No matter what your goal may be, focusing on recovery is an important part of making sure you reach it. That’s because it’s only when your body is recovering that it’s improving.
To get started unlocking the power of recovery, follow the guidelines below.
Note: a recovery test with HRV is required to fully unlock the app’s features.
Checking your recovery
Open the Morpheus app and select “CHECK RECOVERY” from the top-middle of the app home screen.
Once you’ve done that, you will taken to the recovery questionnaire page to enter your hours of sleep, sleep quality, soreness, and your overall well-being.
You can also add any notes that you’d like to track as well.
Once you’ve filled the questionnaire out, you can choose to measure your HRV or “Skip it.”
Note that to fully unlock Morpheus, you will need at least one HRV measurement.
Although daily HRV measurements are not required, it’s recommended to include one in your daily routine as consistently as possible for the highest level of accuracy.
Measuring HRV
Because your first recovery test is used to set your weekly target zones, it’s highly recommended that your first test be done in the morning, to ensure the highest accuracy possible.
See “HRV Best Practices” at the bottom of this lesson.
To measure your HRV with the M7, you’ll first need to make sure the sensor is snapped into the chest strap and the strap is securely around your chest as positioned below.
When the sensor is turned on, you will hear an audible “beep” and see the blue LED light flash to indicate it’s detecting heart rate.
If you have the sensor placed correctly and are having an issue getting it to read your heart rate, it often helps to get the chest strap slightly wet to improve conductivity.
Adding a small amount of electrode gel is an easy way to make it easier to get a quick heart rate reading as well.
Once you select “Measure my HRV” from the recovery questionnaire, you then connect the M7 to the app by hitting “Connect HRM” and then selecting it from the list of devices.
If it doesn’t appear, give it a few seconds for the app to detect it.
Once the app has found and connected to the M7, it will display, “searching for HR” while it looks for heart rate from the M7 sensor. As soon as your heart rate is detected, it will be displayed and the “START” button will turn appear on the screen.
It’s recommended to wait until your heart rate is stable before pretty “START” to begin the test. Once you’ve pressed “START” Morpheus will also to make sure the reading is stable and then automatically begin the 2:30 HRV test.
The stabilization detection is to ensure the HRV test is as accurate as possible. For more guidelines on accuracy, refer to the “Best Practices” at the bottom of this lesson.
As soon as the HRV test is complete, you will be redirected to the home screen, where your recovery score and HRV will be displayed.
With the recovery check complete, your heart rate zones will also be set for the day as well.
Note that it generally takes 5-7 days to establish your HRV baseline. Because of this, your recovery score will be less accurate the first few days that you begin using Morpheus.
It’s recommended to give it about 1 week of using Morpheus before you start relying on the recovery score to drive your training and fitness.
Skipping the HRV test
While it’s recommended to measure your HRV as consistently as possible, it is not required for Morpheus to calculate a recovery score. Based on millions of data points, Morpheus is now able to predict your HRV and estimate your recovery even without an HRV test.
When you hit choose to skip the HRV test, you will immediately be redirected to the home screen.
Note that at least one HRV measurement is required to unlock all the Morpheus features and the more frequently you measure HRV, the more accurate your training zones and weekly zone targets will be.
HRV Best Practices
Because HRV is a sensitive measurement, it’s important to follow a few testing guidelines no matter which device you’re using. This will make sure you get the most accurate results possible.
- Try to take your measurement in the morning each day if possible. Usually within 10-30 minutes of first waking up is best.
- Avoid stimulants or anything that can increase your heart rate immediately before the measurement.
- Try to stay relaxed throughout the test. Avoid talking, eating, or moving until the test is complete.
- Breathe naturally. Do not try to follow a specific breathing pattern or hold your breath during the test.
- Try to take your measurement in a place that’s quiet and free from distractions as much as possible.
- Make sure to take your measurement in the same position, laying down or seated, each time. If your resting HR is above 50bpm, laying down is recommended. If it’s below 50, seated is preferred.
Troubleshooting & FAQ
Q: Why am I getting a message in the app that says, “Heart rate data unavailable, please reposition the band and try again.”
A: This will happen if the M7 does not find your heart rate within 30 seconds. It means that the device may not be in the correct location to accurately measure HRV or the battery may be low and need to be recharged.
Try repositioning the device and wetting the strap with water or electrode gel to get the best connection possible.
Q: Why isn’t my M7 is showing up in the list of devices when I try to connect it to the app?
A: The most common reason for this is that the device may have become paired directly to the phone in the Bluetooth settings, which means it can’t connect to the Morpheus app. If this happens, you’ll need to open the Bluetooth settings on your phone and unpair the M7
The devices should then show up in the devices list.
Q: Can I take my recovery test more than once per day?
No, Morpheus is designed for one HRV measurement per day. This is because Morpheus works by comparing your HRV each day to your baseline. Measuring HRV multiple times per day decreases accuracy and makes it more difficult to track trends and changes.
To understand more about how Morpheus calculates the recovery score, click here.