Online Bike Coach

Where Cyclists and Triathletes get Faster/Stronger/Leaner/Sooner

Archives for July 2023

Covid-19 and the Garmin Sleep Stress Score

A Family Member Caught Covid-19 and the Garmin Sleep-Time Stress Score Is Pretty Scary

Garmin Sleep Stress Score Covid 19
A family member caught Covid 19 earlier this week. The HRV overnight status shows just how much stress your heart is under (and therefore, your mind). The GOAL for this is set at ’15’……. Fifteen…..

Three and a half years after Covid-19 spread around the world and began infecting humans, a family member finally caught Covid-19, and their Garmin Sleep-Time Stress Score is pretty scary. Sleep-Time Stress uses Heart Rate Variability (or the lack thereof) to help assess the quality of one’s rest and recovery.

I won’t give away too many details, but a family member traveled overseas and upon their return, infected another family member and their entire department at work. I don’t care what people say or think; getting sick is not fun. The individuals HAD been practicing proper defense mechanisms for years. Vaccines, boosters, masking, distancing, limited travel. But inevitably my family suffered exposure, and another family member, someone I had just helped purchase a Garmin Venu 2+ for, so we could track their sleep and hydration, is now suffering from Covid-19.

It’s Still Not Easy To Set These Products Up.

The purchase of the Garmin Venu 2+ was meant to kickstart some health and fitness choices, based on the information that Garmin Connect provides. Specifically, we were interested in:

  • Sleep Score
  • Sleep-Time Stress Score
  • ECG
  • Steps
  • Hydration
  • and Emergency calling.

All of this can be done with the Venu 2+.

However, and this is a fact that I deal with daily. The Garmin Connect ecosystem is NOT NEARLY AS EASY TO SET UP as its’ Prime Competitor; Apple. Now, I do believe that the information provided is arguably better, but most people just don’t care. They want to set it up in about 2 minutes, and start recording or reading their data.

The good news is that THIS IS WHAT I DO. I set up Garmin head units and watches for and with my clients and family members. With these tools and this ecosystem, I can help make training decisions based on a Holistic approach that is more complete than ever.

My family member was able, with my assistance, to get most of the relevant features up and running. We then were able to immediately begin tracking sleep, blood pressure via a Garmin BP Cuff, and body weight along with hydration status. We are using the Garmin Hydration tracker to help get him to 12 cups of water a day. They’re up to 6700 steps of exercise per day. And most importantly, they were getting their sleeping patterns under control and improving. That part alone is huge. This individual is a direct relation to me, and we both believe that our poor sleep patterns might have a genetic link. When my sleep began to improve via the Garmin Connect system, they became intrigued, which led to this investment.

Pre-Covid Sleep-Time Stress Score

The Images below show a few nights of Sleep-Time Stress Score. The first image was the actual night that this individual was exposed to Covid-19.

Garmin Sleep Stress Score Pre-Covid Saturday Night Sunday Morning
Ignore the medium-stress values; my family member is working through literal decades of poor sleep, and this is something that takes time and discipline to overcome. This was the individual’s Garmin Sleep-Time Stress Score the night on which they were exposed to Covid-19.

First Night With Covid

Sleep Stress Score First Night of Covid-19 infection
This is the Garmin Sleep-Stress Score for my family member’s first night with Covid-19. Exposure occurred on Saturday Night/Sunday Morning, and Infection took hold on Monday afternoon/evening. This image shows the Heart Rate Variability and Stress from Monday Night/Tuesday Morning.

 

I think this shows just how much the Covid virus hits the heart. For comparison’s sake, the ‘other’ Garmin Sleep Score on Saturday Night/Sunday Morning read: 75. The score for Monday Night/Tuesday Morning, which is this chart, showed: 12.

The Importance of Early Detection

My family member knew almost immediately that this was no regular cold or flu. This individual has had all of their vaccines and boosters, but suffered a medical emergency in October of last year that left them in poor health that has been a struggle from which to recover. So they took this infection seriously.

An at-home test came back positive on Monday evening, and precautions to prevent further illness were taken. Unfortunately, conflicts regarding just who was this individual’s Primary Care Physician led to NO Paxlovid Prescription until Thursday. They just had to wait this thing out.

They isolated, masked up, and another family member, at risk of infection as well, did stay in the room over night because of the coughing spasms and general misery present as the virus spread and the body’s defenses fought it.

Other family members were alerted, and others were identified as infected and were suffering equally. Unfortunately, I didn’t catch it on Garmin Connect.

Night Two of Garmin Sleep-Time Stress Score With Covid-19

https://youtu.be/VMCCE480omU?t=537
The second night spent fighting Covid-19 was not much better than the first. Generic Sleep Score went from ’12’ to ’29’, and Garmin Sleep Stress Score went from 83 to 78. Not much of a drop. Overall sleep was under 3 hours. This is Tuesday Night/Wednesday Morning.

A Remedy

On Tuesday afternoon, after multiple calls to different doctors, my family member was able to successfully arrange for a Steroid shot, as well as a steroid in oral form, in the hopes that that would tilt the balance in their immune system in favor of the body, instead of the virus. Again – the individual had all available shots and boosters, all mRNA-based.

The effect was witnessed over the next several days. By Wednesday afternoon, the perception of illness broke, the coughing abated, and the individual was able to get some rest. Here’s the chart, along with some notes.

Sleep Stress Score Covid-19 48 Hours Post Illness Onset
My family member received a Steroid shot on Tuesday afternoon, about two days after first noticing symptoms of their infection. On this chart, while the first stages of sleep were still stressful, the overall intensity of heart rate stress, combined with the drop around 3am, led to a generic sleep score of 38, with over 7 hours of sleep.

Breaking Through To Normal

By Thursday, it appeared that the illness had abated. I’m not going to proselytize about vaccines, boosters, or fortitude or constitution. What I am interested in is the way that this illness hit the heart in a serious way, and how it was recorded using wrist-based Heart Rate Variability (HRV). They received Paxlovid on Thursday, which was basically too late. Thursday Night/Friday Morning’s overnight Garmin Sleep Stress Score ended up coming down to ’19’, and Sleep Duration was good, almost 7 hours. This is more normal for this individual, pre-Covid.

Thursday Night Friday Morning Garmin Sleep Stress Score Post Covid
Comparing Thursday night’s Garmin Sleep Stress Score pattern to Saturday Night’s pattern (see above), shows more similarities than stresses. I think we dodged a bullet on this one. They also tested ‘Negative’ for Covid-19 on Thursday, and again this morning, on Friday.

Garmin Sleep-Time Stress Score Can Help Identify and Guide You Through This Virus And Others

The sad news here is that my family member DID end up infecting their partner. Again, this other individual had had their shots and boosters. I have NOT gotten their Garmin Sleep -Time Stress Score, but that individual also has a Garmin Venu 2+:  we just haven’t taken the time to get Garmin Connect set up and linked to the phone, etc. That individual is also recovering – their case was mild, they’re on Paxlovid, and never needed steroids.

I guess my point here is this; we’ve got wearable technology that can reveal just what illness is doing to our hearts. Notice that I never even mention Saturated Pulse Oxygen (SpO2) in this post, but that’s ALSO an important metric to measure when ill. I think using overnight Sleep Scores, Hydration tracking, resting pulse and pulse oxygen, and maybe even tracking blood pressure, can help individuals gauge just HOW sick they are, whether that merits an intervention or just rest and electrolytes, and whether the individual is on track for recovery. If the individual is an athlete, this can help with early intervention faster recovery, and maintained overall health and wellness.

Use the Sleep-Time Stress Score when you’re sick and see if it helps you recover faster. Let me know your thoughts.

Thanks for reading, and as always, “ENJOY THE RIDE!”

 

 

Bike Fit With AthletiCamps’ Bruce Hendler

A Good Bike Fit is MORE Important Than a Good Bike!

Bruce Hendler Athleticamps Retul Professional Bike Fitter.
Bruce Hendler is the owner of Athleticamps, a Bike Fitting and Cycling Coaching Service located in Folsom, California.

Most of you know how much I believe in a good bike fit. When I ran my studios in North Texas, I actively recruited Craig Fulk of Dynamic Bike Fit, to place a small studio in my East Dallas location. Later, when he opened his own retail space, I referred people to him, and still do.

 
 

We can add Bruce Hendler’s AthletiCamp location in Folsom, California, to this list. He’s that good.

A “Bike Fit First Philosophy”

A good Bike Fit starts with Baseline readings.
When making changes to a bike, it’s important to know what the baseline readings are, for both the bike and the cyclist. Here, Bruce is using the Retul ‘Zinn Wand’ to accurately measure every position on the bike, so that finite adjustments can be made to ensure the best possible fit.

Walking into Bruce’s location, it immediately felt like a Home away from Home. Bike Fitters of this level of professionalism are a truly rare breed. The Clinic had a small lounge area, a Therapy table, a Garmin Display (OH I LIKE THAT!!) and a space for measuring feet for custom footbeds. Just past that is a Retül Müve Fit Bike with a highly precise and technical SRM Scientific Crank mounted on it. The main stage includes what I’ll call a Müve ‘Lazy Susan’, where you place your bike, on a trainer, and it can then be rotated on an axis so that cameras and Infra-Red Lasers can measure more than just one side of a cyclist’s position on the bike. In the corner is Bruce’s desk and Command Center, with over 4 dozen different saddles, each with its’ own width, pitch, and padding depth/hardness.

Finally, on the far wall, there’s a Gas-Exchange Analyzer, which is used to perform Graded Exercise Tests.

Basically, for me, it’s a Nerd’s Paradise. Bruce and I speak the same language.

“Fit First Philosophy” means what it says; you want a cyclist to be the Commander of their Craft. It doesn’t matter what color it is or what parts are on it. If the bike performs under the cyclist’s control as an extension of their senses, then this is Zen in Motion. We all love expensive bikes. But it’s the rider that makes them move. Hence, LOCOMOTION.

Bruce – The Fitter

A good bike fit requires a gentle and comprehensive approach to sensitive areas of the body
A good bike fit requires a gentle and comprehensive approach to sensitive areas of the body. Note the leveled laser and reader next to the workbench. This is a critical element of the Retul assessment technology.

Conversation with Bruce is easy. He’s incredibly knowledgeable about fit, about how Humans need to be a part of the machine that is a bicycle. A good fit is about comfort, control, cornering, and confidence. I believe it is more challenging to achieve a good bike fit on a Mountain Bike, but Bruce absolutely delivered. We spoke about hand pressure, foot numbness, the ‘Simian’ Grip that good shoes and inserts can mitigate and absolve. Bruce had me perform some fundamental, basic, balance and plyometrics (I SUCK at this stuff), and then assess my torso and legs for any imbalances or length discrepancies. We spoke about my on-and-off sciatica, stretches that can help relieve this, and good old basic postural observations. All this time, we were discussing common friends, equipment, the state of cycling, and more.

Bruce is a coach, as well as a fitter, with decades of experience. Good Fits lead to better physiology. They compel people to ride more. I honestly believe that we would have more cyclists, riding bikes for more reasons, more often, if they were given the quality bike fit of the type that Bruce provides.

A Bike Fit for a Mountain Bike

Custom Shoe Inserts that come from a solid Foot Pressure Analysis make a Bike Fit even more comfortable.
This was a new approach to footbed technology and application that I found fascinating. I have had insole assessments done in past fits, and I’m very satisfied with them, but this was the first time that I watched the process in realtime, and the footbeds were both molded and inserted within minutes instead of over the course of an hour. The results were immediate; more power in the ball of the foot, and a less ‘hinky’ movement along the left side of my body, as I’d been compensating for my collarbone imbalance for decades.

 

My abbreviated history with mountain bikes is as such: I had an epiphany on a mountain in Scotland in May of 1992. It was literally a ‘Bolt from God’ moment, and in that moment, I decided to pursue life as a cyclist and cycling coach. Six months later, I moved to Bozeman, Montana, hired a coach, became a coach, and ran a Mountain Bike Development team. I left mountain biking in 2000 when I ran a Velodrome development program, and did not really return until about 2012, when I married my wife, Tracy. We rode for recreational purposes, and in 2019, when given the opportunity, we moved to Reno, Nevada, to a house on the side of a mountain that is teeming with mountain bike trails.

For three years, I rode a 2012 Trek Superfly 100 that was a size too small, and had ‘East Coast’ Geometry. I literally rode it into the ground, with over 400 hours a year on the frame. In 2022, I purchased an Intense Sniper T Pro, size LARGE, and placed 165mm cranks on the bike.

But something was ‘off’. The bike was slower. My hands were continually going numb. This affected me on climbs, singletrack, and descents. It was awful. I tried different bar widths, different grips, even old-school bar ends, to no avail.

Then, as you know well, we moved…. twice. Then it rained for 3 months straight. I literally have not been on my mountain bike more than once since October. It was time for a fit, so I can actually ENJOY THE RIDE.

The Bike Fit Process

Getting a proper bike fit is truly an hours-long affair. My fits are intentionally thorough; they usually take 3-6 hours. I bring water and snacks, just in case. Unless I’m taking photos, I almost always put away my phone.

Bruce takes a Holistic approach. He uses the Retül sensors, which are placed on both sides of my body, and then runs the software for the initial assessment. He had me remove my shoes and socks, and then step on an instrument that measures my pronation and supination on my feet. After a brief discussion, we both agreed, based on the information provided, to measure and install footbeds in my shoes. Once back on the bike, the effect WAS IMMEDIATE. The pedal stroke felt different, and my lower half was already in better alignment for propulsion and control. Bruce then moved my cleats around, based on the Retül information provided, and we ran another test. BOOM. More power, more control. He then slid the seat forward, shrinking my wrist-elbow-hip angle. YES! Again, even more power, more control, more comfort.

But the biggest issue for bike fit on this bike was the numbness in my hands; a palsy that was affecting everything. It’s mostly in the left palm, and I believe it is left over from a collarbone that broke and was allowed to set without surgery in 2005. It’s about 2cm shorter than normal.

We ran tests. Then We talked and reviewed each change. We altered grip angle, used the seatpost adjuster, played with the cleats on my venerable SPD’s. We tested each change for 2-5 minutes at a time. Sometimes a change requires a backup or reversal. Not in this case. That’s testament to Bruce’s insight and experience.

Bike Fit Athleticamps Before and After
Here’s a GIF that I made of my ‘Before’ Fit, and ‘After’ Fit with Bruce at Athleticamps. The initial position was my own self-fit. Honestly, until VERY recently, I was unimpressed with the bike fit services that were available in Reno. Now that I’m in Sacramento, Bruce provides the Professional Touch, with years of experience and a meld of technology and an eye for sense. The first image shows how ‘upright’ I was. The second shows my ‘forward’ and ‘down’ position, which eliminated my one major issue; palsy in my left hand.

The One big Move that made the most difference was when Bruce removed the stem cap and LOWERED my stem height by 10 millimeters. He then added resistance…. and EVERYTHING BEGAN TO FLOW. The Bike Fit was working! My angles began to resemble the position on my road bike, ever so slightly. Pedal stroke evened out, my back became flatter, and power delivery rose. But most of all, MY HANDS DID NOT GO NUMB.

We rode like this, at about 225 watts, for almost 30 minutes. Bruce queried me about every two or three minutes, all the while, checking my posture on the Retül Motion Capture System. Finally, he asked if I’d had enough, and I agreed.

He’d solved one of the most crippling, vexxing, handicapping problems for me on my new mountain bike. After almost a year…. I was now, COMFORTABLE.

Real World Testing

Here, I need to be honest. It took several weeks for me to get out to a trail that was worthy of the bike and the fit. I’m new to Sacramento and Auburn, and the lower altitude has me feeling different types of dirt and traction always require about 20 hours of tuning for air pressure, shockwiz, and what I call “Whipadilling”, which is a sort-of ‘6th Sense’ that comes from understanding how to read a trail, pick a line, shift, brake, raise or lower your seat, etc. I had not ridden the mountain bike since October, and finding time, as well as agreeable weather, after the fit, took some work.

I got one good ride in about two weeks after the fit, maybe 90 minutes, and all I can say is, “WOW!” No hand pain. Because of the position being slightly lower and more forward, my visibility was a bit more limited, but that was not why I was tenuous on the trail. The bike felt like an extension of my body. It felt more grounded. I could steer from my hips and obliques. THIS gave me time to look up further, decide on a line, and then take it. It was not adequate time to commit to all the nuances of modern XC mountain bike suspension tuning, but that’s another discussion for another blog post. Mainly, NO HAND PAIN. ELBOWS were relaxed and ‘Piano’. There was no numbness.

I’m going to try to get out to Tahoe soon and tackle climbing the Flume Trail later in the Summer, and I’ll learn more about the fit at that point. But for now, MISSION ACCOMPLISHED.

I cannot WAIT to ride the mountain bike again.

CONCLUSION

Athleticamps Bike Fit Report pdf
Some bike fitters are loathe to provide the information that is collected; they’d rather have the cyclist return regularly, and they want to control the process like a Director of a film. Bruce provided me with all of the information regarding my fit in a nice, tidy email and two PDF’s; one for the footbeds, and one for the bike fit itself. Very Impressive.

Someone once said that the bicycle really was not ‘invented’, instead it ‘evolved’ with the onset of Humans and the Industrial Age. We’ve watched bicycles change from Velopeds to Big Wheels to Safety Bikes. Specialization has occurred, with the onset of Uprights, Road Bikes, Hybrids, Mountain Bikes, Cyclo-Cross, Gravel, Track and Time Trials. ALL of them need a bike fit. I’d even argue that cycling would be MORE prevalent if we had started with bike fits from the beginning!

I’ll be revisiting Bruce in the future, as I continue to ride the mountain bike and my road bikes. My body will change. My needs will change. The equipment may change. Take a ‘Fit First’ Philosophy and get a Bike Fit. THEN, honestly, pay someone like Bruce to help you find the best bike for your needs, dependent upon the BIKE FIT. Hence, ‘Fit First’. You’re not going to look down at your bike when you’re riding it. Color doesn’t matter. FIT, COMFORT and PERFORMANCE stemming from this comfort will yield MILES of SMILES for HOURS and YEARS to come.

Thanks for reading, and ENJOY THE RIDE!