism or encouragement. Looking at my Garmin watch each morning was just like eating a fortune cookie and wondering what my ride was going to be that day. So with a training schedule that didn't make sense to me, and no feedback or criticism of my progress (or lack thereof), and no real measures of whether or not I was on target for my goals, I stopped using it.

Garmin and Strava are trying to integrate AI into their platforms. Maybe when Garmin addresses some of my issues with AI, I might give it another go.

The Garmin plans are pretty bad IMO. Somehow suggested workouts pop up on my Garmin head unit, as well as my watch...I don't know why they're there, but I get a laugh out of them. Usually it's recovery or a base workout...I guess it forgot about the 15 hour base weeks I was doing back in late fall/early winter. Its suggestions also seem to rarely correspond with its own metrics of HRV and sleep quality.

I equate racing, KOM hunting, and chasing PRs to spending on credit. You can get away with it for awhile, but it eventually catches up in a big way if you don't pay it back with low intensity days. Early in the season, I really want to hit every ride like I'm in peak form. While I can put in some strong rides in the early season, I just can't do those hard rides at the same frequency that I can once I start to get into spring/summer.

I've been lucky to have some racing success and reach a high level of fitness without professional coaching, although I'm probably leaving some gains on the table by not doing it. In my case, my reason for not pursuing coaching, is that I would want a higher degree of flexibility than most coaches would prefer. I enjoy racing, but above all, I enjoy riding and too much structure takes the fun out of it for me. I do roughly follow my own plan, but there are days that I just don't want to focus on holding a target power.

Here is my HRV from the last three months. Note the drop a couple of weeks ago when I was skiing in Vail at 8000 feet base altitude. HRV has been rising since my return with some daily ups and downs but a steady trend up. Does this mean I am good to go? I think it is one data point of many.



My wife and I have used coaches since 2007 excluding the pandemic. I have learned a lot over the last 18 years from them - invaluable and on the cutting edge of training and nutrition. We have not had any problems with plans, expectations, communications, demands or anything. And we have had a lot of fun with the coaches and their athletes and we have had a lot of success. YMMV

I love the concept of hrv as another indicator to watch for when to take rest weeks. As I age, I am curious if my previous indicators are still valid, and with a recent 10 year gap in training, I am looking for anything that can help. I have been watching my resting HR, but I am finding my max HR compared with PE to be a useful current trend to follow. HRV seems like a great compliment, but I need to find a good app for it. I was not able to find the "heart watch" app that Hermes mentioned, is that IOS only?

As for my Max HR, I have been over training a bit with high intensity and low volume and I am finding my leg fatigue rising, my resting and recovery HR are improving, but my max HR is over 15 beats lower than it was a month ago. My fitbit HRV seems all within normal ranges, but that might not be the best app. Looking at good tools to track HRV now, but until then, based on my lack of a max HR during intervals, I think I need to cut back and work on zone 2 rides a bit more as I try and build back some fitness. That and I just took 2 days off, but not sure if that was enough.

Just found an app called elite hrv, seems nice going to compare that with my fitbit score and track for a bit.

I use an iWatch and the Heart Watch may be IOS only.