Plan says go. HRV says no.

Javaloyes et al. ran an 8‑week trial in well‑trained road cyclists using daily HRV to decide intensity. After a 4‑week baseline to set each rider’s personal LnRMSSD window (mean ± 0.5 SD), the HRV‑guided group improved 40‑min time‑trial power by 7.3 percent, power at VT2 by 13.9 percent, and peak power by 5.1 percent. The traditional group showed no meaningful change. Magnitude‑based analysis favoured HRV‑guided work. The rule is simple: do quality only when HRV sits inside your own window.

How to run it

1. Baseline 14–28 days of a 60–90 s supine morning reading. Build a 7‑day rolling average and your smallest worthwhile change window. Use the phone plus strap you’ll keep using.
2. Decide If your 7‑day LnRMSSD is inside the window, schedule intensity. If below, go easy or rest. If above, ride easy or tempo and reassess tomorrow.
3. Standardise Same time, posture, device, and breathing every day.

Sources

Javaloyes A, Sarabia JM, Lamberts RP, Moya‑Ramon M. Training Prescription Guided by Heart‑Rate Variability in Cycling. Int J Sports Physiol Perform. 2019;14(1):23‑32.

On my mind

Ready. Start Now.

I set out 14 years ago to give cyclists the best training and coaching I can. The hard part is that everyone sits at a different level and things keep shifting. To do this well I’ve made trade-offs. I’ve stepped back from most juniors and pared down the pros so I can focus on what I do best: building durable masters who finish strong when it counts.

I still keep a toe in the pro world. The lessons from that edge sharpen what you get here. But my day-to-day work, the experiments, the refinements, the wins and mistakes, all centre on you and riders like you.

If you’re reading this, you care about your own next step and you’re curious about how I’m thinking. This is the time of year when decisions set the base for next season. If that nudge is what you need, take it.

If you’ve read this far, you’re ready. Choose a plan or coaching and I’ll meet you on day one with a clear roadmap.

Damian