Feb 27, 2019 | HRV Research
There has also been a large amount of research into the relationship between HRV and stress. The most common and important source of stress to athletes is pre-competitive anxiety and it is not known to what extent this impairs their performance.
Aug 15, 2018 | HRV Research
Although undoubtedly effective in developing strength and fitness, CrossFit also has a reputation for overuse injuries. Can tracking HRV reduce this risk?
May 14, 2018 | HRV Research
From a practical perspective, measuring your HRV at altitude and comparing to HRV at sea level can show how sensitive you are to the effects of altitude, and that if you are an elite level endurance athlete, you may be more sensitive than mere mortals! Here is the research.
May 7, 2018 | Events, ithlete Training
As some readers will remember, two years ago I prepared for the Mallorca 312, the longest (and possibly best organised) Gran Fondo cyclosportive event in Europe. Last weekend was the third time I have done it, and my target was to beat the previous two years’...
Mar 15, 2018 | General
Simon Wegerif shares his experience and tips following this years week long cycling training camp in Tenerife in the Canary Islands. The excellent paved roads extending from sea level to the main crater of Mt Teide at 2100m give continuous climbs of 18 – 48 km i.e. some of the longest in Europe.
Mar 12, 2018 | General
This recent email exchange between a customer and ithlete founder Simon Wegerif discussed several interesting and useful points. So, with the customer’s permission we are sharing it as a blog post.
Jan 31, 2018 | HRV Research
The stress – adaptation response considered to underlie improvements in performance caused by training has hardly been questioned in almost 100 years. Now, a new and thought-provoking review paper questions the basis for this model, especially as it applies to human...
Dec 20, 2017 | HRV Research
Who, what and why? Coldwater immersion baths are often used to speed up recovery in both endurance and team sports. It is thought to be effective by moving fluid back from muscle tissue into the circulation, preventing reduction in contractility and associated muscle...
Apr 20, 2017 | HRV Research
We know that you can use a number of different modes of exercise to improve strength and fitness. But what mechanisms each works by has not been completely understood and communicated, nor has whether these effects change with age.
Mar 30, 2017 | ithlete Training
The plan The main objective of this camp was to get in some good base miles with an emphasis on climbing in preparation for my second year of the Mallorca 312 challenge. Living in the New Forest in southern England, the terrain barely meets the criteria for...
Dec 19, 2016 | HRV Research
Is HIIT a better use of your precious training time than longer sessions of continuous running? An important question for runners is ‘am I more likely to get injured with one type or the other?’
Jul 6, 2016 | Events
Science & Cycling is an annual gathering of researchers, expert practitioners and team performance managers arranged a couple of days before, and close to the start of the Tour de France. It was our first time attending and exhibiting and turned out to be one of...
May 17, 2016 | HRV Research
HRV has been recognised as an index of stress and vulnerability to stress, so it’s no big surprise that researchers have been looking for possible relationships between higher HRV and a longer lifespan.
May 9, 2016 | ithlete Training
In summary, I think the preparation for this event was a success – especially the many hours of MAF endurance training, and the aerodynamic improvements to both my position and the bike itself. I think diet was the only area I didn’t get quite right, and perhaps I need to gain confidence that I can perform on a low(er) carb diet on a 100m event first.
Apr 25, 2016 | ithlete Training
I have now begun my taper, with just a week to go before the 312km event in Mallorca next Saturday. I’m already in the centre zone of the Pro Training Guide, and expect to move rightwards during the week as my recovery continues to improve.
Apr 4, 2016 | HRV Research
It is very important to take into account the trends reported by both the Week and Month Change indications, as these are the ones that will report an increasing and unsustainable imbalance between stress and recovery.
Mar 31, 2016 | Events
The ithlete team have a number of events coming up so we wanted to share a short post letting you know where you can catch us!
Mar 3, 2016 | ithlete Training
Simon is well under way preparing for the Mallorca 312, increasing volume and adjusting diet are in focus in this post.
Feb 29, 2016 | HRV Research
Despite a great deal of discussion about, and anecdotal evidence to support the benefits of a low carbohydrate high fat (LCHF) diet, there have been few studies examining the degree to which athletes’ metabolisms have been altered to take advantage of this dramatic change in fuel for exercise.
Feb 3, 2016 | ithlete Training
By Simon Wegerif Every year I have to do something that tests the limits of my endurance. Two years ago it was the Haute Route challenge of cycling from Geneva to Nice in 6 timed stages across the Alps, and last year it was the Etape TdF stage with 4500m of climbing...
Jan 28, 2016 | HRV Research
Who, what and why? Heart rate variability, or HRV, has long been considered to reflect overall health. Since the 1980s, Professor Steven Porges described HRV as an index not only of stress, but of vulnerability to stress. In other words, the higher someone’s HRV, the...
Dec 17, 2015 | HRV Research
Who, what & why Traumatic brain injuries, such as concussion, are unfortunately an occupational hazard in many contact sports. As I write this, sad news was announced today that 23 year old rugby player Lilly Partridge had died following a head injury during...
Nov 26, 2015 | HRV Research
In our latest research summary, we take a look at one of the papers we reviewed carefully when designing ithlete back in 2009
Nov 4, 2015 | HRV Research
Following on from our recent research summary, we take a closer look at adrenal fatigue and how it affects your training and performance
Oct 22, 2015 | HRV Research
Our latest research summary focuses on two studies from Yann Le Meur who sheds some light on how and when parasympathetic overreaching occurs.
Oct 15, 2015 | General
As the temperature increases, how well you deal with the heat will play a significant role in determining your sporting performance. This month’s hot topic looks at why it’s crucial that athletes of all abilities adapt to the heat and more importantly how best to do it.
Oct 8, 2015 | HRV Research
Who, what, why? In two previous posts, we summarised studies that showed an almost unbelievable ability for night-time / morning heart rate variability (HRV) to predict the changes in performance of both swimmers and club runners. HRV and Swimming Time Trial Results...
Sep 24, 2015 | HRV Research
Summarising a very interesting piece of research looking at how work affects individuals in both psychological and physiological respects.
Sep 17, 2015 | Events
Next week Simon Wegerif, Creator of ithlete will be speaking on a panel session at the Biohacker Summit in Helsinki, Finland discussing the future of wearable technologies for health & Wellness.
Jun 8, 2015 | HRV Research
Our latest research summary takes a look at a case study of heart rate variability (HRV) in two elite triathletes, one successful, one overtrained
May 5, 2015 | HRV Research
Researchers at the University of Salzburg, Austria and the University of California wanted to test the idea that if daytime heart rate variability (HRV) is strongly linked to physical and mental health, would HRV also be a predictor of healthy sleep?
Apr 9, 2015 | HRV Research
This is an interesting study that suggest that HRV has the potential to deliver a sport independent comparable training load number, a goal long sought after by sports scientists and coaches.
Mar 25, 2015 | HRV Research
A very interesting post looking at predicting team sports performance using heart rate variability
Jul 21, 2014 | HRV Research
Not very – according to a review recently undertaken by CNET. Senior Editor Sharon Profis collaborated with Cardiologist Dr Jon Zaroff to compare some popular health tracker devices to medical ECG equipment at rest and during treadmill exercise at quite high...
May 7, 2014 | HRV Research
Introduction Researchers Jamie Stanley & Jonathan Peake from the University of Queensland, with the guidance of heart rate variability (HRV) sports research supremo Martin Buchheit have put together an important review article with over 120 references. The paper...
Apr 4, 2014 | Events
Camp Digital We were invited to present at a User Experience event called Camp Digital in Manchester by the designer Chris Bush who helped us realise the v3.0 UI (user interface) design of ithlete. This was the first time I had presented to (several hundred) User...
Jan 31, 2014 | Events
International CES 2014 was always set to be a hugely significant event for fitness technology companies with the fit tech area expanded by 30% from the previous year. On our first year at CES, ithlete fitted in perfectly. With a new high quality visually appealing...
Oct 30, 2013 | Events
This weekend we are off to Halle in the former Eastern Germany to present & exhibit at the 6th International HRV Symposium. This is a biannual event that consists of a full day program of both invited speakers who are authorities on particular aspects of HRV...
Oct 10, 2013 | HRV Research
The impact of breathing on different HRV measurements: implications for monitoring athletes Who, what & why? It has long been known that breathing affects heart rate variability (HRV). Many studies have tracked HRV in athletes – some have used free (spontaneous)...
Jul 10, 2013 | ithlete Training
The Etape du Tour 2013 Sunday 7th July So was all the training and preparation worthwhile? Read on to find out! Taper & travel After a couple of good rides the previous weekend, I began my taper with an hour long aerobic ride on Weds 3rd July, and a light workout...
Jul 5, 2013 | ithlete Training
Well, this is the last update before the main event – the Etape du Tour 2013. In case anyone is not aware, this is the stage of the Tour de France that mortal athletes are allowed to ride, en masse but with closed roads, crowds, policing & neutral support...
Jun 13, 2013 | General, HRV Research
Early measurement of HRV Although irregular heart rhythms and their potential for predicting health outcomes had been noticed by Chinese medics all the way back to 400 AD, it really took the Nobel prize winning invention of the Electro Cardio Graph (ECG or EKG) by...
Jun 5, 2013 | ithlete Training
We’re now 10 weeks in to the Polarised Training Challenge and I think it’s time to take stock of what we have achieved in performance terms. The table below summarises performance at two recent ‘test’ events: Both of these are 100 mile (approx)...
May 21, 2013 | HRV Research
Simon Wegerif, Creator of ithlete takes a look at the latest research in to the benefits on taking fish oil supplements and how this improves heart rate variability.
May 17, 2013 | ithlete Training
In this 4th update, I’d like to run through the preparation for the first real test of the season – the Hampshire Hilly Hundred – a course designed to make the most of the rolling countryside of north Hampshire. The section of chart below is my heart rate...
May 3, 2013 | ithlete Training
In this 4th update I’d like to focus on my training discipline (or rather the lack of it so far). This has probably been the hardest aspect for me about adopting a polarised training program. Having spent 20+ years riding as ‘hard’ as I can...
Apr 23, 2013 | HRV Research
Simon Wegerif, Creator of ithlete takes a look at heart rate variability leading expert Dr Martin Buchheit’s research, HRV as an indication of running performance.
Apr 19, 2013 | ithlete Training
Not so much to report this time, since last week I was struggling with the tooth problem and the general malaise that accompanied it! However, Friday was the last day of the antibiotics and I was hopeful that I would be well enough to do a planned 86 mile ride with...
Apr 17, 2013 | Events
Back in March we visited the Triathlon Show at Sandown Park, London. The whole weekend was a great success and the ithlete team thoroughly enjoyed the experience. We got to talk with many ithlete users and athletes interested in heart rate variability, have a look...
Apr 5, 2013 | ithlete Training
Polarised Training – the first weeks As promised, here is the first update on my progress having modified my training program from a ‘ride fairly hard fairly often’ to a program where I try to ride either below aerobic threshold (in my case a heart rate of...
