I have been trying to correlate my HRV in Garmin Metrics to the training status in Xert, but with the new Recovery Demands slider I’m finding it difficult to find my sweet spot.
If I match the slider so it roughly correlates with what I am getting from Garmin, I am too fresh (i.e Garmin says I’m blue, but my performance on the bike makes me think I should be yellow - Cardiovascular performance actually seemed fine, but putting out the wattage was tougher than it should be)
Is Garmin simply cardiovascular freshness but Xert freshness factors in neuromuscular fatigue as well?
Xert is calculating Freshness/Fatigue based on your recent training strain (XSS) relative to your training load(s). Garmin measures HRV overnight and provides a result (Balanced, High, Low, or Poor) based on the average value overnight? I think?
Either way, you’re much more likely to see impacts of non-training stresses reflected in HRV measurements, like alcohol, life stress, poor sleep, etc.
Also, don’t downplay your own perception… there’s been times where my training status in Xert might show blue/fresh and HRV might be in the normal range, but I’m not feeling up for a hard ride. On those days, I’ll just free ride below LTP and push off high intensity training for a day or two.
Not even Garmin use HRV that way. Garmin has Training Readiness, which is calculated from:
Sleep score
Recovery time
HRV status
Acute training load
Sleep score history
Stress history
So, as you see, HRV is only one of six metrics used. Furthermore, they do not really use last day’s HRV, they use the average of your sleep HRV for the last 7 days and compare that to your baseline HRV. So a single night with a poor HRV reading will not have a major impact.
Correct - I think it is a very good measure and usually shows what I feel. Would love to be able to tie that to the Recovery Demands slider somehow, or even the Freshness Feedback on day of.
I think this is super easy. Don’t choose until the day of your training and select the activity/workout based on your readiness/HRV/whatever you’re using.
In fact, everyone should do exactly this but base it on how they feel. If you’re ill or more tired and there is a challenging high intensity workout scheduled, pick something else that you feel is better given your feelings/readiness. Do that. Adapt Forecast after. If the feeling is more chronic, slide the Recovery Demands right and Adapt Forecast.
I find this really useful. I have a google sheets doc, that pulls the data from intervalls.icu, which takes the data from Garmin and gives me a recommendation. I have found that upcoming colds are seen here, before I even notice it myself.
This would be something that I think Xert could also take into account
