Understanding "Recovery Time"

Hi,

you shouldn't necessarily wait this period of time for the next training unit. But if you have a recovery time of 78 hours you should wait atleast 48 hours until your next intensive training. If you have 23 hours of recovery it usually says you may train as usual, when you have 78 hours the watch will tell you "train very easy or rest". After your run on Saturday you had more than the 78 hours of rest until your hike, so it should be all good. And this recovery status is across all sports.

hope this helps

The times are additive and it is time until another strong workout, easy activities or active recovery or even an activity that is significantly different would be just fine.  Like after your strong run... easy runs for a couple days would be smart.  Maybe a day or two later, a strong upper body lift would be fine IMO.

Recovery time is a good way to have an excuse for a rest day.  (And you probably need one if your recovery time is 78 hours; mine has never broached 48.)

I never understood the recovery times either, as they didn't make sense.  I was looking for some different info about FirstBeat metrics and stumbled on this.

FACTORS BEHIND TRAINING STATUS SCORE

1. ACUTE TRAINING LOAD

Acute Training Load is calculated from the TRIMP sum during the last 7 days which is then compared to the personalized Training Load scale. Adequate training load facilitates development of fitness and performance and helps to avoid injuries.

2. ACUTE:CHRONIC WORKLOAD RATIO (ACWR)

Chronic Training Load is calculated based on typical training load over the last 28 days. It is then compared to Acute Training Load. To avoid injuries, it is important to avoid very quick changes in training load. The ‘sweet spot’ of training is when the ratio is around 1.0. When less than 1.0, the player is training less than they typical do. When over 1.0, the athlete is training more than they have typically during the last month.

3. RECOVERY

Recovery is calculated based on the average of the three most recent Quick Recovery Test (QRT) measurements. For recovery to be applied to Training Status, at least three QRT’s must have taken place within the last 14 days. More recent QRT’s are weighted to have more importance. When recovery is ‘good’, the body is responding well to training and the risk for overuse injuries is at its lowest.

Now, what exactly is a Quick Recovery Test (QRT)?  Is this taken from Garmin's HRV calculations as they state:

Heart Rate Variability or HRV is used for the calculation of Physiological Measurements such as the VO2 Max Estimator, Stress Score, Performance Condition, Lactate Threshold and Body Battery. HRV is also used to determine sleep levels on newer Garmin devices that feature an Optical Heart Rate sensor. Most features that use HRV can use the data recorded from an Optical Heart Rate sensor, but some features may prompt you to use a chest strap heart rate monitor in order to provide the most accurate calculations.

EDIT:  After further research, I was able to answer my own question about what is a Quick Recovery Test.