Understanding Recovery

Recovery is a daily score, on a 0-100% scale, that indicates how ready you are to perform today. Athlytic uses Heart Rate Variability (HRV) and Resting Heart Rate (RHR) to calculate Recovery. We take a rolling, 60-day average of both metrics as a baseline and compare them to the current day’s readings to generate your Recovery score. Recovery is meant to be a static number that is generated at the start of each day. Therefore, the score does not (by default) decrease as you exert yourself or increase with rest.

Athlytic weights HRV slightly higher than RHR because its such a potent indicator of the body's autonomic nervous system (ANS) function. By measuring the variation in time intervals between heartbeats, HRV provides insights into the balance between the sympathetic (fight-or-flight) and parasympathetic (rest-and-digest) branches of the ANS. A higher HRV typically signifies a well-regulated and adaptable ANS, indicative of better resilience to stressors and overall health. Consequently, monitoring HRV can offer valuable insights into daily recovery levels, as fluctuations in HRV reflect the body's ability to recover from physical and mental stressors. Utilizing HRV as a metric for daily Recovery aids in optimizing performance, preventing overtraining, and promoting overall well-being.

Note, if Sleep Prioritization is ON (Athlytic's default setting): Recovery is based on your average HRV during sleep and overnight RHR. If Sleep Prioritization is toggled off: Recovery uses your most recent HRV (awake or asleep) along with your most recent RHR.

Common reasons for a low Recovery score

Both HRV and RHR play a role in Recovery. If your HRV is lower and/or your RHR is higher than baseline, your Recovery score will be lower

Frequent Training

If you are training regularly, having a yellow (moderate) Recovery is completely normal. A score of 50% simply means your HRV and RHR are close to baseline.

Other Stressors

If you are not training frequently but still have yellow or red Recovery scores, other factors may be affecting your HRV and, such as:

✔️ Alcohol consumption - can significantly lower HRV.

✔️ Job/life stress - mental stress impacts autonomic function.

✔️ Food intake and digestion - certain foods and meal timing can affect HRV.

✔️ Hydration - dehydration can suppress HRV.

If none of these troubleshooting steps resolve the issue, consider reaching out to Athlytic support for further assistance.