Good question. I’m interested in the answer, as well. I feel like there is a good amount of “low hanging fruit” when it comes to sleep, and the value it can have on our minds and bodies.
Same here. However, I find that I get cravings for a strong Belgian beer after long outdoor rides.
I have a feeling that it has more to do with getting my food vaults restored than anything else, but I digress…
The RHR that Garmin shows is based off some wonky - wonky = totally unknown / proprietary - algorithm. I don’t think it is low, but it depends upon how you define RHR. Garmin isn’t using the lowest value you get during sleep, so the value Garmin is showing me for RHR feels 4 - 6 beats high. That is, if I look at the 24 hr HR plot on Garmin connect, I can usually find points that are 4 - 6 beats below what Garmin reports as my RHR.
On your Vivoactive 3 reading low: how tight / loose do you have it? Where on your wrist is it? I wear mine reasonable tight, but not uncomfortable so, and ~2" from my wrist. You might need to play around with tightness / location if you think the accuracy is off
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Hahah…That’s exactly right. I dealt with the same thing. I have “always” enjoyed the post massive ride brew…However, I got over it. I definitely believe the body is craving macros, and nutrition, and the habit of filling that with quality brew was effective. Again, for me the transition to no booze and more specific focus on whole food nutrition and recovery has been invaluable, but I digress…lol
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I, too, have noticed the Garmin-connect reported RHR floats higher than what I directly measure and the lowest BPM that I see in my 4-hour window on the watch, too. It seems to do a great job with tracking my heart rate during exercise, shadowing my Garmin heart rate strap very closely on the trainer and the treadmill. For me, that’s the most important feature, along with gps distance for my outdoor runs which also works very well.
I keep the watch fairly close to my wrist (I’d say within ~1"), and reasonably tight with minimal slack but no discomfort. I just tried scooting it up about 3/4", and the heart rates being reported were in the same range.
I guess I won’t worry about the occasional low heart rate readings. I’ve seen 31-33bmp a few times, but not frequently.
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I borrowed my wife’s fit bit, which showed horrible sleep composition. I decided to try Whoop based on the fact that it is supposed to be accurate. Based on the data from Fitbit, I took steps to improve sleep that included eliminating all caffeine. I’m in the middle of a 12 week experiment with the Whoop: the first 6 without caffeine, and the next 6 with caffeine to see if it really makes a difference. I have no intention of using the Whoop long term.
I’m using a Garmin 245. I’m using it to track sleep/ resting heart rate. Finding it does the job for me, and am happy with battery life and accuracy. Not really doing any running at the moment. I’ve no evidence it isn’t accurate on the bike (which is often a complaint), but tend to use a strap for that.
Planning on getting a 530 for the bike so I can maybe use more of the first beat stuff that both together would give me.
From what I understand, optical hrm’s have continually improved. A lot of people seem to have been put off by the initial/ early iterations.
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I wanted to say I hate you for posting this! 
Just kidding 
- you forced my hand and with the $25 amazon coupon, I have one on the way. I wasn’t about to pay over $500 for Ooler/Chilipad, but $125 for similar system I cannot pass up. Thanks for posting the product and your results!
I am looking forward to how the pad will help me staying asleep preventing me from waking up due to sweats. This could really be a game changer for me.
Thanks!
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Good luck with it. I was waking up five or so nights a week from sweats and this was really my motivation for finding something to help. I knew that my training was really suffering because of this.
Since I got this pad, I have not woke up sweating a single time. It really has been a game changer for me.
After a little trial and error, I ended up putting mine under a very thick mattress pad, that way it doesn’t feel like I’m laying on something plastic. At first I didn’t think it would be able to cool under something so thick, but it works great. In fact I keep it on one of the lower settings.
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The sleep function on smart watches is not even close to accurate.
Source: ex gf was a certified sleep doctor.
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I think i already know i sleep verrryyy deeeeeep.
I just need to like… sleep more than 6 hours per night to capture all that low hanging fruit.
It’s a work on progress but… being a night owl causes me issues. I want to stay up. I want to do things.
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Yeah, I think I can relate… Seems like the science supports the benefits. marginal gains add up huge. I think I’ll do the same…
Agreed!
When I first started with TR January of this year, I had no idea how taxing the workouts would be from a rest/recovery/nutrition standpoint. I did everything wrong coming from spin class & zwift workouts for 2017/2018. I didn’t listen and jumped into high volume SSB1 while being HFLC nutrition wise and not accounting for my 1-2 weekly 30-40 mile MTB rides. I just thought the more volume the better! I am well fat adapted and was able to complete HVSBB1 and most of HVSBB2, but it was tough and I wasn’t paying attention to my recovery or sleep at all. I was disillusioned in thinking 5-6 hours sleep at night was enough and it was clear looking back I was over-training on top of lack of sleep. I changed to low volume toward end of SBB2 in effort to dig out of over-training hole but it was too little too late. Anyway, it all blew up on low volume sustained power build. I started failing left and right and had no energy. I was a walking zombie. I pretty much quit 2nd or 3rd week into SPB. Then life happens and had some personal issues that demotivated me more, keeping me off the bike for most of summer.
In August, I was ready to commit to the consistency of training again, but I knew I needed an overhaul in nutrition\rest\recovery. I decided that being serious\consistent about training was not enough - I needed to be just as serious\consistent about nutrition\rest\recovery. So I listened to Nate and started following The Endurance Diet for nutrition. For rest and recovery started investigating and eventually setting up my own rest/recovery regiment with various tools/devices available. Putting the same training effort into nutrition\rest\recovery has been a game changer. Since August I have complete MVSSB1/MVSSB2 and I am in middle of MVSPB all while adding an extra day of endurance workout and maintaining 1-2 outdoor MTB rides a week. I feel strong and I am knocking the workouts out the park, being able to bump up 5-10% towards the end of the intense days! FTP is steadily climbing at a great pace for ramp tests since August and I just feel better than I ever had before while training at such a high volume. 7 hours of sleep average a night is my sweet spot, and I eat like a horse most days (whole food carbs are king!) and yet still losing weight!
I know someone mentioned the accuracy of the sleep/recovery trackers and my response is that the focus needs to be more on consistency of the product rather than absolute accuracy. I just want the devices to be consistent with what they track. It’s like the spin bike at the gym that over estimates your power by 100 watts. As long as it is consistent and tracks my progress/gains, then I can live with the accuracy being off. Same goes for trackers when it comes to sleep\rest\recovery. My main focus is spotting consistent trends so I can respond to what is needed before it is too late.
TL;DR Listen to the TR coaches and take seriously your nutrition\rest\recovery. TR is only providing the piece of the puzzle for the training\workouts. We have to fill in the gaps and hit the mark in the remaining puzzle pieces of nutrition\rest\recovery. Then we will have the recipe to adapt and get faster!
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Great input, and fantastic post. It sounds like you have learned a ton this year.
I agree with the diet philosophy of the Endurance Diet, and when coupled with Rest/recovery, substantial gains take place over time. At least that is my experience. The cool thing is that, there is more low hanging fruit out there for me and most other amateur racers and riders.
We have to be careful with our trainer time. For me, I can’t see how high volume plans are realistic. I think they are not logical for most athletes. However, I get it…“more is better”, right? We can be a strange lot…masochistic, insane, gluttons…are all words I’ve heard used when describing cyclist. i really like Mid volume and am able to add to it when appropriate.
Now I’m going to work on perfecting this whole rest and sleep component…
Must…Get…Faster…LOL
Yep - and that is where the devil in the details lies. Many of us are type A personalitys that have drank the cool-aide that more is more when it comes to training. I know I did and was heading to a very dark place over-training wise. I am realizing less is more when it comes to training and I channel the remaining resources to nutrition\rest\recovery.
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Great idea… With this incredible structure, less TSS and load is necessary for the same result. i can hear Chad now…“adaptation happens with consistency”…Really, we need to learn to make micro adjustments, recognize the effects…
I also have this watch. Have had it maybe two weeks It’s ok.
I wouldn’t pay the $300 retail for it. Got it for $120 on amazon. For that price, it’s alright. I was looking for a whoop alternative and the advertising/marketing for it seemed like a solid choice.
The stress score is low and I need a bit more time for it to be a bit more accurate. The sleep tracking is pretty nice and I feel accurate. I too like this as a watch and having smart notifications is a nice addition as I hate having my phone with me/checking it all the time.
Then again like someone here said: do you really need a device to let you know when you’re tired or peaking? We all know when we have a lot of training load/stress. You feel it.
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Where’s this $25 coupon you speak of?
Look under $150 price tag. You should see: Coupon Save an extra $25.00 when you apply this coupon.
Just have to check mark box before adding to cart.
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No luck really. They can tell when I’m moving and when I’m not moving, but they can’t tell when I’m awake or asleep.
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