Understanding Heart Rate Variability: Improving Your Health & Performance | Joel Jamieson

When it comes to performance, more isn’t always better. In this episode, I sit down with conditioning expert Joel Jamieson to explore the science of recovery, aerobic fitness, and how to use heart rate variability (HRV) to train smarter. They dive into why elite athletes recover so quickly, the long-term value of zone 2 training, and how HRV reflects your resilience—not just your readiness. Joel shares lessons from two decades of working with fighters, Olympians, and NFL players, along with powerful insights from his own cardiovascular health journey. Whether you’re a high performer or simply want to live longer and stronger, this episode is packed with practical takeaways.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

What HRV actually tells you—and what it doesn’tWhy aerobic fitness is one of the strongest drivers of recovery and longevityThe surprising downside of too much strength trainingHow to monitor training load and avoid overtrainingWhy lifestyle stress matters more than your workout

This episode will change the way you think about training—and reveal why recovery deserves a central role in your performance strategy.

Who is Joel Jamieson?

Joel Jamieson is a leading coach and educator in recovery-based training and heart rate variability (HRV). With over 20 years of experience working with professional athletes, including NFL players and world champion fighters, he’s known for translating complex performance science into practical tools. He’s the creator of Morpheus, a system that helps tailor training to daily recovery status, and the founder of 8WeeksOut, a resource for conditioning and performance education.

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Find Joel Jamieson at:

Instagram: @coachjoeljamieson8WeeksOut: https://8weeksout.com/Morpheus: https://trainwithmorpheus.com/

Find Me At:

Instagram:@drgabriellelyon  TikTok: @drgabriellelyonFacebook: facebook.com/doctorgabriellelyonYouTube: youtube.com/@DrGabrielleLyonX (Twitter): x.com/drgabriellelyonApply to become a patient – https://drgabriellelyon.com/new-patient-inquiry/Join my weekly newsletter –

The Dr. Gabrielle Lyon Show promotes a healthy world, and in order to have a healthy world, we must have transparent conversations. This show is dedicated to such conversations as the listener; your education, understanding, strength, and health are the primary focus. The goal of this show is to provide you with a framework for navigating the health and wellness space and, most importantly, being the champion of your own life. Guests include highly trustworthy professionals that bring both the art and science of wellness aspects that are both physical and mental. Dr. Gabrielle Lyon is a Washington University fellowship-trained physician who serves the innovators, mavericks, and leaders in their fields, as well as working closely with the Special Operations Military. She is the founder of the Institute of Muscle-Centric Medicine® and serves patients worldwide.

• No. of episodes: 160
• Latest episode: 2025-06-24
• Health & Fitness Science Medicine Life Sciences

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