The ithlete blog
Welcome to the ithlete blog, the central place to get the latest company news, read real user stories, get our take on heart rate variability news and research, get top tips on using ithlete and share your thoughts.
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Measuring Training Load with TRIMP
Workouts can be quantified in many ways – runners and cyclists are always being asked 'how far did you go today', or 'how long were you out for'. Usually they can impress the questioner with a response like 'I did xx miles' or I was out for 'x hours'. But of course...
Why doesn’t ithlete measure low frequency (LF) power or LF/HF?
James Heathers, explains why the most informative & replicable measure of Heart Rate Variability in the short term is a paced breathing High Frequency task.
HRV and long life – what’s the connection?
Summarising the first systematic heart rate variability (HRV) & longevity study across a wide range of ages. By Simon Wegerif, Creator of ithlete.
Grand Union Half Marathon
by Tom Hayhoe The Grand Union Half Marathon This great little event organised by Purple Patch each November, running by the towpath on the Grand Union Canal from Uxbridge to Watford. Not the greatest event for PBs – this year’s winner did it in 1:18 – with recent...
InsideTracker blood biochemistry can help improve your athletic performance
by Perrin Braun, InsideTracker Athletes train for years to maximize and perfect physical performance. But in order to improve endurance, speed, or flexibility, you not only need to spend many hours hitting the gym, but you also should know what’s going on inside your...
Standing vs. Supine ithlete HRV Measurement
Andrew Flatt MS, CSCS takes a look at standing vs. supine heart rate variability (HRV) measurement.
Research Summary: Heart Rate Variability response to a single interval training session & planing training around HRV scores to maximise performance adaptation
by Josh Darrall-Jones Who, Why & What? The authors of the paper, (James et al., 2002) wanted to understand how an interval training session similar to that implemented in endurance runners to improve VO2MAX would affect disturbance in HRV one hour post exercise...
Heart Rate Variability Monitoring in Team Sports
by Chris Black & Ben Stirling Ben Stirling and Chris Black both work in professional rugby league and have a particular interest in monitoring and physical performance, both in terms of injury prevention and strength and conditioning. Monitoring in Team Sports As...
Research Summary: Acute Changes in HRV following Supramaximal intermittent exercise; does this training modality optimise performance?
By Josh Darrall-Jones Who, why and what? The study was completed using 11 healthy male participants with the aim to determine how supramaximal intermittent exercise disturbed Heart Rate Variability (HRV), and how long this would take to recover to baseline values. Due...
Release of ithlete Android Version 2
October sees the release of the eagerly awaited ithlete Android Version 2. We've listened carefully to the comments and feedback you have given us and used this to guide the development of ithlete Version 2. You wanted to record your training load directly in...
Research Summary: Does HRV correlate with training load in a major endurance event?
by Simon Wegerif Who, why and what ? This study was performed on 8 professional cyclists during the 3 week Tour of Spain, by Dr Conrad Earnest (Cooper Institute for Human Performance) and a team of well respected sports scientists. The study aimed to determine how...
HRV as a predictor of training performance
About me In my role as a Sport Scientist working for a Premier League football Club we are always seeking new ways to quantify and measure the condition of our players, particularly how well recovered they are and how ready they are to train. After some extensive...
Introducing the improved ithlete ECG receiver
The new ithlete ECG receiver is the 3rd major revision of the design in 2 years! Most importantly, we've found a way to make the same design compatible with both Android and iOS devices. So whether you have an iPad or a Galaxy Tab, iPhone or HTC Desire, the new...
Welcome to the brand new ithlete website!
A lot has changed from the old ithlete site, and many new features have been added, so the purpose of this blog post is to give you a brief tour. Throughout the website we have extended the depth and direction of information available. We now provide sport specific...
UK Sports & Exercise Medicine Conference
Last week, we attended the UK SEM, which is the largest of its kind in Europe, held in the massive Excel Centre in East London. The opening address was by the Princess Royal, herself an Olympic equestrian back in the day (after her speech, she sat just in front of me,...
Want to know more about ithlete?
Follow these four easy steps to get started with ithlete today!
Choose a heart rate sensor
To measure heart rate variability (HRV) with ithlete you’ll need a heart rate sensor. You have the option to use an ithlete finger sensor or chest strap monitor. If you have a recent iPhone, iPad or Android device you may like to use our Bluetooth Smart chest strap monitor, or alternatively grab a Polar type analogue strap (we also offer one of these) and an ithlete ECG receiver to pick up the signal. Visit the ithlete store to find your preferred sensor.
Download the ithlete app
ithlete is available on both iOS and Android devices and can be downloaded from the App Store or Google Play. If you do want to check your model of smartphone or tablet is compatible check our FAQ page.
One minute daily measurement
After waking each morning relax and sit comfortably, slip on a chest strap or finger sensor and follow the on screen instructions to get an accurate reading of your heart rate variability. Taking the measurement couldn’t be simpler and in 60 seconds you will have a personalised training recommendation for the day.
Reap the benefits of training with ithlete
The idea is quite simple. Training is all about stress and recovery. A hard session, lack of sleep, mental stress etc. will lower your number. If your reading drops significantly, take this as an early warning that you are overloading the system. On the other hand a high score lets you know you should make the most out of the day. Benefits of this include avoiding overtraining, workout optimisation, guilt free rest days, improved performance and much more!