Sleep Score HRV Stress: The Yin and Yang of Recovery
The Yin and Yang of Recovery Physiology First Training | By Coach Richard Wharton Managing your Sleep Score HRV Stress data is the ultimate balancing act for any serious athlete. I’ve spent the last 48 hours in the “pain cave” building a trailer, manhandling heavy steel. When I pulled my metrics this morning, I saw […]
Garmin HRV Stress Balance: When Life Gets in the Way
Garmin HRV Stress Balance: When Life Gets in the Way My training, recovery, and daily decisions start with Garmin HRV Stress Balance. I love the fantasy version of training: ride hard, lift heavy, eat clean, sleep eight hours, repeat. And with all the data my Garmin wearables give me — especially my older Garmin Fenix […]
The Garmin Ecosystem: Why Your Watch is More Important Than Your Power Meter
Garmin Recovery Time: Why Your Watch Beats Your Power Meter By The Garmin Guru | April 24, 2026 Understanding Garmin Recovery Time is essential for any athlete following a “Physiology First” approach. As a coach with over 20 years in the industry, I know that your bike computer is only half the story. To truly […]
Using Garmin Sleep and HRV Stress to Plan My Workouts: Today’s Real Example
When Garmin HRV Stress Hits 72: A Practical Morning Read on Sleep, Load, and What to Do Next Published: April 8, 2026 · Quick, physiology‑driven guidance for the morning after a high HRV Stress reading. I woke to an HRV Stress of 72 on my Garmin and a Garmin Sleep Score in the […]
Predicting the Redline: Using Garmin Sleep Scores to Master Ronnestad 30-15 Intervals
Physiology First: Using Garmin Sleep Scores to Predict Ronnestad 30-15 Success Part I: The Garmin Sleep Score Ronnestad Preflight We often treat training like a game of chance, but the reality is that your body provides a daily “weather report” if you know where to look. Before I even touched my bike this morning, I […]
Physiology First: Navigating a “Red Light” Morning with AlphaHRV
Physiology First: My Red Light Recovery Ride This morning was a masterclass in why I apply a Physiology First framework to every session, looking at the internal engine before I look at the wattage. Between a late meal and the devastating news about my friend Murray being struck by a motorist—suffering a serious […]
Mastering the Garmin Ecosystem: Using Sleep Scores and Alpha HRV for a Physiology First Approach
Garmin Guru: Why Your Ride Starts at 10 PM By Coach Wharton | Release Date: April 19, 2026 Garmin Guru insights reveal that in the League of Garmin, we don’t just track miles; we track the internal cost of those miles. To master your performance, you must look past surface-level metrics and understand how the […]
My Morning Ritual: The 3-Minute Test That Dictates My Entire Training Day
After over 20 years of chasing wattage and focusing on what my power meter says I can do, I’ve realized the real secret to long-term gains is knowing when to pull back. It’s about listening to the engine. Today, I’m breaking down one of the most underutilized tools in the Garmin ecosystem: the HRV Stress […]
VO₂max Intervals: The Most Misunderstood Workout in Cycling—And How to Do Them “Right”
VO2Max State vs. Zone: What’s Happening Under the Hood https://youtube.com/shorts/gjB6seZEVec?feature=share I recently started using my VO₂Master again. In this session, I wanted to explore the VO2max state vs zone debate by looking at the actual physiological cost of high-intensity efforts. Earlier this week, I performed five separate 3-minute intervals at an intensity well above […]
Garmin Sleep-Time Stress
Garmin Sleep-Time Stress: What It Really Tells You About Recovery and Performance Most cyclists I work with don’t ignore their Garmin sleep data. They obsess over it. They wake up, open Garmin Connect, and scroll straight to the sleep-time stress chart, trying to decide whether today is a green-light workout or a warning sign. And […]