The Guide to Understanding & Coaching Athletes by HRV

Heart rate variability (HRV) is a powerful tool that has become increasingly popular in the world of endurance training. HRV measures the variation in time between successive heartbeats and reflects the balance between the sympathetic and parasympathetic branches of the autonomic nervous system.

By analyzing HRV data, athletes and coaches can gain valuable insights into the body’s response to training, stress and recovery. In this guide, we’ll explore the benefits of using HRV for endurance training, the ideal ways to measure HRV, and how to interpret the data to optimize training and achieve higher performance while preventing athletes from overreaching.

a female athlete looking at her smartwatch in a snowy setting

The Coach’s Guide to HRV Monitoring

Learn the basics of HRV, how it’s measured and some insights that can be gleaned from the readings.

READ MORE

Best Practices for Taking HRV Readings

The value of HRV monitoring relies heavily on consistency. If your athletes focus on these practices, their HRV recordings will become much more accurate.

READ MORE

a woman taking a break on a cycling ride overlooking a grassy valley
a woman looking at her wearable device measuring her heart rate for HRV tracking

Explaining HRV Numbers and Age — What’s Normal, Good and Bad?

HRV is a powerful tool to monitor the fitness and health of athletes. But what constitutes a good HRV score for a particular age? See how the numbers stack up.

READ MORE

What Factors Can Generate a Good (or Bad) HRV Score

In a perfect world, HRV scoring would be totally black and white, but that’s just not the reality. There are many variables that contribute to your score.

READ MORE

a male cyclist riding his bike through a park with a stairway behind him
male athlete analyzing data on a smartwatch

Is HRV Training the Best Approach for Athletes?

More athletes are using heart rate variability to guide their training, but is it better than a predetermined plan? Here’s what to know about this hot topic.

READ MORE

HRV, Athlete Performance and the Menstrual Cycle

The hormonal changes that female athletes experience affect their mental as well as physical health. Learn how HRV monitoring can provide valuable insight.

READ MORE

a photo of a woman's torso in while running in shorts and a tank top with a water bottle
A Coach Using Trainingpeaks On Her Laptop In Her Home Office

Start Your 7-Day Free Trial

TrainingPeaks App

Explore all TrainingPeaks features and more with a free seven-day trial for coaches. Tools built by coaches to make coaching easier.

Tp Twitter Logo
About TrainingPeaks 

The staff at TrainingPeaks includes passionate athletes, coaches and data enthusiasts. We’re here to help you reach your goals through deliberate practice, innovative training and tools to keep you achieving.