It’s commonly known that the accuracy of wrist-based heart rate monitors varies greatly among individuals. Factors such as skin thickness, hair, density of blood vessels/capillaries, and skin tone are well-documented. In fact, Valencell, one of the largest producers of optical heart rate sensors for wearable devices, clearly outlines these issues in a 2015 post on
Although not strictly a piece of fitness or endurance tech, the Oura ring can be a useful tool for an athlete wanting to track their Heart Rate Variability or sleep patterns when training. In this case, it’s nice to see this level of transparency from the CTO of a company, even a relatively small one
https://www.outsideonline.com/2302726/how-heart-rate-variability-tells-you-when-hammer A pretty good overview of the value and application of Heart Rate Variability (HRV). Although I’m obviously not putting in the training hours comparable to a long-course triathlete, I still believe HRV is a valuable tool for the casual athlete. The body doesn’t particularly differentiate between the stress it receives from exercise versus numerous