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How Can HRV Help You Train More Effectively?

When you wake up and see your scheduled training for the day, how do you know if your body is truly ready for it? Are you primed to get the most from those training sessions, or would you benefit from dialing it back — or even taking the day off?

Training plans balance hard and easy days based on general principles and, when well-designed, take into account your training history and current circumstances. But even the best training plan requires flexibility. Rigidly sticking to a workout schedule without listening to your body can mean missed opportunities for peak performance — or worse, overtraining.

That’s why athletes and coaches are always searching for better ways to gauge training readiness. Enter heart rate variability (HRV) — a metric now easily tracked with smart training watches. HRV offers daily insights into your recovery and readiness, helping you adjust your training when needed for better results. Research shows that adjusting your training based on daily HRV measurements leads to better progress than blindly following a plan and pushing through scheduled workouts even when your body says otherwise.

Photo of two watches showing HRV data

What is Heart Rate Variability (HRV)?

Heart rate variability measures the subtle variations in timing between your heartbeats. While you might think your heart beats like a steady metronome, there are actually tiny differences in the spacing between beats — sometimes shorter, sometimes longer. These variations are controlled by your autonomic nervous system, which manages your body’s unconscious functions. 

Think of your autonomic nervous system as having two modes: “rest and recover” (parasympathetic) and “fight or flight” (sympathetic). When you’re well-rested and recovered, your heart can be more responsive and variable in its beating pattern, leading to higher HRV. When you’re stressed or fatigued, your heart beats more rigidly and regularly, resulting in lower HRV. So parasympathetic activity tends to increase HRV while sympathetic activity tends to decrease it.

Why is HRV Useful for Training?

HRV gives you a window into how your body is handling all forms of stress — not just from training, but also from work, poor sleep, illness, or life events. It’s like having a daily stress meter that measures your body’s overall balance between rest-and-recover mode and fight-or-flight mode. Higher HRV generally indicates your body is in a good state of balance and ready for challenging training. Lower HRV suggests your body is under stress and may need easier training or recovery.

Tracking your HRV is useful because it can detect changes in your body’s readiness even before you sense them, helping you make smarter training decisions and avoid overtraining. Rather than simply pushing through scheduled workouts you may not be in a state to benefit from, you can adjust your training intensity based on your body’s readiness each day. When your HRV shows your body is in a good state of balance, you’re more likely to get the full benefits from hard training sessions. When HRV indicates your body is stressed, scaling back the intensity can help prevent setbacks and allow your body to bounce back stronger.

How is HRV Data Used?

Modern training devices allow you to measure your HRV while you sleep and compare it to your personal normal range. This normal range is established over several days or weeks of measurements — the more consistent your measurements, the more reliable your data will be. To track your daily HRV, most devices use either your overnight average HRV or your 7-day rolling average for comparison. The overnight average gives you a quick snapshot of your current state, while the 7-day average provides a more stable view of how your body is trending by smoothing out daily ups and downs.

This comparison between your daily HRV numbers and your normal range can help inform your training decisions. If your HRV is within your normal range, your body is likely ready for higher-intensity training and you can proceed as usual. If it’s below your normal range, that’s a signal to take it easier or focus on rest. 

If your HRV is above your normal range, you’ll need to pay extra attention to other signs. A very high HRV could mean one of two things: either your body is responding well to training and ready for more, or it’s actually struggling to cope with too much stress. That’s why it’s important to also consider how you’re feeling, your recent training load, sleep quality, and any other life stressors when your HRV reads higher than normal. This bigger picture helps you decide whether to proceed with hard training or dial things back.

How Do You Interpret Your Morning HRV Numbers?

Different watches provide different HRV metrics each morning. Some (like Suunto and Garmin) show both a 7-day rolling average and last night’s value, while others (like Coros) focus on overnight measurements. Research shows that both approaches can help guide training decisions when used consistently. Here’s how to interpret your morning numbers.

If Your Watch Shows a 7-Day Rolling Average (Suunto, Garmin)

Start by checking the 7-day rolling average as your primary metric for deciding training intensity. Compare it to your established normal range:

  • Normal: Continue as planned, including any high-intensity sessions that day. You are ready to perform and reap the benefits of higher-intensity training.
  • Below Normal: Focus on easier training or take a rest day. Your body is accumulating fatigue or stress and needs recovery; it’s not in a state to benefit from higher-intensity training.
  • Above Normal: Look for other signs of your readiness to train. An elevated HRV can indicate either good recovery and adaptation or an excessive response to stress. Check your sleep quality, muscle soreness, and fatigue levels to help determine which path to take.

Then check last night’s HRV value as a “reality check” against your rolling average:

  • If last night’s value is lower than normal while your 7-day average is normal: This could be an early warning sign of accumulated fatigue or illness. Start your planned session but be prepared to reduce intensity if you don’t feel right during the warm-up.
  • If last night’s value is normal but your 7-day average is low: This might indicate you’re starting to recover from a period of fatigue. Stick with easier training until your rolling average also returns to normal, but take this as a positive sign that recovery is occurring.
  • If last night’s value jumps higher than normal: Check your sleep quality and stress levels. If you feel well-rested and strong, proceed with planned training. If you feel unusually fatigued despite the high HRV, reduce intensity for the day.

If Your Watch Only Shows Last Night’s Value (Coros)

Compare your morning HRV reading to your established normal range:

  • Normal: Continue as planned, including any high-intensity sessions that day. You are ready to perform and reap the benefits of higher-intensity training.
  • Below Normal: Focus on easier training or take a rest day. Your body is accumulating fatigue or stress and needs recovery; it’s not in a state to benefit from higher-intensity training.
  • Above Normal: Look for other signs of your readiness to train. An elevated HRV can indicate either good recovery and adaptation or an excessive response to stress. Check your sleep quality, muscle soreness, and fatigue levels to help determine which path to take. If you feel well-rested and strong, proceed with planned training. If you feel unusually fatigued despite the high HRV, reduce intensity for the day.

How Do You Make the Most of HRV Data?

Remember that HRV data is highly individual — what’s normal for one person may be quite different for another. This is why training devices establish your personal baseline over time, allowing you to track meaningful changes in your own pattern rather than comparing your numbers to others.

HRV works best when viewed as one piece of a larger puzzle. While HRV can detect changes in your body’s stress state before you feel them, don’t simply use it in isolation to make training decisions. Consider it alongside other recovery indicators like:

  • Training load: How much and how hard have you been training recently?
  • Resting heart rate: Another indicator of autonomic nervous system status.
  • Sleep metrics: Both quantity and quality matter.
  • Subjective feelings: How are your energy levels, muscle soreness, and motivation?
  • Life stressors: Work deadlines, travel, or personal challenges.
  • General health: Any signs of illness or infection?

For example, tracking resting heart rate and HRV together can provide complementary information about your training status. A lower resting heart rate with normal to high HRV typically suggests you’re adapting well to training and are ready for any higher-intensity training on that day’s schedule. A higher resting heart rate with lower than normal HRV usually means your body needs recovery, so shift any higher-intensity workouts that day to recovery sessions — or maybe even take a rest day. 

The key is to use HRV as a guide while considering other indicators to provide context about your overall status. This comprehensive approach to monitoring helps you better understand your body’s response to training. Don’t become obsessed with your morning HRV numbers.  There will inevitably be times when you forget to wear your watch to bed or can’t collect the data. HRV is just one tool among many to gauge your recovery and training readiness. The ultimate benefit of using metrics like HRV is to help you become more attuned to your internal signals so that you can learn to listen more closely to your body even when those data points are not available. 

What Does the Research Say?

Research shows that HRV-guided training tends to produce better or equal adaptations compared to traditional approaches, often with lower total training volumes and fewer non-responders.

Improved Training Efficiency

Research shows that HRV-guided training achieves equal or better performance gains with more optimal training distribution. In elite cyclists, Javaloyes et al. (2019, 2020) demonstrated that HRV guidance allowed athletes to train at higher intensities while maintaining better recovery. Vesterinen et al. (2016) confirmed this in runners, showing that the HRV-guided group achieved better performance with fewer but better-timed high-intensity sessions despite similar total training loads. Carrasco-Poyatos et al. (2022) further reinforced these findings in professional runners, demonstrating that HRV-guided training achieved higher training intensities at lower overall volumes compared to traditional approaches. Together, these studies suggest HRV guidance can enable more optimal timing of hard training days.

Fewer Non-Responders

An important finding across studies is the reduction in non-responders when using HRV guidance. Javaloyes et al. (2019) found significantly fewer negative responders to training in their HRV-guided group, with most participants showing consistent improvements in performance. A meta-analysis by Granero-Gallegos et al. (2020) confirmed this trend, showing that HRV guidance produced more consistent adaptations across participants. This suggests that individualizing training based on HRV helps prevent the inappropriate application of high-intensity training when athletes aren’t physiologically prepared.

Better Recovery Management

HRV monitoring provides an objective measure of autonomic balance, helping coaches and athletes make informed decisions about training intensity. Plews et al. (2013) established HRV as a valuable tool for monitoring training adaptation and recovery in athletes, though they emphasized that interpretation requires considering trends rather than single measurements. Schmitt et al. (2018) successfully applied this during altitude training, showing HRV guidance could help optimize training despite the additional stress of hypoxia. A meta-analysis by Düking et al. (2021) confirmed that this improved recovery management leads to better submaximal physiological adaptations.

Applicable Across Levels

The research demonstrates benefits from recreational to elite athletes. Kiviniemi (2007) and Vesterinen et al. (2016) showed benefits in recreational runners, while later studies confirmed advantages in well-trained cyclists (Javaloyes et al., 2020) and elite Nordic skiers (Schmitt et al., 2018). Plews et al. (2013) provided important guidelines for applying HRV monitoring across different athlete levels, noting that elite athletes typically require longer baseline periods and may show smaller day-to-day HRV variations compared to recreational athletes. This indicates that while HRV guidance can benefit all levels of athletes, the monitoring approach needs to be calibrated to the athlete’s current fitness and performance level.

Combining Monitoring Tools

Research emphasizes that combining HRV with other monitoring tools can provide better training guidance. Figueiredo et al. (2022) demonstrated that runners who had their training guided by both HRV and subjective stress measures achieved significantly better performance improvements than those using HRV guidance alone. This highlights that while HRV provides valuable objective data about physiological stress, combining it with subjective measures can give coaches and athletes a more complete picture of an athlete’s readiness to train. Modern wearable technology makes HRV monitoring increasingly accessible, but the research suggests establishing clear decision-making frameworks that incorporate both objective HRV data and subjective athlete feedback when modifying training.

These findings collectively suggest that HRV-guided training represents a potentially useful advancement in training methods, offering a more sophisticated approach to individualizing training loads and managing recovery. When properly implemented, it can help coaches and athletes optimize training adaptations while reducing the risk of non-response or overtraining.

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References

Carrasco-Poyatos, María, Alberto González-Quílez, Marco Altini, and Antonio Granero-Gallegos. 2022. “Heart Rate Variability-Guided Training in Professional Runners: Effects on Performance and Vagal Modulation.” Physiology & Behavior 244: 113654. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.physbeh.2021.113654

Düking, Peter, Christoph Zinner, Khaled Trabelsi, Jennifer L. Reed, Hans-Christer Holmberg, Philipp Kunz, and Billy Sperlich. 2021. “Monitoring and Adapting Endurance Training on the Basis of Heart Rate Variability Monitored by Wearable Technologies: A Systematic Review with Meta-Analysis.” Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport 24 (11): 1180–92. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsams.2021.04.012 

Figueiredo, Diego Hilgemberg, Diogo Hilgemberg Figueiredo, Clint Bellenger, and Fabiana Andrade Machado. 2022. “Individually Guided Training Prescription by Heart Rate Variability and Self-Reported Measure of Stress Tolerance in Recreational Runners: Effects on Endurance Performance.” Journal of Sports Sciences 40 (24): 2732-2740. https://doi.org/10.1080/02640414.2023.2191082

Granero-Gallegos, Antonio, Alberto González-Quílez, Daniel Plews, and María Carrasco-Poyatos. 2020. “HRV-Based Training for Improving VO2max in Endurance Athletes. A Systematic Review with Meta-Analysis.” International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 17 (21): 7999. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17217999

Javaloyes, Alberto, Jose M. Sarabia, Robert P. Lamberts, and Manuel Moya-Ramon. 2019. “Training Prescription Guided by Heart Rate Variability in Cycling.” International Journal of Sports Physiology and Performance 14 (1): 23-32. https://doi.org/10.1123/ijspp.2018-0122

Javaloyes, Alberto, Jose M. Sarabia, Robert P. Lamberts, Daniel Plews, and Manuel Moya-Ramon. 2020. “Training Prescription Guided by Heart Rate Variability vs. Block Periodization in Well-Trained Cyclists.” Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research 34 (6): 1511-1518. https://doi.org/10.1519/JSC.0000000000003337

Kiviniemi, Antti M., Arto J. Hautala, Hannu Kinnunen, and Mikko P. Tulppo. 2007. “Endurance Training Guided Individually by Daily Heart Rate Variability Measurements.” European Journal of Applied Physiology 101: 743-751. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00421-007-0552-2

Plews, Daniel J., Paul B. Laursen, Andrew E. Kilding, and Martin Buchheit. 2013. “Evaluating Training Adaptation with Heart-Rate Measures: A Methodological Comparison.” International Journal of Sports Physiology and Performance 8 (6): 688-691. https://doi.org/10.1123/ijspp.8.6.688

Schmitt, Laurent, Sarah J. Willis, Anthony Fardel, Nicolas Coulmy, and Gregoire P. Millet. 2018. “Live High–Train Low Guided by Daily Heart Rate Variability in Elite Nordic-Skiers.” European Journal of Applied Physiology 118: 419-428. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00421-017-3784-9

Vesterinen, Ville, Ari Nummela, Ikka Heikura, Tanja Laine, Elina Hynynen, Jussi Botella, and Keijo Häkkinen. 2016. “Individual Endurance Training Prescription with Heart Rate Variability.” Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise 48 (7): 1347-1354. https://doi.org/10.1249/MSS.0000000000000910

Updated on February 5, 2025

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