Check with a doctor first
Talk to a doctor before starting or changing a training plan, especially if you:
- have a heart, lung, blood pressure or metabolic condition, or a family history of heart problems or sudden death at a young age;
- are pregnant or have recently given birth;
- are recovering from an injury, illness or surgery;
- take medication that affects your heart rate or blood pressure;
- are new to exercise or returning after a long break.
Stop and get help
Stop training straight away and get medical help if you feel chest pain or pressure, severe breathlessness, dizziness or fainting, an irregular or racing heartbeat, or sharp pain. In an emergency, call 112.
Warning signs specific to endurance
Long efforts carry risks of their own. Learn to recognise them:
- Heat illness
- Confusion, a pounding headache, nausea, chills or goosebumps in the heat, or skin that stops sweating. Stop, get into shade, cool down and get help.
- Overhydration
- Drinking far more plain water than you sweat out can dilute the salt in your blood. Swelling, headache, nausea and confusion during or after a long event need medical attention.
- Under-fuelling
- Constant tiredness, frequent illness, stress fractures or lost periods can mean you are eating too little for the training you do. Talk to a doctor or sports dietitian.
- Overreaching
- Fatigue that does not lift after easy days, a resting heart rate that stays high, poor sleep and falling performance are signs to back off, not to push harder.
What Karlit’s numbers are
Zones, training load, readiness and plans are estimates based on the data you and your devices provide. Heart rate monitors, power meters, watches and sleep trackers can be inaccurate, and so can the estimates built on them. A number in Karlit is never a medical measurement.
The AI coach
The AI coach generates suggestions automatically and can be wrong. It is not a health professional. Do not use it for medical questions, and never follow advice that feels unsafe for you.
Listen to your body
You know how you feel better than any plan does. Skip, shorten or adapt a session whenever you need to. You take part in any training at your own risk.
Questions? Write to infokarlit@gmail.com.