Heart rate variability (HRV) is the physiological phenomenon of the variation in the time interval between different heartbeats.
For years the health and fitness industry has relied on (resting) heart rate as a measure of a client’s wellness. If a client has a lower resting heart rate, they are considered healthier than a client with a higher resting heart rate. But what if we told you there was a much better overall health indicator – and that health indicator was Heart Rate Variability?
HRV is a tool that can be used to determine how a person’s (autonomic) nervous system is functioning on a moment-by-moment and day-by-day basis. The autonomic nervous system is tied to every automatic process in the body and is comprised of two main branches that control the body’s stress and recovery processes.
Using HRV to gain an understanding of the state of a person’s autonomic nervous system at any given moment is a huge advantage when identifying specific goals, prescribing specific exercise or recovery programs, or measuring client progress.
Since the autonomic nervous system ties to so many biological systems and processes, HRV also links cardiovascular activity to the respiratory system, digestive system, and other recovery and stress-related systems.
HRV can be used as a daily check-in with the body to determine its readiness to tolerate stress (exercise-induced or otherwise). In this regard, it can be used to optimize and individualise training programs.
It can also be used to determine how various lifestyle choices affect the health and performance of clients, allowing a trainer to recommend changes for optimal health outcomes by trending a client’s Heart Rate Variability and correlated events over time.
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