The Ultimate Power Couple The Benefits of Combining Power & Heart Rate
Posted by Andrew Davidson on February 24, 2026
With the release of our updated Viiiiva Heart Rate Monitor, it’s the perfect time to highlight a fundamental training truth: data is better when it’s shared. Over the last decade, power meters have taken the lead as the tool of choice for those wanting data-driven feedback to support their training and racing ambitions on the bike. However, there are still huge benefits to strapping on a heart rate monitor and tracking your beats per minute, which our Viiiiva heart rate monitor has been doing for years. Let’s look at why using a 4iiii PRECISION 3+ Powermeter and Viiiiva Heart Rate Monitor together makes them the ultimate power couple!
Canadian gravel & mtb pro Laurie Arsenault relies on the data from her Viiiiva and PRECISION 3+ Powermeter to stay at the top of her game.
Past Meets Present: The Evolution of Effort
For those of us who’ve been in the endurance sports world long enough, we remember the time before power meters, when “bpm” was the primary metric for training and racing. A heart rate monitor was the go-to for structuring and analyzing activities. Just as we do with power now, athletes established training zones based on parameters like resting and max heart rate. While heart rate may not be as consistent a reference point as power is for cycling, due to variables like fatigue and caffeine, it remains a highly valuable source of data. Today’s cyclists and triathletes have the good fortune to have both metrics available to them.
Data for days, when you combine the pairing of watts and heart rate.
A More Complete Picture Of Your Health And Fitness
Despite the obvious differences, a power meter is attached to your bike measuring wattage (W), while a heart rate monitor is attached to you measuring beats per minute (bpm), they work together to complete a full picture of you as a rider. Power data reflects how hard you’re working, while heart rate data reflects your body’s response to that workload. For example, a rider new to structured training might comfortably sustain 180W at 140bpm. After months of purposeful training, they may find they are holding 180W at 130bpm, or a higher 195W at 140bpm. This combination of data is revealing that the rider is becoming more efficient on the bike as their aerobic capacity develops, as they’re able to produce equal or greater power at a lesser or equal bpm.
Another common application is noting how quickly your heart rate responds to changes in power. Typically, when you are well-rested, your bpm responds quickly to spikes in effort as you dial up the power. In contrast, when you’re heavily fatigued, it takes longer for your heart rate to respond and it may not reach the same peak numbers it would when fully rested. Comparing how your heart rate corresponds to your effort helps you monitor when your body may need a recovery period.
2025 Life Time Grand Prix Overall Champion, Cameron Jones, stays on top of his calorie consumption.
The Secret Weapon for Nutrition & Hydration
Another key benefit of tracking your heart rate is staying on top of your nutrition and hydration during workouts and events. In terms of hydration, a sudden, unexplained rise in heart rate during exercise is often an indicator of dehydration. As fluids are lost and blood volume decreases, the heart must beat faster to compensate. Knowing this allows you to identify when the body is experiencing increased cardiovascular strain due to heat or fluid loss, enabling timely hydration to help bring the heart rate back to normal. Additionally, a lingering elevated heart rate post-workout can indicate dehydration, helping you assess how much water needs to be replaced.
When it comes to nutrition and optimizing fuel sources, higher heart rates generally indicate that the body is burning more carbohydrates, while lower heart rates (50%–70% of max) utilize more fat. A monitor helps you stay in the correct zone for your specific goals, such as endurance vs. fat loss. By tracking heart rate alongside your power data, you can identify how your body responds to different types of nutritional intake, allowing for a more tailored fueling strategy for long, high-intensity, or endurance events.
Canadian pro triathlete Blake Harris puts his Viiiiva to work off the bike. Photo by @trev_it
Not Just For Cyclists
Whether you’re a triathlete, a duathlete, a cyclist who dabbles in running or a runner who dabbles in cycling, a heart rate monitor is a versatile training tool that serves a multitude of activities. Unfortunately, when you hop off your bike, you have to leave your power meter behind, but that isn’t the case with a heart rate monitor! With the Viiiiva, you can track and compare data across different sports, helping you build a better understanding of how your efforts on the bike compare to your efforts off the bike.
Whether you’re looking to add depth to your training insights, monitor fatigue like a pro, or finally have a tool that works with you on and off the bike, consider our ultimate power couple. Pair a Viiiiva Heart Rate Monitor with a PRECISION 3+ or 3+ PRO Powermeter and start training smarter, not just harder.
Learn more about the Viiiiva and our power meters here:
Viiiiva Heart Rate Monitor
4iiii Power Meters
