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

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!

SmO2 and Base

The Moxy’s SmO2 Sensor Helps Make Base Training Even More Effective

SmO2 and Base Richard Wharton Online Bike Coach Garmin Connect Image 1
Saturated Muscle Oxygen can make Base Training even more effective. Look for a rise in SmO2 at a known low intensity. Then, gently raise the intensity to find that SmO2 ‘sweet spot’ of aerobic training.

 
 

This week on my VQ Velocity Virtual Studio, we are focusing on a week of Periodization and Taper. We are not performing hard intervals, but instead, we are focusing on easier rides. I wear my Moxy for all my rides, but most of the time, I focus on Desaturation and Resaturation. This blog post is about SmO2 and Base training. We can use the Garmin Connect Ecosystem to highlight the PHYSIOLOGICAL BENEFITS of low-intensity rides.

SmO2 and Base Oxygen Saturation Levels

SmO2 and Base Richard Wharton Online Bike Coach Garmin Connect ThB Image 2
When you first start a ride, the body just isn’t ready for the strain. With proper warmup and vasodilation, SmO2 rises, ThB declines, and you’re achieving the benefits of ‘Base’!

SmO2 (Saturated Muscle Oxygen) readings show cyclists just how much Oxygen Supply is in the muscles. When a cyclist is riding for BASE, there should be plenty of oxygen available. As a ride progresses, the body warms up, and the blood vessels dilate. This offers the muscles more available oxygen. Think of SmO2 as ‘Volts’ in a car battery. When there’s a heavy draw on the engine (Demand), the volts may drop, like when the ignition is engaged. On electric vehicles, computers monitor watts (torque), volts, and Amps. I compare Amps with Total Hemoglobin, which I’ll discuss later in this post.

SmO2 and Base Richard Wharton Online Bike Coach Garmin Connect ThB Image 4
Patented Warmup. Create just a wee bit of strain, then recover, and watch your SmO2 and ThB values climb over 20-27 minutes (~200-300 Calories).

Since 2012, when I first started using SmO2 monitors from Moxy, I’ve discovered that SmO2 reveals great information about Base Training. When you first place a Moxy monitor on the left Lateralis, you usually get a reading of about 30-60% SmO2. I call this ‘Active Resting SmO2’. As you warm up, SmO2 will definitely drop a bit. If a cyclist or runner does NOT perform my trademarked Warmup Protocol, SmO2 dilation does NOT reach its’ full potential, and in my opinion, restricts some of the benefits of visualizing this feature. But IF the cyclist DOES perform my Warmup Protocol, then SmO2 can become a highly effective, visual method of visualizing just what Base provides.

Base Training Is an Energy-Positive Ride

Watch this 30-second advertisement for Del Monte Green Beans. Specifically, watch what happens when this young lady goes on a bike ride. This is EXACTLY what a ‘Base’ Ride should provide a cyclist or a runner. It should be ‘Energy Positive’ for mental wellness and spiritual fulfillment. It’s literally the way most of our bike rides should occur. The time you spend out there performing this may depend on goals, etc., but SmO2 can provide a window into exactly what is happening when a ride like this occurs.

SmO2 and Base Lead to Greater ‘Volts’ of Available Power, While Drawing Less ‘Amps’ (ThB) for the Same Amount of Physical Output

In this graph, you can see how my post-warmup Base ride begins with roughly 52% SmO2. While power output changes very little, vasodilation occurs, and available SmO2 rises at roughly the 45:00 mark, with a small dip in power output. The Smo2 continues to rise after that, until I perform a single 1-minute standing effort to change my saddle position.

***Standing Power is INCREDIBLY INEFFICIENT.

If you watch old videos of Alberto Contador, there are times before he had a serious crash, when he would climb seated, and honestly, he was a GC or stage threat. After his crash and long recovery, his body was never the same, and he climbed standing for even longer periods of time. It was very powerful, but very costly. 

However, after that single effort, SmO2 rose further, with little change in power.

Why Did SmO2 Start to Decline at the 1-hour mark?

mO2 and Base Richard Wharton Online Bike Coach Garmin Connect ThB Image 3
This is where I wish I had some coding knowledge. I would build a Garmin app that would run a 1-minute graph of SmO2 and ThB, along with recent Ceilings and Floors, so I could better visualize each parameter and make a more informed choice about intensity and nutrition or hydration.

Right around the 1:05 timeline, SmO2 began to decline. When we use Garmin Connect to zoom in, we can see that it began with a slight rise in power output. This was further exacerbated by another minute of standing and pedaling. SmO2 dropped further. Once I sat down, SmO2 Resaturated, but then continued its’ decline back to around 50%.

Why did this happen? Well, let’s look at the OTHER data point that we get when we ride with a Moxy; ThB.

What is ThB?

ThB stands for ‘Total Hemoglobin’, and it’s based on Millimols per Deciliter of volume. It’s the total count of red blood cells in your overall system. Hemoglobin is a protein that carries Oxygen to the Muscles. It’s another window into the ‘SUPPLY and DEMAND’ side of the SmO2 Equation. The more ThB we have, the more ‘AMPS’ we have available to help provide fresh oxygen to the muscles, to help keep SmO2 high.

Right around the 1:05 mark, when my SmO2 began to decline, Total Hemoglobin, which was declining from minute 33:00 to that point, began to rise. After the final standing moment, it rose further, and rose until I quit the ride at the 1:15 mark. So, SmO2 declines and ThB rises, for the same amount of power.

Now, this is CONJECTURE, because I AM NOT A SCIENTIST. But my own speculation is that I was getting short on blood sugar. I always ride these easier rides in a fasted state. It’s a way to train my body to burn more fat over time, as long as I don’t push too hard. But there are only between 800 and 1200 calories of carbohydrate in the circulatory system at any time, and in the 30 years that I’ve been cycling, my body tends to change at roughly 1200 calories, WITH CARB SUPPLEMENTATION. Without Carb supplementation, I think it’s very feasible to ‘see’ the body switching energy systems or becoming less efficient. At this point, I had burned roughly 800 calories, and had consumed nothing more than water (and probably not enough of that). Hence, ThB rose, SmO2 declined, while power and basic heart rate remained neutral.

Use Your Moxy SmO2 And Keep It HIGH!

SmO2 and Base Richard Wharton Online Bike Coach Garmin Connect ThB Image 5
For roughly the same amount of power, my body responded with less stress. Once I used up my blood sugar (I was in a fasted state), the body began looking elsewhere for energy, and my SmO2 and ThB both changed to become less efficient, while power stayed the same.

My personal SmO2 Floors and Ceilings are as such, but your own zones may vary.

  • My Max Recovery Saturation is at 80%. I rarely get there on an active bike ride, so 70% means my Muscles are being resupplied with fresh Oxygen and are ready for another effort.
  • My Active Base Saturation is between 40 and 70%. When I ride at those SmO2 intensities (remember, harder is lower, easier is higher), my body is using energy to make energy in my  mind, and these are fruitful, fun, functional rides.
  • An SmO2 below 20%, and usually below 17% puts me on ‘BORROWED TIME’, and is my Vo2Max range of intensity. It’s also unustainable for long periods.
  • An SmO2 between 20 and 25% is a great Threshold Intensity for me, regardless of the old-school heart rate and wattage values that have traditionally yielded these zones.

If you really want to get a window into your body, SmO2 (and ThB) provide real-time value to help you optimize your ride. Once you know your numbers, you can always try to track gains in power or loss in weight over time. You can also watch ThB to see if you’re perhaps in need of some carbs, or may even be approaching a bonk.

I’m going to continue to share my observations. If you own a Moxy, let me know if you see similar phenomena. I’d love to learn more.

Thanks for reading, and ENJOY THE RIDE!

ShockWiz And Segments At Lake Pueblo State Park

ShockWiz Suspension Tuning at a New Venue!

(*****NOTE: This post was originally created in October of 2022, but was never published. I still believe, however, that there’s a lot of relevant information we can glean from the ShockWiz Suspension Tuning System, and I’m going to continue this thread while I wait for the trails to dry out in Northern California.). 

Richard and Tracy Wharton at Lake Pueblo State Park
This image was taken at the end of the “Outer Loop NB” segment at Lake Pueblo State Park. I’m using the ShockWiz Suspension Tuning System to optimize my suspension for this series of flat, shale, twisty trails.

Since moving to Pueblo, CO at the end of September, I have been studying the ShockWiz Suspension results on rides at Lake Pueblo State Park. The Park is located about 4 miles from the home where we are staying, and the trip is no more than ten minutes. Pueblo State Park has over 80 miles of accessible singletrack and paved trails. The trails are maintained by the Southern Colorado Trail Builders, and they’re a good mix of flow, climbing in and out of drainages, and some great, twisty singletrack. While the area is vertically challenged, it makes up for this with banked berms, narrow trail, and beautiful views. The trail is almost exclusively broken shale over dirt, so it’s fast in some places, and loose scree in others, especially in the hairpins. The area is exposed, so bring sunscreen and plenty of water!

 

Different Geography, Different Results

Lake Pueblo State Park Trails
Lake Pueblo State Park is just 5 miles from the house where we are temporarily staying. There’s a great network of trails there, with plenty of challenges.

In a previous post, I wrote about tuning the suspension on my Intense Sniper T Pro while riding the same trails from my home on Peavine Mountain, in Northern Nevada. I’m doing the same thing here; I am completely focused on my suspension results of one particular segment of Lake Pueblo State Park – the “Outer Loop NB (Northbound)”.  I have ridden this segment six times so far, and I’ve used the data from the ShockWiz App on this timed segment to make adjustments to both the front and rear suspension.

With the Peavine trails, it took about 20-23 rides to get the ShockWiz suspension values to consistently read in the 90’s. I also paid to get the rear suspension tuned by Mike Davis at MAD Suspension. I’m now on Ride #8 down here, and I just earned two 96 Point Results on the Suspension! Furthermore, I earned FOUR Segment PR’s, including Outer Loop NB!

First Ride – Establishing a Baseline With Shockwiz

Given the terrain, it’s not easy to get a 99-100% Confidence Interval. 
ShockWiz Ride 1 Rear Results
You can never expect ride results from two completely different geographic areas to be the same. ShockWiz is telling me that Tuning and Optimization are trail-specific, geology-specific, maybe even ride intensity and goal specific.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

First off, a couple of notes.

  • I’m not fit. I was getting fit earlier in the Fall, and I’ll write another blog post updating my study of Garmin’s EPOC and Aerobic Training Effect system, as well as the DFAA-1 heart rate system. Then we packed to move to Pueblo, and I lost a good chunk of that fitness. I HAVE been getting fit again since I arrived in Pueblo, however, and all of it has been based on Mountain Biking.
  • Mountain Biking here is… different. It’s non vertical. It’s not as twisty as the singletrack I rode in Texas, but it’s more twisty than the riding out in Northern Nevada. It’s much more a full-body workout.
  • I’m STILL getting numb hands. I recently but my bars down to 740mm and it helped, but it’s now an inconsistent numbness. I’m experimenting with my shifters and brakes at different positions and angles, and I hope that will help.
  • There’s less need for rear suspension on these trails, so I MAY alter the compression dial from ‘Open’ to ‘Semi-Open’.
  • I cannot alter the shock and suspension with revalving or different oils. I’m just not going to do that.

But let’s stick to the theme of learning. Here are the suggestions from the ShockWiz App, post-ride.

ShockWiz Post-Ride Analysis

Let’s start with the Rear Suspension first, since I’m basing that on my work with Mike from MAD over the years. He always argued that the Rear should be tuned first. So, let’s go.

Shockwiz Rear Recommendations Pueblo State Park
The results of this ride resulted in a Shockwiz Score of 84 points, with 100% confidence.
Shockwiz Rear Suspension Recommendations Pueblo State Park Ride 1.
Rear Rebound and Compression were in need of tuning the most. I think I can alter the Compression for better comfort and control on this chippy rock.
Shockwiz Post Ride Rear Suspension Recommendations Pueblo Colorado State Park.
Everything looks good here…..
Shockwiz Rear Suspension Dynamic Sag Detection Pueblo State Park.
I’m ALWAYS trying to get Dynamic Sag to about 25%, and the ONLY way to do that is with more air. More air, however, mucks with compression and rebound ratios. I’m not sure what I’ll do here.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And let’s see what the Fox Front Looks like.

Shockwiz Pueblo Front Post Ride Analysis Overview Pueblo State Park.
The ShockWiz wanted me to head out and get some more data, but I was running out of time. I got an 82 out of 100. Let’s see what the recommendations are…
Shockwiz Front Fork Suggestions Page 1 Pueblo State Park.
OUCH. Less air, more spacers, softer compression. Honestly, I think I’m going to get a few more rides in before changing this too much.
Shockwiz Front Fork recommendations Ride 1 Pueblo State Park.
I think this shows that despite the previous screen, where the recommendations were all over the place, by and large, the settings I have on the fork DO work. Same with the rear information above.
Shockwiz Front Fork Statistics page highlighting dynamic sag.
OKay, just a reminder. I am NOT a hotdog. I don’t get ‘Big Air’, and I’m not ‘Sending it’ off a cliff or anything. If it happens, it happens, but I’m more interested in dynamic sag. In this case, I’m actually okay with 10% sag.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

CONCLUSION – Shockwiz Probably Needs More Data

Okay – I think the first thing I need is MORE DATA. I want to figure out the TREND. The suspension is working, but there are definitely ways I could be tweaking the dials and valves to get more.

I’ll write up another post later, once I have more data from the dirt.

Thanks for reading, and ENJOY THE RIDE!

 

 

Garmin Connect HRV Status – Bad Night

The Garmin Connect HRV Status Predicted the Obvious – Acute Illness

Garmin HRV Overnight Crisis
Take a look at the 3 values this Garmin HRV Status Graph is showing; Empirical baseline for me is about 26-31ms. The 7-day rolling average is about 26ms. HOWEVER – It’s the THIRD metric, the OVERNIGHT AVERAGE , that led me to cancel my workout for the day. Furthermore, the increased quality and quantity of my workouts over the last week led to a lower 7-day rolling average, with coincided with an over-reach in my overall training volume.

I have been wearing a Garmin Fenix 6 Pro for at least two years. I gave up wearing a watch at some point in the late 1990’s I think. Getting a watch on my right wrist (I am left-handed) took a while to get used to again. But one of the most important features in the watch is the overnight HRV Status.

The Fenix 6 uses NIRS to measure HRV status when I am asleep. It uses this information to count the minutes I spend in DEEP, LIGHT, and REM Sleep. It also records my waking moments.

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I HAVE OBSESSED OVER MY SLEEP QUALITY AND QUANTITY FOR A DECADE

I first began to notice that I was a poor sleeper in my mid 30’s. Allen Lim, a famous coach and product developer, talked in an old CyclingNews, about employing the ZEO Sleep Coach with his athletes on Grand Tours. Apparently one of the top cyclists in this current era, Tadej Pogacar, has the ability to sleep deeper, longer, than his peers, and this reflects in his ability to perform in these epic races. Mikaela Shiffrin, the record-breaking skier, apparently has the ability to sleep TEN HOURS, and NAP between runs on the course! This HAS to yield a positive effect!

I studied my sleep with that ZEO Sleep Coach until it fell apart and the company went bankrupt. More recently, I purchased a MUSE S EEG sleep tracker to replace it. I LOVE the information it gives me, but I have had a terrible time INTERPRETING THE DATA INTO USEFUL APPLICATION. In other words, I still haven’t conquered good sleep, and now that I am older, it’s hampering my performance.

FINDING AN ANSWER

One of the foremost experts in HRV Analysis is Dr. Marco Altini. He created an app that measures HRV in the morning, and comes up with a score to help determine the best approach to training that day. Honestly, he’s not a big fan of the Garmin Connect HRV Status, but I respect his contribution to the base of knowledge.

Dr. Altini QUIT DRINKING ALCOHOL.

His overnight HRV Values improved, his sleep improved, his workouts improved, and his weight improved. EVERYTHING improved.

SO…… For Lent, I (mostly) gave up drinking alcohol.

Now, I’m not going to claim to be a ’12-stepper’. I am not ‘Sober’. I just quit drinking alcohol every night, and focused on exercise and sleep.  You know what? My HRV Status improved. As it improved, my workouts improved. As the workouts improved, the weight has begun to improve. For four weeks, I have been about 95% alcohol-free, and this has led to better everything. Combine that with about 96-112 ounces of water every day, and things are starting to happen.

Until last night.

HRV Status Indicates Illness

My wife and I ate dinner out, and we combined it with drinks. I had not had a drink in about 10 days. The new restaurant, combined with the alcohol, sent my overnight HRV Status from a Baseline of 26 to 31 milliseconds between beats, down to 18 milliseconds. I slept poorly, and got sick around 1am. I was sweating in the sheets. It was a mild case of food poisoning, along with alcohol overconsumption. Now, I will discuss Garmin’s ‘Sleep Score‘ in another post, but the overnight HRV Status put me in the ‘RED’ zone, and I begrudgingly canceled my workout with my clients on VQVelocity.com, and instead, loaded up a replay.

I RARELY get sick, and I NEVER cancel workouts, live or recorded. No, I was not hung over. I was sick, dehydrated, and fatigued. The hours before a workout are critical; and I did not get quality recovery.

The Garmin Connect HRV Status recorded, and accurately warned me, to hold off on exercise, and instead, to take it easy and recover. HOURS into my day, I got a reminder on my watch that, yes, my day of recovery had led to, well, a recovery. I’ll try for a good night’s rest tonight, and should be okay for exercise tomorrow.

It’s Not The Night Before That Counts – It’s ALL the Nights Before That.

There’s an older Sports Psychology book  by Dr. Charles Garfield. There’s an interview chapter that I believe is relevant. The athlete, who was a high jumper, said, “It’s not the night before that counts, but all the nights before that.” I think Garmin’s HRV Status chart is now providing one more visualization of that. A good workout, a good series of workouts, depends on holistic consistency. It depends on a good night’s rest. It depends on weeks of good nights of rest. An athlete’s hydration needs to be optimal. I’m returning to a state of minimal alcohol intake. Not only do I want a balanced HRV status, I want a higher overnight average, that shows a true state of rest. Waking up a million times between sunset and sunrise is NOT HEALTHY OR PRODUCTIVE.

Garmin Fenix 6 Pro HRV Status
This is an image of my 7-day HRV Status from the face of my Garmin Fenix 6. It’s what I look at when I wake up around 4am most mornings.
Garmin Fenix HRV Status Bar
This is the parent menu of the previous graph, taken at a later date. “Temper Action With Wisdom”. If my HRV Status is scraping the bottom, well, I’m taking some time off. I’ll also refocus on hydration and abstinence from alcohol, just to ensure that there are no variables or outliers that may affect my recovery.

I know there are experts who will disagree with the information that the Garmin Connect ecosystem is providing. There are definitely issues with wrist-mounted or finger-mounted datapoints. But this is what I, we, you, the reader have PAID FOR with your investment in Garmin Hardware. Vicariously, it’s the information we need to observe and alter from the Garmin SOFTWARE that also matters.

I want to stay within this ecosystem long-term, and see where it leads. There’s relevant, important information being provided. I just don’t think there has been a long-term review OF that information. Let’s see where all of these data indicators lead. I myself am pretty excited!

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ShockWiz Consistent Suggestions – Rear Suspension – 21 Rides

ShockWiz is Consistently Telling Me to “Soften Up!”

ShockWiz Rear Suspension - 21 Rides
The ShockWiz Suspension Tuning System can provide solid knowledge on ways to improve the comfort, control, and performance of the suspension on your mountain bike. Click on the image to get to a short video summary. 

The ShockWiz Suspension Tuning System continues to reveal ways to help me optimize my suspension. Peavine Mountain in Reno, Nevada, is exposed and rocky. The trails are a mix of sand and exposed, boiled Andesite rock. The trails are about 2 feet wide, with LOTS of rounded rock heads, sharp rock heads, and sagebrush. It’s classic mountain bike terrain, with winding climbs and twisty descents. Good suspension is a must, and the ShockWiz will help you optimize damping, compression, and preload.

Let’s Start With the Rear Suspension

ShockWiz Rear Score 21 Rides
Over the course of 21 rides on my home terrain, the ShockWiz Suspension Scoring system Varied from 70-92 points, but settled in at 92 points on 6 of the last 7 rides.

I’ve been using two ShockWiz units, one up front and one in the rear. This blog post is about the rear suspension, because the values have been consistent since about the fourth or fifth ride.

I began using the ShockWiz to set my suspension sag. Once that was dialed in, I followed the suggestions provided by the ShockWiz app, and tweaked compression, rebound, and air pressure. Small adjustments were made. However, no matter what changes I made, ShockWiz continued to suggest that I soften up Compression. I ended up with about 30% sag on the Fox Float DPS. Rebound was pretty dialed in. But Compression suggestions were consistent. The video with the GIF shows this.

Let’s Go Visit Mike Davis at MAD RACING!

Mike Davis MAD Racing
Mike Davis at MAD Racing in Reno, Nevada is my go-to for suspension tuning and service.

Mike Davis at MAD RACING in Reno, is my Suspension Specialist. I trust him to make internal changes to the rear shock. My bike is now at the shop, and when it returns, I’ll immediately perform a ShockWiz recalibration. THEN, I’ll head out to Peavine for more rides, and data collection. I’ve asked him to help me get sag back up to about 25%, and to make Compression softer by about 15%. He’ll use a combination of oil weight, air pressure, and valving. I can’t wait to try it out!

On Another Note….

Peavine Peak Recovery Benches
Peavine Peak is covered in trails for hikers, runners, bikers, and equestrians. Having this mountain in my back yard has been a true blessing. Here I am with my wife and my Brother From Another Mother, Jeremy, our first week in Reno in 2019.

It looks like my time in Reno is temporarily coming to an end. Our family will be relocating to Pueblo, Colorado, by the end of the month. We do intend to return to Northern Nevada at some point. However, Southern Colorado has plenty of mountain, road, and gravel opportunities and I’m excited about learning to read the terrain some place new.

Thanks for reading, and ENJOY THE RIDE!

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