Let’s talk HRV—Heart Rate Variability. Sounds like something out of a sports science lab, but it’s actually one of the most useful tools you should be paying attention to if you want better results in the gym, less burnout, and more energy day to day.
Heart rate variability is the difference in time between your heartbeats. So if your heart beats 60 times in a minute, it’s not just one beat every second. The time between beats changes. That tiny variation tells us a lot about how your nervous system is doing.
High HRV? That’s good. It usually means your body’s relaxed, recovered, and ready to handle stress (like lifting heavy, a long workday, or a tough training block).
Low HRV? Your body might be running on fumes, fighting something off, or not recovering well.
Think of HRV as your internal check-engine light. It's not just about what your heart is doing—it's about how your whole system is responding to life.
Someone with a low HRV who keeps hammering intense workouts is asking for trouble. Think stalled progress, more injuries, or getting sick more often.
Someone with a higher HRV, though? They’re generally recovering better, feeling more energized, and making more progress from their workouts.
You can track HRV with wearables like WHOOP, Oura, Garmin, Apple Watch, etc. Most of them use resting HRV measured during sleep or when you first wake up. That’s important—your HRV needs to be measured in a calm state to mean anything.
One reading doesn’t matter that much. What you want to see is the trend over time.
Your number might dip after a poor night of sleep or a hard training day. Totally normal. But if it stays down for multiple days or weeks? That’s when it’s worth dialing things back and reassessing.
Let’s simplify:
Most people are constantly stuck in upregulation mode. Running around, training hard, skipping rest days, chugging coffee, poor sleep. No wonder HRV tanks.
If you want a better HRV (and better performance), you have to build in more downregulation:
Daily Practices to Boost HRV
When to Upregulate Intentionally
Don't obsess over one bad HRV reading. Look at your averages across weeks. See how you respond to different things—alcohol, sleep quality, workout intensity, stress at work. Your body’s always giving you feedback. HRV helps you listen better.
If your HRV is going up week to week? You’re probably on the right track. If it’s tanking or stuck low for too long? Time to reevaluate.
You don’t need to be a biohacker. You just need a few repeatable habits that help your body bounce back.
At Hardbat Athletics here in Newark, Delaware, we help busy adults train smart—not just hard. We work recovery into the plan, not as an afterthought. HRV is just one of the tools we use to make sure your training is sustainable, effective, and tailored to your life.
If you want to know how to build this kind of smart, structured approach into your routine—book a free No-Sweat Intro with a coach here. We’ll break it down with you, no pressure.
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