So you’re new to ithlete? Welcome to the leading scientifically fatigue & recovery app. Using heart rate variability (HRV) ithlete takes the guesswork out of training which provides you with all the information you need tailor your training program ensuring maximum performance. To help get you all ready to go, we’ve put 5 top tips to ensure you get the best out of the ithlete app!
Stay Consistent
You can’t compare readings made at different times of day – our bodies have daily (circadian) rhythms that naturally lead to fluctuations. Caffeine, alcohol and physical activity all have substantial effects on your reading. We recommend first thing in the morning, before breakfast or caffeinated drinks. There will be some days when you get up especially early or late, compared to your normal routine. Readings on these days may be lower or higher than expected, and should be judged in the light of this.
Breathe deeply and relax
Follow the Paced Breathing Diagram. The ithlete measurement is based on paced breathing to stimulate your nervous system in a consistent way. We suggest breathing in through the nose, and out through pursed lips. Follow our paced breathing diagram during your measurement and you won’t go wrong!
Your body position is important
Your body position should be consistent. You can’t compare readings made in different positions ie sitting/standing. This is because each position appears to provide important data regarding training status. So pick a position and stick to it 100% of the time for your measurements to be meaningful. Switching positions from day to day will provide skewed data and affect daily ithlete colour indications.
If using the ithlete Finger Sensor measurements should always be taken sitting down with your hand resting palm up, on a hard surface. This is because research shows the strongest correlation with gold standard HRV measurements this way.
If using a HRM strap, again most people should take their reading sitting down. Extremely fit endurance athletes and individuals with low resting heart rates (<50bpm) are advised to measure HRV in a standing position. Research studies have found that HRV is distorted when lying down in people with very low resting HR (50 and under). Standing (or even sitting) will raise this by a few bpm because your heart has to work a little more to pump blood uphill. However, if you find this uncomfortable or would prefer to sit during measurements, this is also fine – just be consistent!
Use the Subjectives
You’ll get more from ithlete if you use the subjectives! By tracking and correlating the suggested subjective metrics you will be able to better understand what is influencing your stress and recovery levels.
Tracking those subjective indicators (sleep, fatigue, muscle soreness, stress level, mood, and diet) using built-in sliding scales makes it easier to recognize trends and patterns in the body’s response to behavior.
Once you’ve started recording your subjective metrics each day you can begin to spot patterns and trends in the data. There are a number of ways to help you do this with ithlete, including:
- Rotate mobile app to landscape and look at subjectives pattern with the ithlete landscape chart.
- For a more detailed view and to really analyse the relationship between subjectives and HRV use the ithlete Pro timeline. This takes us on nicely to our next tip!
Why not go Pro?
Why not expand on your ithlete experience with ithlete Pro?
ithlete Pro equips ithlete users with a more meaningful, actionable and guided experience. Gain a deeper understanding of your data and receive more directed feedback each morning. Now with our latest update to our ithlete app you can sign up for a two-week free trial and use ithlete Pro directly from the mobile app.
Exclusive to Pro, the Training Guide, providing a unique pictorial representation of the user’s energy and recovery states, together with individualised zones, allowing him or her to choose the most suitable training on that particular day. It also interprets each new reading and delivers advice in a straightforward single sentence.
Why not try ithlete Pro? sign up for your two week free trial here.