Training & Recovery
- finding the balance
For athletes to perform consistently well on the elite stage, it is essential that focused, hard and accurate training is backed up by good recovery. Finding the optimal balance between training loads and avoiding overtraining is a great skill. Judging an athlete's state of readiness to play/train or why his or her performance is poor, has up until now been based on a certain degree of technical knowledge, coupled with subjective opinion.
Objective physiological data
Optima-life using Firstbeat SPORTS provides a detailed analysis of the physiological demands encountered during exercise or during a fitness test. Individual sessions can be analysed either after exercise or in real time. An extra feature of Firstbeat SPORTS is the preset fitness testing functions.
This chart shows both heart rate and accumulative EPOC during an interval training session.
Evaluating heart rate variability as well as simple heart rate will enable the coach and athlete to assess EPOC.
Firstbeat gives considerable emphasis to EPOC and heartrate – in simple terms it is looking at the power left in your battery.
Benefits for the coach
- Gives you detailed information on your training sessions
- Allows you to make critical coaching decisions
- Will allow you to identify "overreaching or under performance"
- Analyses the intensity of your training session and indicates what kind of physiological effect it had on fitness
Benefits for the athlete
- Did you understand your training session and what you achieved?
- Did you achieve what you were intending to?
- How hard was the workout and what kind of effect did it have on fitness?
- What should you do tomorrow?
In addition to evaluating isolated training sessions Firstbeat SPORTS gives an overview of training week on week, month on month
Varying training loads will help reduce the risk of burnout and injury whilst assisting in optimising your athletic performance. Coupling information on training along with recovery will help you optimise your performance.
