How to Measure Readiness to Train

Val Nasedkin is the Co-Founder & Vice President of Business Development for Omegawave, a company that merges the fields of neurology, cardiology, and exercise physiology with mobile computer technology.  Using EKG, HRV, and DC potential measurements, Omegawave devices offer sports-specific outputs on readiness to train and guidance for achieving specific physiological adaptations. Their technology has been used by multiple Olympic Federations; premier soccer teams such as FC Barcelona; teams from the NFL, MLS and NHL; and various other leading sports organizations.

As a former elite athlete and coach with decades of experience testing elite athletes, Val learned that the type, volume, and intensity of the training load should not be the primary focus, but rather the timing of when the load is applied. Val is a here today talking with Dr. Tommy Wood about preparedness and readiness, windows of trainability, and maximizing performance with less time and effort.

Dr Tommy Wood will be presenting “A machine learning approach to predicting biochemical and metabolomic patterns in athletes” at the British Association of Sport & Exercise Medicine Spring Conference on Thu March 22, 2018 at the Keepmoat Stadium in Doncaster.

In the introduction, I also mentioned Tommy’s interview “Reframing Insulin Resistance” and my interview “Blood Chemistry Calculator – AI Meets Functional Medicine” on Steve Anderson’s The Holistic Practitioner podcast.

Here’s the outline of this interview with Val Nasedkin:

[00:00:20] Ken Ford at the Florida Institute for Human & Machine Cognition (IHMC).

[00:03:50] University of Oregon.

[00:06:10] Big monkey small monkey.

[00:16:17] No genetic markers.

[00:17:21] Subjective questioning for the win.

[00:18:12] The need for technology.

[00:22:31] The recovery wishlist: non-stressful, non-invasive, portable, instantaneous, precise guidelines.

[00:24:15] Micro and macro level behaviour.

[00:26:00] Regulatory processes.

[00:28:56] DC Potential. Study: Ilyukhina, V. A. "Continuity and prospects of research in systemic integrative psychophysiology of functional states and cognitive activity." Human physiology 37.4 (2011): 484.

[00:30:13] Institute of Human Brain of Russian Academy of Sciences, St Petersburg.

[00:31:44] DC potential explains nervous system potential to adapt to training response.

[00:33:16] State of central nervous system.

[00:34:01] Not just for athletes, connection between DC potential and mistakes.

[00:34:49] Seaman adaptation.

[00:36:24] Long term adaptations.

[00:37:43] No single method can give all the answers.

[00:38:42] Nervous System (central, somatic, autonomic) and Hormonal (Endocrine) System

[00:39:00] Heart Rate Variability (HRV) (1996 standards).

[00:39:34] Professor Roman M. Baevsky.

[00:40:58] Limitations of HRV.

[00:43:15] Amplitude spectral analysis of ECG.

[00:45:58] Limitations of regular HR monitor strap.

[00:48:50] Readiness to train and individual variability.

[00:50:29] Preparedness is a long term adaptation.

[00:52:20] Readiness is the current psychophysiological status.

[00:53:05] Omegawave website publications.

[00:55:44] Sports specific tests, e.g. jump test.

[00:56:55] Over a million assessments in the database.

[00:58:02] Multiple windows of trainability.

[01:02:02] Study: Morris, Christopher Whaley. The effect of fluid periodization on athletic performance outcomes in American football players. University of Kentucky, 2015.

[01:03:49] Better results with less volume.

[01:09:10] Educational courses.

[01:09:29] White paper: Windows of Trainability: The Professional Coach’s Handbook.