Recovery matters. Physical recovery after an activity is what makes your next performance possible. Managing the recovery process effectively can be very challenging. We know recovery takes time, but how much?
Insufficient recovery time means you miss out on the benefits of your hard work. Significant exertion before your body has recovered and adapted can reduce your performance capacity. If you ignore your body's need for recovery for a long time, your risk of injury increases significantly.
The recovery time feature on Garmin GPS smartwatches provides scientific, personalised information about full recovery. When the timer reaches zero, it means you can get the maximum benefit from your next hard, fitness-improving workout (i.e. Training Effect: 3.0+).
Recovery time recommendations are based on the analysis and interpretation of performance data from your recorded activities. The exertion of your workouts is interpreted based on a combination of your current fitness level and recent training history. This is measured as training load based on excess post-exercise oxygen consumption (EPOC). In the background, these recommendations are adjusted based on the following information: the time remaining on your recovery timer, trends in your VO2 max fitness level, and your acute (7-day) to chronic (28-day) training load ratio.
We recently improved the recovery time feature by including health and lifestyle tracking data in the analysis for the first time. This means that on a compatible Garmin device, all-day stress tracking and estimated sleep tracking data are used to recommend increasing or decreasing recovery time, and the impact of daily events is also included in your health picture.
Thanks to the enhanced recovery time calculation, you may notice that a stressful day or a poor night's sleep extends the time needed before your next hard workout. On the other hand, good sleep, low stress levels and light daytime activity can shorten your recovery time.
