Rocky Terrain Suspension Efficiency: The Open vs. Locked Debate

Peavine Singletrack is fun, challenging, and easily accessible.

May 7, 2026 Rocky Terrain Suspension Efficiency: The Open vs. Locked Debate; A Peavine Challenge In November 2025, I conducted a “Physiology First” experiment on Reno’s Peavine Mountain to analyze rocky terrain suspension efficiency. This ride has since become the archetype and benchmark for my 2026 training season. The mission was simple: Two laps on […]

Why Your “Free” Garmin Metrics are More Accurate Than You Realize

Garmin Edge post-ride analysis showing Aerobic Training Effect of 5.0 and 72-hour recovery time.

Why Your “Free” Garmin Metrics are More Accurate Than You Realize When athletes ask about Garmin VO2 Max accuracy, they are usually skeptical about whether a consumer wearable can truly measure the high-octane reality of a 15-15 interval set. On paper, today’s session was a classic builder—two sets of 15-minute micro-intervals—but as a physiology-first coach, […]

The Half-Glass Difference: How Alcohol Sabotages Your Garmin Recovery

A glass of red wine on a dinner table at an upscale restaurant, representing the setting for a physiological case study on recovery.

When analyzing Garmin sleep recovery, alcohol is often the “X-factor” that derails even the most disciplined athlete. We’ve all heard it before: “It was just a couple of glasses of wine.” But as a coach who lives by the mantra Physiology is King, I’m less interested in what the menu says and more interested in […]

Understanding Garmin Sleep Stress: What Those Orange Bars Actually Mean

Garmin Sleep Metrics screen showing 51 restless moments, 55 bpm RHR, and a low SpO2 dip of 83%.

Garmin Sleep Stress: What Those Orange Bars Actually Mean As a cycling coach, I’m constantly preaching the “Physiology First” gospel: listen to the engine, not just the dashboard. But lately, I’ve been my own most difficult athlete. I’ve been analyzing my Garmin Sleep Stress while deep in the trenches of “outdoor mania” labor. While the […]

Garmin Guru Deep Dive: Decoding the Internal Response to 4-Minute VO2max Intervals

A consolidated physiological data graph of a 5x4 minute VO2max cycling session, showing overlapping data for VO2 consumption, Moxy SmO2 (muscle oxygenation), heart rate, and power output.

Garmin Guru Deep Dive: Decoding the Internal Response to 4-Minute VO2max Intervals Today’s session of 4-minute VO2max intervals was a masterclass in why I lead with physiology, not physics. As the Garmin Guru at Online Bike Coach, I’m constantly looking for the “truth” behind the numbers. Today, that truth was found in gas exchange and […]

The Happy Heart: Decoding My Garmin Sleep-Time Stress

A single night's Garmin Sleep-Time Stress chart showing the average stress score and HRV-based recovery bars.

Tracking my sleep isn’t just about how long I was “out”; it’s about what my Autonomic Nervous System (ANS) was doing while the lights were off. As a coach who preaches Physiology First, the Garmin Sleep-Time Stress metric is one of the most honest looks into my recovery. Let’s break down the data from my […]

Sleep Score HRV Stress: The Yin and Yang of Recovery

A vertical three-light traffic signal with a black housing, shown against a plain white background. The middle yellow light is brightly illuminated, while the top red and bottom green lights are dark.

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 […]

Physiology First: Navigating a “Red Light” Morning with AlphaHRV

Screenshot of a Garmin HRV Stress test showing a high stress score of 75.

    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 […]