Sunday Story…Recovery Data

John Mariotti • January 25, 2025

A smart watch displays a heart rate of 196
One of the interesting things about the recovery process is watching the data change on my Whoop strap. As many of you know, I have been a Whoop user since 2017. Over the years I have amassed a treasure trove of data. But I have never tracked it during a surgical intervention like this. Of course, I have never had surgery like this either. The data the Whoop provides has been invaluable to my progress as an athlete.

One critical point is resting heart rate. In general, a lower resting heart rate indicates better fitness. A low resting heart rate indicates a strong heart muscle that can pump more blood with every beat, so it can beat less. Resting heart rate is measured at the end of your sleep cycle when your body is in its most restful state.

Before surgery, my RHR was 45. In the month after surgery, it went to 54. In the second month, it went down to 51, and last week it went down to 50 with 4 days in a row under 50. This is the power of training and most particularly zone 2 training. Currently, I am doing 5 days of zone 2 work varying between 30 and 45 minutes using either the rower or the Echo bike.

Without the data, I would not know any of this. How important are those 5 or 10 beats? I have no answer to that question, but I know that having a low resting heart rate is essential to cardiovascular health and thus, my overall health. When my RHR is consistently below 50 BPM I can begin to cut down the Zone 2 training and ramp up more high-intensity work. Having a low RHR allows my heart to be more efficient at higher rates. That’s a big win across the board.

John Mariotti

775-338-2412

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