Your wearable gives you a recovery score every morning. Most people look at it, feel briefly good or bad, and then train exactly as planned. That is a waste of the best signal you have.
What readiness is made of
Vitalume’s readiness score (0–100) blends four inputs, each compared to your baseline rather than a population average:
- Sleep: duration and consistency, not just hours.
- Heart-rate variability (HRV): the clearest daily marker of nervous-system recovery.
- Resting heart rate: elevated RHR often precedes illness or overreaching.
- Recent training load: how much hard work you have done in the last 3–7 days.
What it is not
It is not a verdict on whether you are allowed to train. A 55 does not mean “rest day”; it means “today is not the day for a squat PR”. Readiness is a dial, not a switch.
How the coach uses it
| Readiness | Training | Nutrition |
|---|---|---|
| 80+ | Go heavy, add a set if the plan allows | Carbs shifted toward the session |
| 60–79 | Train as planned | Targets unchanged |
| 40–59 | Reduce top-set weight ~10%, keep the movement | A few extra carbs toward recovery, protein unchanged |
| < 40 | Swap to mobility or a walk | Maintenance-ish day; sleep is the priority |
The closed loop
This is the piece calorie counters and workout apps both miss. Recovery should shape the session; the session should shape tonight’s plate; and the person doing all this deserves a sentence explaining what changed. That is what Vitalume means by closing the loop.