How does HRV compare with morning pulse measurement?
Taking your morning pulse is a classic check for signs that your body is under stress & needs recovery, and is probably performed by at least 50% of experienced runners & other athletes. A morning pulse rate a few beats per minute higher than normal is a sign to go easy. The trouble is that there are mutliple factors able to influence your heart rate and it is not that easy to perform the test accurately or to track when changes become significant enough to take action. You can think of the ithlete app’s heart rate variability measurement as a more sensitive, up to date morning pulse test where the readings and calculations are all done with high precision and stored to develop personalised decision making criteria on when it is right for you to train, how hard to train, and when to rest. Just remember when comparing the two that a higher HRV number is a good thing, indicating better rest & recovery, whereas a higher resting heart rate is bad and may indicate accumulated fatigue.
