BasicsBeginner5 min read

What recovery actually measures

A recovery score is your body's way of telling you how ready it is to take on strain today. It is a signal, not a grade. Here is where the number comes from and how to read it without overthinking it.

Recovery is a single daily percentage from 0 to 100 that estimates how well your body has bounced back and how ready it is for load today. It is not a verdict on yesterday and it is not a fitness test. It is a snapshot of your nervous system and cardiovascular state, measured while you slept.

Where the number comes from

Vector Connect builds the recovery score from four physiological inputs captured overnight: heart rate variability (HRV), resting heart rate (RHR), sleep performance, and blood oxygen (SpO2). Each is a different window into how your body is coping with stress. Together they paint a fuller picture than any single metric could on its own.

  • HRV: the variation between heartbeats overnight. Higher usually means a more rested nervous system.
  • Resting heart rate: your lowest heart rate during sleep. Lower usually signals good recovery and fitness.
  • Sleep performance: how much of the sleep your body needed you actually got.
  • SpO2: blood oxygen saturation through the night.

Reading the three zones

The percentage maps to three readiness zones that match the colours you see on the roster. A score of 67 percent or higher is Ready (green). Between 34 and 66 percent is Monitor (yellow). Below 34 percent is Protect (red). Those are the platform defaults, and a coach can tune them per team.

Key idea. One low day is noise. A trend over several days is signal. Always read recovery in context, alongside how the athlete feels and what the plan calls for.

How to use it day to day

Treat recovery as one input among many. When the score and the athlete disagree, that is a conversation worth having, not an argument to settle with a number.

  • Ready: a good day to push, if the plan allows.
  • Monitor: proceed, but watch for signs of strain and keep an eye on the trend.
  • Protect for several days: ease the load and prioritise rest.
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