The Omegawave system combines a Bluetooth-enabled ECG chest strap with a simple-to-use Android/iPhone app, and has been designed to help you regulate your exercise intensity and maintain a good recovery pattern.
The two-minute electrocardiogram assessment is performed at rest and gives details such as resting heart rate, cardiac stress (via heart rate variability), cardiac fatigue and recovery pattern (a marker of activity in the parasympathetic system that controls recovery – stay in the green and you’re fine).
The scan also provides an aerobic readiness chart. Values drop when your heart is fatigued and rise during cardiac super-compensation when it’s strengthening through recovery. This helps track endurance and gives an indication of when you should train harder or take it easier.
Finally, the app gives daily training zones, which Omegawave say can be within one beat of a VO2 max test for fit athletes. There’s a lot of data on offer here, and while it doesn’t all suit endurance athletes, the values become more valuable over time.
This article was originally published in Triathlon Plus magazine, available on Zinio.