Name: Orthostatic Test
Rating: 5 (1 reviews)
Author: IgnasBagdonas

Know whether you're recovered before you train. The orthostatic test is a classic tool from endurance coaching: lie still for 2 minutes, stand up for 2 minutes, and see how your heart responds. When you're tired, overreached or coming down with something, the numbers often change before you feel it.

HOW IT WORKS
1. Lie down and press START.
2. After 2:00 the watch vibrates: stand up and stay still for 2:00.
3. Answer two quick questions (how you slept, how sore you are), or skip them with BACK.
4. See your results and save the test as an activity.
Countdown pulses and vibration cues guide you, so you never need to look at the watch.

YOUR RESULTS
• HR difference: standing minus lying heart rate
• Lying and standing HR (average of the last 60 s of each phase)
• Peak standing HR, time to peak, and how far HR drops after the peak
• HRV (RMSSD) lying and standing, and the 30:15 ratio (needs a chest strap, see below)
• Today: your sleep and soreness answers next to Garmin's Body Battery, stress and 7-day resting HR

PERSONAL BASELINE
Every saved test is kept on the watch. After 3 tests, each new result is compared with your baseline, the median of your last 7 reliable tests, so one odd morning barely moves it. Each test gets a verdict:
• NORMAL: in line with your baseline
• SLIGHTLY OFF: lying HR 4+ bpm higher, or HRV 12%+ lower
• CHECK RECOVERY: lying HR 7+ bpm higher, or HRV 25%+ lower
• LOW RESPONSE: unusually low lying HR with a weak response to standing, a possible sign of deep fatigue
Small numbers next to each value show the change from your baseline. You also get a note when you test 2+ hours earlier or later than usual.

QUALITY CHECKS
A bad test shouldn't spoil your baseline. Each test is checked for wrist movement while lying, HR that hadn't settled, a lying HR above standing, and gaps in the HR signal. A test that fails is still saved, but it tells you what went wrong and is left out of your baseline.

HISTORY
Graphs of your last 14 tests show heart rate, HR difference and HRV, with your baseline marked and unreliable tests shown hollow. Press DOWN on the start screen to see them without running a test. Hold UP for the menu to browse every saved test and delete any you know went wrong.

SETTINGS
On the watch (hold UP on the start screen) or in Garmin Connect:
• Lying and standing time: 2 to 5 minutes
• Tests in the baseline: 5, 7, 10 or 14
• The after-test questions: on or off
• Daily reminder: pick a time between 5:00 and 10:00 and the watch offers to open the app, unless you've already tested that day

IN GARMIN CONNECT
Each test is saved as an activity with two laps (lying, standing), so you get the full HR chart and per-lap averages. All results, including your sleep and soreness answers, are shown in the activity summary.

HRV NEEDS A CHEST STRAP
Many Garmin watches don't pass beat-to-beat data from the wrist sensor to apps. For HRV and the 30:15 ratio, pair a chest strap that sends beat-to-beat data to your watch as a heart rate sensor. Without one, those values show "HR strap" and everything else works from wrist heart rate.

TIPS FOR RELIABLE RESULTS
• Test every morning right after waking, before coffee or training.
• Keep the conditions and the phase lengths the same each time.
• Stay still and quiet during both phases.

Orthostatic is a training tool, not a medical device. See a doctor about dizziness, fainting or unusual heart rate readings.