be avoided, Hoffman says: “You need to understand you
have to take it easy the next day and get optimum sleep the
following night.”
As your fitness level increases, so does your body’srequirement for restorative sleep. It is vital, therefore, to
increase your knowledge and take action. “If we’re interested
in what we’re ‘doing’, we should also be interested in
monitoring what we’re not doing,” says Geyer. “Identifying
stressors, and using strategies to minimise them and improve
your response to them, can make a difference.”
INSIGHTS FOR ALL
As Hoffman explains, “During training, your heart rate
increases and the variation isn’t there. It’s the time after
that’s meaningful” – which makes HRV analysis equally
suitable for those partaking in endurance, power or speed
sports. “Everyone has the same requirements for post-
workout recovery,” she adds. Thus, it’s little surprise that
leading athletes and coaches globally including Tom George,
member of the Great Britain rowing team, Rob Goldup,