Orthostatic Heart Rate Test
Athletes can use the Orthostatic Heart Rate Test to monitor their state of health and to try and ensure they are not over training and therefore harming their overall training.
What's The Point?
For athletes who train hard, there always lies the danger of over-training. Over-training is problematic for athletes for two reasons it can be difficult to detect, and it can play havoc with your training progress. The Orthostatic Heart Rate Test is a simple and effective way to tell if you are over-training.
What Do I Need?
- A stopwatch
What Results Will I See?
What you are looking for is the difference between R1 and R2 if the two scores are more than 15 to 20 beats apart, then you are probably over-trained.
Over-training will cause excess fatigue, poor recovery, and indeed, failure to make further progress. Take a day off, and revise your training program to ensure you have sufficient rest built in.
How Do You Do The Test?
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Lie down and rest for at least 15 minutes
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Take your pulse (beats/min) - R1
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Stand up
- After 15 seconds, once more take your pulse (beats/minute) - R2
What's Being Measured Again?
This is overall measure of an athletes health, and a good indicator of over-training.
