Which one would you recommend?
I refuse to give up my free blackberry for an iphone - both of these products requires the damn iphone. :rolleyes:
Like I said, there’s very little difference between the two. I’d recommend both. I’ve used Bioforce for a while and a couple of my athletes use ithlete. I’m a bit biased towards Joel’s stuff because I think the information he puts out is excellent. And there’s a lot of scope for additional functionality in the web based dashboard. There’s no denying that the entry price point is a lot higher however.
There’s Android versions of both if you aren’t an Apple fan.
Breaking point is I have a blackberry - won’t work with the BB. No issues with the prices at all.
Your best bet would be to get an Itouch or Ipad and you’re set. You can get an Itouch 2nd generation for under $50 and still download the Ithlete or Bioforce app, etc.
Def not an ipad already have Microsoft surface - ill look into a Itouch.
I found this:
Bioforce is similar to Ithlete, but with some advancements in predictive readings, such as the ability to distinguish between stress-caused HRV increases and recovery-caused HRV increases.
It runs off the same basic template as Ithlete, but with several differences such as a 2:30 measurement period instead of one minute, and warnings to prevent erroneous measurements.
I am curious to know more about stress caused HRV increases vs recovery-caused HRV increases. From where I live, during allergy season alone can cause a 10-20pt reduction in my HRV readings when the pollen scale rise to its highest levels yet I still feel fine physically from day to day and train normally. This could be the deal breaker between the two.
I have used the Ithlete at different times during the day (before bed and upon waking) and the numbers usually vary + or - 2pts. I’d suspect that the 2:30 measurement would be more accurate. You thinking about going with the Bioforce?
Both - whoever contact me first.
This relates to what I wrote earlier about differences between previous versions of the apps. From the start, Bioforce had the ability to flag significant relative increases in HRV as parasympathetic over training and would give an amber or red warning. In version 1 of ithlete this did not happen and the same data would have a green indicator as if everything was ok. Ithlete version 2 included this feature and so the information you quoted is no longer accurate (except the length of the measurement period).
What did you ask them? Let us know what they say.
Thanks… Leaning towards Ithlete while saving over $200 American dollars.
JJ never spent any time with Charlie.
I guess people struggle to determine what state of recovery they are in?
Athlete’s and coaches want a tangible test to remove doubt and or encourage them to train or take it easy?
The combination of these two facts make following the Heart rate v interesting for most.
What about all the non testable facts that guide the majority of my own training and also training others?
How you feel?
What you are sleeping is like?
Appetite?
Desire to train?
Thirst?
Digestion?
Does anyone rely on this as well or do you strictly want to see data and numbers?
And then what do you do when you get the numbers?
Works for me. Every time, one or more of the above are off for me…I am always in a poor state. It took me a long time to listen to it, especially with no coach.
Hey Ange
All of those things do work. I have the Bioforce HRV. What I like about it is that if some of the things are off that you mentioned, it will show up in the numbers. If I don’t get good quality sleep or there is extra stress with family, my numbers will always be off. The other thing I like about bioforce vs. ithlete is that the bioforce program will also give a readiness scale, so you have an idea of exactly how hard you can push that day. Of course, things may change during the workout. I don’t think HRV is necessary for everyone, but I do think it is a good product to help people test their readiness. It should not supersede any of the things you mentioned, but should be used in conjunction with them.
I’ve never used the Bioforce unit, but I believe the software engine that Bioforce uses is the Ithlete’s with some minor tweaks. I can say that I have one athlete who has been using the Ithlete for almost six months, and he has missed a grand total of ONE single reading during that time. The Ithlete reading takes a minute, and it is so simple to use there is simply no reason not to do it daily.
I can’t comment on the effectiveness of the Bioforce unit, but I can say I currently have no desire to experiment with the Bioforce, as the data we’ve collected with the Ithlete has been highly informative. To be honest, it took me quite a few months to get the hang of what the data actually means.
What I can say is that when you get curious and start looking for trends, it can be tremendously helpful. i’m looking forward to doing a training log looking back on the season starting soon. Hopefully some people will find it interesting!
With your situtation of having a long distance coach to athlete relationship with some of your athletes, HRV is quite helpful in knowing how to adjust your training from what the numbers tell you. In every sport that I’ve trained for since high school, I’ve always had a long distance relationship with the coach and can recall many times of running into recovery problems/injuries due to not knowing when to back off. I look forward to seeing a training log with HRV ratings of athletes who use the Hi-Low system.
More info on Chip Kelly incorporating Sports Science to the team: http://mmqb.si.com/2013/07/24/chip-kellys-mystery-man/
Interesting article. I still don’t understand how teams incorporate all the omegawavey items. So if a guy is tired some day, they just sit him out of practice because the omegawave says so? I would like a real use case on how anyone actually uses these devices. Are they intended to remove the overreached -> supercompensation pattern so that you always just train in a refreshed state?
Mortac
Search out Mark McLaughlin. He has written some articles for elitefts.com and uses the omegawave. My understanding is that the omegawave lets you know what each athlete is ready for that day. For example, say you have a speed session and weights planned but the test says that their CNS is not ready but cardiac is fully ready. You may be better off doing another day of tempo and moving the speed and weights session to the next day.
I don’t think the idea is to remove overreaching but to make sure you do not pass that point and go to far. If you have a solid plan and there is supposed to be some overreaching, then you may continue with what session you have planned, since there will be a time for supercompensation later. The omegawave should be able to help you make sure that you do not create too deep of an overreaching hole to come out of. Joel Jamieson talks about something similar in his HRV book. Basically, you as the athlete/coach have to decide what to do with the numbers based on what your plan is. The point of the testing is to make sure that you do not go to the point of exhaustion/overtraining.