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More Fun With Garmin EPOC

Garmin EPOC – A definition

Garmin Exercise Load Chart 4 Weeks
Garmin uses ‘Load’ and ‘EPOC’ synonymously. Here, in Column 4, you can see multiple ‘Load’ values, and the corresponding ‘Primary Benefit’, which is the topic of this post.

Since restarting regular training in February, I’ve come to enjoy the Garmin Connect Ecosystem and Garmin EPOC. EPOC is an acronym that stands for: “Excess Post-Exercise Oxygen Consumption”. It means this: When you exercise, you burn fat and carbs. The ratios of fat and carbs burned for fuel, depend on cardio-vascular intensities. AFTER the workout, Oxidation, or fat-burning, is important. The amount and duration of fat-burning after an exercise can be assumed via EPOC. Garmin’s EPOC is based on the work of a company called ‘FirstBeat’, which has been studying metabolics and heart rate variability since the turn of the Century and before. Most Garmin Fitness Products these days have EPOC built into the firmware.

Garmin EPOC Assesses Points for a ‘Scoring’ System

Garmin Connect Exercise Load EPOC on Mobile App
You can find the EPOC score under Garmin Connect, by looking in the ‘Stats’ section of an uploaded or synced ride. EPOC and ‘Load’ are Synonymous.

EPOC is work, measured in Kilojoules and Calories, and then scored in a points system. It’s also called ‘Load’. The score is accumulated with time and intensity. Low intensity work translates into scores rising slowly. High intensity work means the scores will rise more quickly.

‘Load Focus’ Over A Rolling 28 Days

In Garmin Connect, I began to notice that before and after workouts, the 28-day ‘Load Focus’ would change, based on daily EPOC scores, as well as the intensities. For general fitness purposes, the ‘Load Focus’ reveals EPOC points, accumulated in three different zones:

  • Low Aerobic
  • High Aerobic
  • Anaerobic

Every ride leads to gains in any of these three zones, and losses as the 28-day window ‘time’s out’. This helps people understand the benefits of consistency, and it can help them better assess their conditioning needs.

How to find ‘Load Focus’ in the Garmin Connect App.

***This is for the iPhone version of Garmin Connect. I own an Android, but have not updated it in months. If asked, I’ll append a new post with that information and directions. Thanks ***

Open your Garmin Connect App, then click on ‘•••’ on the bottom right hand corner.

Next, tap on ‘Performance Stats’.

Tap on ‘Training Status’.

And then, tap on ‘Load’.

You’ll get three horizontal bars, highlighting ‘Load Focus’ (EPOC) points at different intensities.

Load Focus and EPOC

The chart for ‘Load Focus‘ shows the accumulated, 28-day totals, for EPOC in the three zones. The zones are color-coded, and include an oval ‘Optimal Range‘. I’ll be honest. I have NO IDEA where this value comes from, or how it changes. I’ve asked Garmin for more information. I SUSPECT it’s related to the Acute Training Load, Chronic Training Load, and even Sleep Scores and Sleep Strain Scores. However, that’s pure conjecture. Still, it’s not a bad algorithm for cardio fitness!

Here’s a chart of mine from last week.

Garmin Load Focus EPOC
This was taken prior to a midweek workout. You can see that my conditioning is ‘Balanced’, and all of the EPOC 28-day summaries are within the ‘Optimal Range’ ovals.

 

Now, the workout consisted of multiple 75-second intervals at high intensity, with a 150-second recovery (1:2 w/r ratio), and lasted roughly an hour.

Garmin Connect Power & Heart Rate Chart Connect APP
This is what the wattage and heart rate chart are from this indoor workout.

When we look at a post I made earlier this year on Garmin’s Post-Ride Analysis Reports, EPOC dictates Aerobic and Anaerobic Training Effect. In the “Olden Days”, I would look at time spent in different heart rate zones, to make an assessment about just what a workout might have accomplished. Adding EPOC points and simplifying training zones to, “Breathing, Heaving, Gasping”, adds another degree of interpretation to the information.

Garmin Connect Heart Rate Zone Workout Results
This 60 minute workout included 26 minutes in ‘Zone 2’, just under 5 minutes in Zone 5, and over 10 minutes in Zone 4. The EPOC for this ride was 295 points.

 

Post-Ride EPOC Zone Placement

With a hard workout that included a lot of time in Heart Rate Zones 4 and 5, almost 25% of the entire ride, EPOC ended up at 295 points. You’ve seen the ‘Before’ chart, now, let’s compare the ‘after’ chart, and see where those ‘Load’ points went.

Garmin Load Focus EPOC
EPOC Prior to the Workout.

 

Post Dec 6 Garmin EPOC Load Focus Placement
Here’s the Post-Ride Garmin EPOC Load Focus.

Out of 295 Points Earned on this workout, 139 of them were added to the ‘Anaerobic’ zone. FirstBeat does not publish their algorithm, but 139 points is just under one point for every second spent in ZONE 5 of my heart rate intensity.

For the ‘High Aerobic Load’, 155 of the 295 points were placed in that zone. This was enough to skew my Load Focus from ‘Balanced’ to ‘High Aerobic’.

Notice also that ‘Low Aerobic’ did not move. It remained at 1066 points for the 28 days. This leads me to wonder if the points are not assessed position until after the workout is completed. This would make sense.

CONCLUSION – EPOC Is A Scoring System That Works With Heart Rate (and Wattage) To More Accurately Assess Fitness Improvements

I always suspected that EPOC scores directly affected Acute Training Load and Load Focus. I’ll try to assess just how Load changes the Acute Training Load in Garmin Connect in another post. For now, however, it’s just fun to see how a ride with varying intensities of heart rate and power, changes assessments in Garmin Connect. I like EPOC. It’s got the backing of Dozens of studies. The earliest I found has been 1992, and I believe FirstBeat was founded in 2002. EPOC is built into the Garmin Connect Ecosystem. As technology measuring heart rate and heart rate variability has improved, the algorithms for EPOC have also improved.

I think there’s something ‘there’, there, and my clients are enjoying the combination of heart rate, heart rate variability, and power, for a more Holistic approach to cardio fitness on bikes!

Thanks for reading, and ENJOY THE RIDE!

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Covid-19 and the Garmin Sleep Stress Score

A Family Member Caught Covid-19 and the Garmin Sleep-Time Stress Score Is Pretty Scary

Garmin Sleep Stress Score Covid 19
A family member caught Covid 19 earlier this week. The HRV overnight status shows just how much stress your heart is under (and therefore, your mind). The GOAL for this is set at ’15’……. Fifteen…..

Three and a half years after Covid-19 spread around the world and began infecting humans, a family member finally caught Covid-19, and their Garmin Sleep-Time Stress Score is pretty scary. Sleep-Time Stress uses Heart Rate Variability (or the lack thereof) to help assess the quality of one’s rest and recovery.

I won’t give away too many details, but a family member traveled overseas and upon their return, infected another family member and their entire department at work. I don’t care what people say or think; getting sick is not fun. The individuals HAD been practicing proper defense mechanisms for years. Vaccines, boosters, masking, distancing, limited travel. But inevitably my family suffered exposure, and another family member, someone I had just helped purchase a Garmin Venu 2+ for, so we could track their sleep and hydration, is now suffering from Covid-19.

It’s Still Not Easy To Set These Products Up.

The purchase of the Garmin Venu 2+ was meant to kickstart some health and fitness choices, based on the information that Garmin Connect provides. Specifically, we were interested in:

  • Sleep Score
  • Sleep-Time Stress Score
  • ECG
  • Steps
  • Hydration
  • and Emergency calling.

All of this can be done with the Venu 2+.

However, and this is a fact that I deal with daily. The Garmin Connect ecosystem is NOT NEARLY AS EASY TO SET UP as its’ Prime Competitor; Apple. Now, I do believe that the information provided is arguably better, but most people just don’t care. They want to set it up in about 2 minutes, and start recording or reading their data.

The good news is that THIS IS WHAT I DO. I set up Garmin head units and watches for and with my clients and family members. With these tools and this ecosystem, I can help make training decisions based on a Holistic approach that is more complete than ever.

My family member was able, with my assistance, to get most of the relevant features up and running. We then were able to immediately begin tracking sleep, blood pressure via a Garmin BP Cuff, and body weight along with hydration status. We are using the Garmin Hydration tracker to help get him to 12 cups of water a day. They’re up to 6700 steps of exercise per day. And most importantly, they were getting their sleeping patterns under control and improving. That part alone is huge. This individual is a direct relation to me, and we both believe that our poor sleep patterns might have a genetic link. When my sleep began to improve via the Garmin Connect system, they became intrigued, which led to this investment.

Pre-Covid Sleep-Time Stress Score

The Images below show a few nights of Sleep-Time Stress Score. The first image was the actual night that this individual was exposed to Covid-19.

Garmin Sleep Stress Score Pre-Covid Saturday Night Sunday Morning
Ignore the medium-stress values; my family member is working through literal decades of poor sleep, and this is something that takes time and discipline to overcome. This was the individual’s Garmin Sleep-Time Stress Score the night on which they were exposed to Covid-19.

First Night With Covid

Sleep Stress Score First Night of Covid-19 infection
This is the Garmin Sleep-Stress Score for my family member’s first night with Covid-19. Exposure occurred on Saturday Night/Sunday Morning, and Infection took hold on Monday afternoon/evening. This image shows the Heart Rate Variability and Stress from Monday Night/Tuesday Morning.

 

I think this shows just how much the Covid virus hits the heart. For comparison’s sake, the ‘other’ Garmin Sleep Score on Saturday Night/Sunday Morning read: 75. The score for Monday Night/Tuesday Morning, which is this chart, showed: 12.

The Importance of Early Detection

My family member knew almost immediately that this was no regular cold or flu. This individual has had all of their vaccines and boosters, but suffered a medical emergency in October of last year that left them in poor health that has been a struggle from which to recover. So they took this infection seriously.

An at-home test came back positive on Monday evening, and precautions to prevent further illness were taken. Unfortunately, conflicts regarding just who was this individual’s Primary Care Physician led to NO Paxlovid Prescription until Thursday. They just had to wait this thing out.

They isolated, masked up, and another family member, at risk of infection as well, did stay in the room over night because of the coughing spasms and general misery present as the virus spread and the body’s defenses fought it.

Other family members were alerted, and others were identified as infected and were suffering equally. Unfortunately, I didn’t catch it on Garmin Connect.

Night Two of Garmin Sleep-Time Stress Score With Covid-19

https://youtu.be/VMCCE480omU?t=537
The second night spent fighting Covid-19 was not much better than the first. Generic Sleep Score went from ’12’ to ’29’, and Garmin Sleep Stress Score went from 83 to 78. Not much of a drop. Overall sleep was under 3 hours. This is Tuesday Night/Wednesday Morning.

A Remedy

On Tuesday afternoon, after multiple calls to different doctors, my family member was able to successfully arrange for a Steroid shot, as well as a steroid in oral form, in the hopes that that would tilt the balance in their immune system in favor of the body, instead of the virus. Again – the individual had all available shots and boosters, all mRNA-based.

The effect was witnessed over the next several days. By Wednesday afternoon, the perception of illness broke, the coughing abated, and the individual was able to get some rest. Here’s the chart, along with some notes.

Sleep Stress Score Covid-19 48 Hours Post Illness Onset
My family member received a Steroid shot on Tuesday afternoon, about two days after first noticing symptoms of their infection. On this chart, while the first stages of sleep were still stressful, the overall intensity of heart rate stress, combined with the drop around 3am, led to a generic sleep score of 38, with over 7 hours of sleep.

Breaking Through To Normal

By Thursday, it appeared that the illness had abated. I’m not going to proselytize about vaccines, boosters, or fortitude or constitution. What I am interested in is the way that this illness hit the heart in a serious way, and how it was recorded using wrist-based Heart Rate Variability (HRV). They received Paxlovid on Thursday, which was basically too late. Thursday Night/Friday Morning’s overnight Garmin Sleep Stress Score ended up coming down to ’19’, and Sleep Duration was good, almost 7 hours. This is more normal for this individual, pre-Covid.

Thursday Night Friday Morning Garmin Sleep Stress Score Post Covid
Comparing Thursday night’s Garmin Sleep Stress Score pattern to Saturday Night’s pattern (see above), shows more similarities than stresses. I think we dodged a bullet on this one. They also tested ‘Negative’ for Covid-19 on Thursday, and again this morning, on Friday.

Garmin Sleep-Time Stress Score Can Help Identify and Guide You Through This Virus And Others

The sad news here is that my family member DID end up infecting their partner. Again, this other individual had had their shots and boosters. I have NOT gotten their Garmin Sleep -Time Stress Score, but that individual also has a Garmin Venu 2+:  we just haven’t taken the time to get Garmin Connect set up and linked to the phone, etc. That individual is also recovering – their case was mild, they’re on Paxlovid, and never needed steroids.

I guess my point here is this; we’ve got wearable technology that can reveal just what illness is doing to our hearts. Notice that I never even mention Saturated Pulse Oxygen (SpO2) in this post, but that’s ALSO an important metric to measure when ill. I think using overnight Sleep Scores, Hydration tracking, resting pulse and pulse oxygen, and maybe even tracking blood pressure, can help individuals gauge just HOW sick they are, whether that merits an intervention or just rest and electrolytes, and whether the individual is on track for recovery. If the individual is an athlete, this can help with early intervention faster recovery, and maintained overall health and wellness.

Use the Sleep-Time Stress Score when you’re sick and see if it helps you recover faster. Let me know your thoughts.

Thanks for reading, and as always, “ENJOY THE RIDE!”

 

 

Garmin Stamina and Stamina Potential – A Native Feature Gauging Fatigue

Garmin Stamina and Stamina Potential May Just Be the Enlightenment Tool for Cyclists and Triathletes!

Garmin Stamina and Stamina Potential Cover Graphic
Garmin Stamina is a new, Native feature that shows, in realtime as well as in post-ride analysis, how much you’ve got “Left in the Tank”, as well as the POTENTIAL for what’s “Left in the tank”! Let’s learn some more.

With the release of the ’40 Series of Garmins (the 540, 840 and 1040), as well as a host of watches, Garmin has included the Garmin Stamina and Potential feature. This native Field looks at energy use, intensity, heart rate and other elements to gauge ‘Just how much is left in the tank’ when a cyclist or runner is exercising. It’s one more tool that a cyclist, runner, or triathlete might be able to use for training, breakthroughs, or in an event.

What Is Garmin Stamina?

Garmin Stamina and Stamina Potential Screen Garmin 1040
Ride ‘Blue’, and Garmin Stamina and Stamina Potential will still decline. Fatigue happens, no matter what.

Garmin Stamina is defined as a visible metric that reveals just how much a cyclist has left, in terms of residual energy, power and work, at any capacity, over time. When a cyclist rides harder, Stamina drops faster. When the cyclist recovers, Stamina rebounds. Garmin Stamina is measured in %. If a cyclist is fresh and recovered, Stamina will start at 100%. If this is their second workout of the day, or they haven’t adequately recovered from a previous effort, it may start at <100%.

What is Garmin Stamina Potential?

Garmin Stamina and Stamina Potential Early In an Interval Set
Garmin Stamina is using a pretty complex, really proprietary, algorithm to measure fatigue and work capacity. I think it’s looking at that gool ol’ Wattage, Heart Rate (Variability), Temperature and Cadence combination. It’s pretty cool.

Garmin Stamina Potential shows just how much fatigue is affecting a cyclist’s ability to generate power. I remember Dr. Allen Lim, in 2004, telling me about requiring his athletes to use at least 600 KiloJoules of energy prior to performing intervals, because “500 watts after 600 KiloJoules is a LOT HARDER than 500 watts after just 200 KiloJoules!” And he’s right.

Garmin Stamina begins on a scale of 100-0%, and it declines with Garmin Potential as a ride progresses.

The Garmin Stamina Page On Your Garmin Head Unit

If you have a new ’40 Series, turn on the Garmin Stamina Page by following these steps:

  1. On the main screen, tap on the ‘Sandwich’ Square.
  2. Tap on ‘Activity Profiles’.
  3. Pick a Profile (I have ‘Road’, ‘Indoor’, and ‘Mountain’).
  4. Tap on ‘Data Screens’.
  5. Scroll up and down and look to see if ‘Stamina’ is shown as a page or not. If not, press ‘Add New’.
  6. You should find ‘Stamina’ in the options, and add it.
  7. The Garmin head unit will then offer you ways to slide the ‘Stamina’ page around in order, until it’s where you want it. As a Lefty, I tend to swipe Left-to-Right, so mine is Second-from-Last.
Garmin Stamina Page Procedure
I call the ‘Settings’ button the ‘Sandwich’ button because it looks like two slices of bread with a thin slice of ham in between!

 

Garmin Stamina Settings Page 2
Once you’ve clicked on the Sandwich button, you’ll see this page. Tap the ‘Activity Profiles’ button.

 

Garmin Stamina Page 3
Go to the Profile where you want to add a Stamina Screen.

 

Garmin Stamina Click on 'Data Screens'
Click on ‘Data Screens’

 

'Stamina' Will be near the bottom of the list.
‘Stamina’ Will be near the bottom of the list.

 

Garmin Stamina Reorder Option
Slide the Stamina Page around in order so you can swipe to it or in the case of the 540, you can use the buttons to slide the pages around.

Back-Arrow out until you get to the main screen, and then tap on the Profile itself. Swipe until the screen shows up.

Garmin Stamina and Stamina Potential Page
What you end up with is a page that looks like this.

There are 3 Fields, including a Stamina Bar with Stamina and Stamina Potential in numbers, followed by a Wattage Graph, and finally, a traditional Heart Rate Graph. Above the Stamina Bar is an ‘Estimated Distance’ value, and it makes me wonder if that might not be useful for an Ultra-Cycling event. Hmmm.

How to Use Garmin Stamina and Stamina Potential

Garmin Stamina Stamina Potential 60-60s
I’m purposely avoiding revealing the wattage and heart rate values on this chart, because I honestly believe I couldn’t go any harder, or get Stamina down below 0%. These were Billat 60-60’s, and you can see that I drove the Garmin Stamina Potential down significantly as well.

Remember the ground rules:

  • Once you start a ride file, Stamina and Stamina Potential will begin to decay.
  • The rate of decay is dependent upon time spent at different intensities.
  • At low intensities, Garmin Stamina and Stamina Potential will decay at the same rate. If you ride at a higher intensity, the Garmin Stamina value will drop faster than the Garmin Stamina Potential value.
  • Garmin Stamina can rebound, but it will never be higher than Garmin Stamina Potential.
  • “500 watts after 600 KiloJoules is harder than 500 watt after 200 KiloJoules!”

A 20-Minute Effort With Stamina and Stamina Potential

I’ve been using Garmin Stamina and Stamina Potential for a couple of months now, especially in my Indoor Virtual Studio over at VQ Velocity. We recently rode some ubiquitous 2 x 20 minute efforts right at or just above Threshold. Here are the results of the first interval.

20 Minute Garmin Stamina and Stamina Potential Chart Interval 1
While I was not paying complete attention to this metric, I was watching it out of the corner of my eye.

 

I’ll crowd the chart a bit, to show some other physiological metrics, just so you can see how ‘hard’ this interval really was.

20 Minute Garmin Stamina and Stamina Potential Chart Interval 1 Chart 2 with SmO2
Garmin Stamina and Stamina Potential seem to be pulling from a combo of heart rate variability, wattage, and maybe respiratory rate. I added the SmO2 values from Moxy to show that I actually was at my physiological threshold, which was ABOVE the threshold value provided by Garmin (and other metric platforms, btw….). See my previous blog about SmO2 Tipping Points, and Borrowed Time.

On-Screen, the Page looked like this…

 

Garmin Stamina Stamina Potential 20 Minute Effort
Stamina will decrease faster than Stamina Potential when you’re riding over your Threshold. Stamina Potential is a little slower, but I’m finding that it definitely helps me gauge my effort on work, especially later in a ride.

Look carefully at the Red, Black, and Clear Line. You’ll see an ‘arrow’ where the red meets the black. This is the point where the Garmin Stamina is declining faster than the Garmin Potential Stamina. Red means decline. Green means recovery. Potential will NOT recover during a ride. It may plateau, but it won’t rebound.

For context, here’s the graph of the SECOND 20-minute interval……

Second 20-minute Interval Garmin Stamina Stamina Potential
Physiologically, I got some training effect out of this effort, but had I followed the physics and tried to hold the same power that I had held in the first interval, I would have blown up. Stamina at 3% is an indicator that you’re ON BORROWED TIME. When Stamina and Stamina Potential are BOTH pretty low, you’re cooked, and it’s time to go home.

Billat 60-60s With Stamina and Stamina Potential.

Garmin Stamina Stamina Potential 60-60s With Comments
The 60-second interval intensity for these efforts was roughly 350-375 watts. Watching Stamina and Potential, I was able to gauge just how much I had left in the tank, before exhaustion.

 

Above is the post-ride overview of a set of Billat 60-second intervals with 60-second recoveries. Notice how Garmin Stamina pulls Stamina Potential down over the course of the ride.

Here’s what the ride looked like on my Garmin 1040.

Garmin Stamina and Stamina Potential Early In an Interval Set
This was Interval #7. Stamina is now in the gutter, but I still have some Potential left, so let’s keep going. 

 

Garmin Stamina Billat 60-60s Interval 11
11 Intervals in, and Stamina hovered between 15 and 3%. Stamina Potential dropped about 2 points per 60-second effort.

 

Garmin and Garmin Potential Screen 60-60 Intervals Last Effort
This was my last interval before calling it a morning. The Stamina got down to about 2% in the interval before, but I was unable to perform it for the full 60-seconds, and Stamina rebounded artificially high. While this last interval was high quality at 374 watts, Stamina only came down to 8%, while Stamina Potential reached its’ lowest level, at 24%. I was definitely fatigued.

For context, here is a link to the ride itself on Garmin Connect…


And here is an image of what Garmin gave this ride, in terms of Aerobic TE, Anaerobic TE, EPOC, and Training Effect.

Garmin Stamina Stamina Potential Workout Summary With EPOC Aerobic Anaerobic TE Scores
While I’m ignoring the ‘Tempo’ summary, this was a highly effective Aerobic and Anaerobic Workout that took days from which to recover.

Pay Attention to Garmin Stamina and Stamina Potential

Garmin has been at this game of product development now for about two decades. They bought a company (FirstBeat) with even deeper roots and history. They’re an Aviation company, a sport metrics company, and a travel logistics company. But they’re really onto something here. These developments use a history of science, a slightly conservative approach, but one that is loading features into rugged devices, and then helping recreational athletes improve their fitness in a holistic way. That’s what’s so fascinating about the Garmin Ecosystem. Their motto is, “Beat Yesterday.” And as both a coach and an athlete, using features like Garmin Stamina and Stamina Potential, I am.

Functional Threshold Power Chart Garmin Stamina and Stamina Potential
Something must be working….. The tools are all here at OBC and Garmin Connect.

I’ll post later about the possibilities of BREAKING this fatigue model, and how the model later adapts, but it’s really rare.

Thanks for reading, and ENJOY THE RIDE!

Garmin Connect HRV Status Update

Garmin Connect HRV Status Is FINALLY Showing Some Improvement – And I’m Feeling It!

This Garmin Connect HRV based Ecosystem Is really getting interesting. I’m literally using just about everything Garmin; The Scale, the Watch, and the Head Unit. I probably ought to buy a Neo 2t and a pair of pedals, but I’m fine for now with my current setup. I know there is debate over the accuracy of NIRS, the validity of the FirstBeat HRV claims, but let’s face it; no other company is showing the commitment to data collection and general health guidelines like Garmin Fitness. It’s not cheap, but I think the long-term gains for overall health and wellness are working. The Garmin Connect HRV Status shows overnight heart rate variability, and I think the combination of regular exercise, a new bed, a more private bedroom, a LOT less alcohol at night, and a LOT more water throughout the day, is leading to better sleep, and better rides.

***Before we go any further, I’m curious to know if you think these blog posts are informational. IF you feel like they are, then .

Garmin Connect HRV Status Shows How Sleep Is Leading To Better Workouts – and Vice-Versa

Have a look at my 6-month TREND for HRV Status.

6 Month Garmin Connect Training Status Report Including HRV Status
This is the 6-Month Training Status Report from Garmin Connect. Specifically, look at the third chart; HRV Status. It shows the incredible stress I was under at the end of last year, which resulted in a severely suppressed HRV status. Once I started simply walking the dogs last winter, and we had a home we could call our own (that’s a whole other story that remains unfinished), the HRV Status began to stabilize, albeit still ‘low’ (stress) and ‘Tight’ (again, stress). Once I started training regularly again in February of this year, however, HRV Status began to stabilize, and it’s FINALLY starting to rebound, which I’ll show in the next image. Also take a look at the Garmin Connect Acute Training Load, below HRV Status. As my training load grew, HRV Status actually improved, and it was on the days where I rode an acute overreach that the HRV Status dipped back into ‘Unbalanced‘ Territory. We’re Tempering Action With Wisdom.

Now, here’s the corresponding 28-day trend, which is a bit of a close-up of the 6-month chart.

28 day Garmin Connect HRV Status April 26 through May 23rd 2023
The dots on this chart represent a rolling 7-day average of HRV Status, measured at night, from the time I fall asleep to the time I wake up. The grey zones represent a baseline range. I’ve been told that my range is too low (too stressful) and too tight (again, too much stress), but I’m encouraged by the STABILITY I’m seeing in this chart, and the RISING TREND as well. This means that I AM recovering better, and sleeping better to some degree. And as we know, a good night’s rest is critical to a good day’s performance.

Is it leading to better results?

Honestly, I don’t yet know. I am confident that my Threshold is improving, and I believe that my Anaerobic Work Capacity is growing. More importantly, I’ve started losing weight, and I just ‘feel’ better, all around. The first chart shows that Vo2 Max is improving, and I think I could probably break 300 watts for 20 minutes if I really tried. But I’m not ready yet to tax my system like that. I want to focus on consistency, and on learning as much from this Garmin Connect ecosystem as possible. There is SO MUCH DATA available!

Garmin Connect Body Weight 1 Year Graph
I’m convinced that a good night’s rest and improved overnight HRV Status, leads to better workouts with higher calorie counts. This leads to a more optimal weight. I’ll continue to avoid alcohol and increase my caloric expenditure, especially on weekends, to try and achieve my goal of 70kg. If I start to lose fitness because I’m too light, I’ll report that.

Garmin Connect HRV Status and Periodization

If you look at my Acute Training Load chart, you may see that the black line, which is a rolling 7-day average of TRIMPS. It’s bouncing near the bottom of the Green zone, known as the ‘Optimal Range’. This is intentional. I’m backing off on the intensity for the week, to avoid a fitness plateau and stale performance. My clients on VQ Velocity are really enjoying this hybrid approach to Physiology and Physics. 8 weeks in, and we’re set for one of our best summers of activity yet. I’ll be attempting a new 20-minute breakthrough next week, along with a new Threshold and Vo2 Max. I like to attempt these indoors, because it’s consistent. But if the HRV Status or Sleep Scores trend in the wrong direction, I’ll listen to my body, and will delay Breakthrough Efforts until I’m recovered and mentally prepared.

HRV Status Is One More Metric That Can Help With a Holistic Approach to Training, Recovery, and Fitness.

I sell these watches. I love these things. Any cyclist who owns a Garmin head unit and is half-serious, needs to be looking at this stuff. I DO think it’s accurate enough and consistent enough to be effective. I can’t wait to see just how fit I can become, with my clients as well. This is my new platform going forward. We’ll be migrating to this HRV-based ecosystem for the majority of our cycling, and then use wattage for those SUPRA-THRESHOLD efforts that require taxing the Central Governing Theory to its’ limits.

Thanks for reading, and ENJOY THE RIDE!

SmO2 and Base

The Moxy’s SmO2 Sensor Helps Make Base Training Even More Effective

SmO2 and Base Richard Wharton Online Bike Coach Garmin Connect Image 1
Saturated Muscle Oxygen can make Base Training even more effective. Look for a rise in SmO2 at a known low intensity. Then, gently raise the intensity to find that SmO2 ‘sweet spot’ of aerobic training.

 
 

This week on my VQ Velocity Virtual Studio, we are focusing on a week of Periodization and Taper. We are not performing hard intervals, but instead, we are focusing on easier rides. I wear my Moxy for all my rides, but most of the time, I focus on Desaturation and Resaturation. This blog post is about SmO2 and Base training. We can use the Garmin Connect Ecosystem to highlight the PHYSIOLOGICAL BENEFITS of low-intensity rides.

SmO2 and Base Oxygen Saturation Levels

SmO2 and Base Richard Wharton Online Bike Coach Garmin Connect ThB Image 2
When you first start a ride, the body just isn’t ready for the strain. With proper warmup and vasodilation, SmO2 rises, ThB declines, and you’re achieving the benefits of ‘Base’!

SmO2 (Saturated Muscle Oxygen) readings show cyclists just how much Oxygen Supply is in the muscles. When a cyclist is riding for BASE, there should be plenty of oxygen available. As a ride progresses, the body warms up, and the blood vessels dilate. This offers the muscles more available oxygen. Think of SmO2 as ‘Volts’ in a car battery. When there’s a heavy draw on the engine (Demand), the volts may drop, like when the ignition is engaged. On electric vehicles, computers monitor watts (torque), volts, and Amps. I compare Amps with Total Hemoglobin, which I’ll discuss later in this post.

SmO2 and Base Richard Wharton Online Bike Coach Garmin Connect ThB Image 4
Patented Warmup. Create just a wee bit of strain, then recover, and watch your SmO2 and ThB values climb over 20-27 minutes (~200-300 Calories).

Since 2012, when I first started using SmO2 monitors from Moxy, I’ve discovered that SmO2 reveals great information about Base Training. When you first place a Moxy monitor on the left Lateralis, you usually get a reading of about 30-60% SmO2. I call this ‘Active Resting SmO2’. As you warm up, SmO2 will definitely drop a bit. If a cyclist or runner does NOT perform my trademarked Warmup Protocol, SmO2 dilation does NOT reach its’ full potential, and in my opinion, restricts some of the benefits of visualizing this feature. But IF the cyclist DOES perform my Warmup Protocol, then SmO2 can become a highly effective, visual method of visualizing just what Base provides.

Base Training Is an Energy-Positive Ride

Watch this 30-second advertisement for Del Monte Green Beans. Specifically, watch what happens when this young lady goes on a bike ride. This is EXACTLY what a ‘Base’ Ride should provide a cyclist or a runner. It should be ‘Energy Positive’ for mental wellness and spiritual fulfillment. It’s literally the way most of our bike rides should occur. The time you spend out there performing this may depend on goals, etc., but SmO2 can provide a window into exactly what is happening when a ride like this occurs.

SmO2 and Base Lead to Greater ‘Volts’ of Available Power, While Drawing Less ‘Amps’ (ThB) for the Same Amount of Physical Output

In this graph, you can see how my post-warmup Base ride begins with roughly 52% SmO2. While power output changes very little, vasodilation occurs, and available SmO2 rises at roughly the 45:00 mark, with a small dip in power output. The Smo2 continues to rise after that, until I perform a single 1-minute standing effort to change my saddle position.

***Standing Power is INCREDIBLY INEFFICIENT.

If you watch old videos of Alberto Contador, there are times before he had a serious crash, when he would climb seated, and honestly, he was a GC or stage threat. After his crash and long recovery, his body was never the same, and he climbed standing for even longer periods of time. It was very powerful, but very costly. 

However, after that single effort, SmO2 rose further, with little change in power.

Why Did SmO2 Start to Decline at the 1-hour mark?

mO2 and Base Richard Wharton Online Bike Coach Garmin Connect ThB Image 3
This is where I wish I had some coding knowledge. I would build a Garmin app that would run a 1-minute graph of SmO2 and ThB, along with recent Ceilings and Floors, so I could better visualize each parameter and make a more informed choice about intensity and nutrition or hydration.

Right around the 1:05 timeline, SmO2 began to decline. When we use Garmin Connect to zoom in, we can see that it began with a slight rise in power output. This was further exacerbated by another minute of standing and pedaling. SmO2 dropped further. Once I sat down, SmO2 Resaturated, but then continued its’ decline back to around 50%.

Why did this happen? Well, let’s look at the OTHER data point that we get when we ride with a Moxy; ThB.

What is ThB?

ThB stands for ‘Total Hemoglobin’, and it’s based on Millimols per Deciliter of volume. It’s the total count of red blood cells in your overall system. Hemoglobin is a protein that carries Oxygen to the Muscles. It’s another window into the ‘SUPPLY and DEMAND’ side of the SmO2 Equation. The more ThB we have, the more ‘AMPS’ we have available to help provide fresh oxygen to the muscles, to help keep SmO2 high.

Right around the 1:05 mark, when my SmO2 began to decline, Total Hemoglobin, which was declining from minute 33:00 to that point, began to rise. After the final standing moment, it rose further, and rose until I quit the ride at the 1:15 mark. So, SmO2 declines and ThB rises, for the same amount of power.

Now, this is CONJECTURE, because I AM NOT A SCIENTIST. But my own speculation is that I was getting short on blood sugar. I always ride these easier rides in a fasted state. It’s a way to train my body to burn more fat over time, as long as I don’t push too hard. But there are only between 800 and 1200 calories of carbohydrate in the circulatory system at any time, and in the 30 years that I’ve been cycling, my body tends to change at roughly 1200 calories, WITH CARB SUPPLEMENTATION. Without Carb supplementation, I think it’s very feasible to ‘see’ the body switching energy systems or becoming less efficient. At this point, I had burned roughly 800 calories, and had consumed nothing more than water (and probably not enough of that). Hence, ThB rose, SmO2 declined, while power and basic heart rate remained neutral.

Use Your Moxy SmO2 And Keep It HIGH!

SmO2 and Base Richard Wharton Online Bike Coach Garmin Connect ThB Image 5
For roughly the same amount of power, my body responded with less stress. Once I used up my blood sugar (I was in a fasted state), the body began looking elsewhere for energy, and my SmO2 and ThB both changed to become less efficient, while power stayed the same.

My personal SmO2 Floors and Ceilings are as such, but your own zones may vary.

  • My Max Recovery Saturation is at 80%. I rarely get there on an active bike ride, so 70% means my Muscles are being resupplied with fresh Oxygen and are ready for another effort.
  • My Active Base Saturation is between 40 and 70%. When I ride at those SmO2 intensities (remember, harder is lower, easier is higher), my body is using energy to make energy in my  mind, and these are fruitful, fun, functional rides.
  • An SmO2 below 20%, and usually below 17% puts me on ‘BORROWED TIME’, and is my Vo2Max range of intensity. It’s also unustainable for long periods.
  • An SmO2 between 20 and 25% is a great Threshold Intensity for me, regardless of the old-school heart rate and wattage values that have traditionally yielded these zones.

If you really want to get a window into your body, SmO2 (and ThB) provide real-time value to help you optimize your ride. Once you know your numbers, you can always try to track gains in power or loss in weight over time. You can also watch ThB to see if you’re perhaps in need of some carbs, or may even be approaching a bonk.

I’m going to continue to share my observations. If you own a Moxy, let me know if you see similar phenomena. I’d love to learn more.

Thanks for reading, and ENJOY THE RIDE!