Readiness score explained
A readiness score turns your overnight data into one question answered each morning: is today a day to push or a day to hold back? Here is what goes into it, why it compares you with yourself, and how to use it in a hybrid week.
What a readiness score measures
Most readiness scores combine a few signals your watch or phone already records:
- Heart rate variability (HRV). The variation in time between heartbeats. It tends to drop when your body is under more stress than usual.
- Resting heart rate. It tends to creep up after hard training, poor sleep, alcohol or the start of an illness.
- Sleep. How long you slept last night.
- Training load. How much training you have done recently compared with what you usually do.
Why it compares you with your own baseline
HRV and resting heart rate vary a lot from person to person, so a number on its own says little. What matters is how today compares with your normal. An HRV of 45 ms can be a great day for one person and a poor one for another. That is why a readiness score needs a few weeks of data before it means much, and why it gets better the more consistently you wear your watch.
How to use it in a hybrid week
- High score: do the hard session. Intervals, a race sim or a heavy lift.
- Middle score: train as planned, sensibly. Normal sessions, without chasing PBs.
- Low score: swap, don't skip. Move the hard session and do an easy run or swim, technique or mobility instead.
- Several low days in a row: look at the week. Too many hard sessions stacked together, short sleep or under-eating are the usual causes.
- Feel still counts. The score is a prompt, not an order. If you feel ill or in pain, rest regardless.
How Strand's readiness works
Strand reads your data from Apple Health on iPhone or Health Connect on Android, so it works with Apple Watch, Garmin, WHOOP and other devices that sync there.
- HRV and resting heart rate are compared with your own 30-day average.
- Sleep from last night is added in.
- Training load this week is checked against your usual. If it is well above normal, the score comes down.
- One score out of 100, with a plain label: Ready to train hard, Good to train, Take it steady or Prioritise recovery, and the reasons behind it.
Because your gym sessions, runs, swims and race sims are in the same log, the training load side of the score sees everything, not just one sport. Strand Pro adds 90-day recovery trends for HRV, resting heart rate and sleep.
Common questions
What is a readiness score?
A single daily number that summarises how recovered you look, based on signals such as heart rate variability (HRV), resting heart rate, sleep and recent training load, each compared with your own normal.
Why does HRV matter for readiness?
HRV tends to drop and resting heart rate tends to rise when you are under more stress than usual, including hard training, poor sleep or illness. Comparing today with your own average makes the change meaningful.
Should I skip training if my readiness is low?
Not necessarily. A low score is a prompt to keep the day easier: an easy run or swim, technique or mobility, rather than intervals or a heavy session. How you feel still counts.
How does Strand calculate readiness?
Strand compares your HRV and resting heart rate with your own 30-day average, adds last night's sleep, and checks this week's training load against your usual. The result is a score out of 100 with a plain label: ready to train hard, good to train, take it steady, or prioritise recovery.
Know when to push.
Strand's daily readiness score uses your HRV, resting heart rate, sleep and training load, alongside your gym sessions, runs, swims and food. Free on iPhone and Android.
This guide is general information, not medical advice. A readiness score is not a diagnostic tool. If you feel unwell, speak to a qualified professional.