HRV and Resting HR are often viewed as separate metrics.

They’re not.

They are two different windows into the same system.

HRV tells you about:
• Nervous system balance
• Stress tolerance
• Recovery capacity

Resting heart rate tells you about:
• Cardiovascular strain
• Systemic stress
• Metabolic demand

When both move together, the message is usually clear.

When HRV trends down AND RHR trends up:
The body is under increasing stress and struggling to recover.

When HRV trends up AND RHR trends down:
The body is adapting well and becoming more efficient.

But sometimes they diverge.

For example:
• HRV rises but RHR rises or stays elevated
• HRV drops while RHR drops or remains normal

That doesn’t mean one is “wrong.”

It means the body is dealing with competing signals — often from training, life stress, inflammation, or poor sleep quality.

This is why chasing a single metric is misleading.

Your body doesn’t operate in silos.
Neither should your interpretation.