RECOVERY
Recovery is essential to effective training and we use a holistic approach at Sharman Ultra. This means we allow for all aspects of your life that add to stress and strain, not just the running work-outs, and we adjust your training sessions accordingly.
That's why we've partnered with WHOOP which offers a band that tracks heart rate (HR) and heart rate variability (HRV) 24/7. You can save $75 with code SHARMAN75.
What is Heart Rate Variability?
HRV is a function of the difference in timing between successive heart beats. Think of it this way, say you have a resting heart rate of 60 beats per minute. In actuality, your heart is not beating once every second, which many people think. Your heart actually has an irregular rhythm that causes the timing between each beat to change. HRV is a statistical measurement of heart rate irregularity. Originally used as a predictor of survival after acute medical emergencies, the application of HRV has rapidly expanded, and it has now one of the most studied areas of physiological response to exercise. HRV has been shown in numerous studies to positively correlate with athletic performance and training adaptation, and to negatively correlate with risk of overtraining and injuries.
Why Do We Have Heart Rate Irregularity?
Our heart rate has irregularity because of our autonomic nervous system. This system has two competing branches – the sympathetic and the parasympathetic.
Sympathetic: Often called the “fight or flight.” This is the activating branch.
Parasympathetic: Often called “rest and digest.” This is the deactivating branch.
As an athlete, your body has various “on” and “off” switches that are constantly causing these two branches to interact with each other. “On” switches correlate to your sympathetic branch, and “off” switches correlate to your parasympathetic branch. Throughout a typical day, your body is exposed to various situations that require these switches to be turned on and off. These can be in the form of going for a run or sitting down and relaxing after an intense practice. The faster they can be switched, the more likely your body will be able to adapt quickly to its surroundings. To relate it back to sports, faster on-off switches means your body can pump more energy into an activity, resulting in faster reactions, faster running, and more endurance etc.