Clicky

HomeFitnessBiomarkers Explained: 6 Key Biomarkers For Performance & Health

Biomarkers Explained: 6 Key Biomarkers For Performance & Health

Biomarkers Explained

The aim of this article is to explain what biomarkers actually are (as if you've read essentially any health or performance optimization book in the last few years you'll no doubt see references to biomarkers) as well as provide you with some simple, useful biomarkers that you can measure easily and inexpensively.

First of all, what actually is a biomarker?

A biomarker is a measurable indicator of a state or biological condition.

Tracking weight, body fat percentage etc. are all still very valid techniques of tracking progress and performance but the issue is these aren't immediate.
i.e. your weight/body fat level isn't going to be dropping hours after you've completed a workout... biomarkers on the other hand can be measured immediately to see how your body is responding.

Tracking biomarkers of inflammation are extremely valuable for professional athletes (think: Olympians) but for the weekend warrior or gym-goer the following 6 biomarkers are more useful in my opinion for tracking health and performance.

1. Your Resting Heart Rate

Your resting heart rate, measured in BPM (beats per minute) over the course of a few dates can give us a solid indication of your health and fitness overall.
I've personally found over the last couple of years my resting heart rate has dropped by around 10BPM as far more endurance work has been incorporated into my routine.

See also
10 Kettlebell Complexes That'll Kick Your Ass & Make You Stronger

Over the course of a week spikes in resting heart rate can be solid indicators of stress, poor diet, increased consumption of alcohol or your body fighting off a virus.
It's not uncommon to see your resting heart rate somewhat higher the day after a particularly taxing workout too.

Using the information from our resting heart rate we can make dietary and training load adjustments (allow 48~ hours after altering your diet etc. to see an improvement).

2. Your Heart Rate Variability

G

Heart rate variability, often abbrievated as HRV is the measure of the time between each heart beat, measured in milliseconds.
Your resting heart rate is a better indicator of overall fitness, while your HRV is a more accurate representation of your stress levels.

3. Your Blood Glucose Level

Instead of having to prick your finger there are quite a few patches and non invasive measures to check your blood glucose level.
A high blood glucose level is often a sign of poor dietary choices over time which will not only contribute to poor overall health and performance but will also place you at risk of larger health issues such as diabetes.

Different people respond in different ways to the same foods and ingredients - it can be without a doubt worth consuming your regular diet while tracking how your blood glucose level changes based on these foods.
There are many health benefits to honey but do you know how your body is responding to it? Find out by monitoring your blood glucose levels and adjusting your diet based off of this marker.

See also
The 8 Rules Of The Shredded (And Actionable Advice For You)

4. Your Hydration Level

Dehydration is one of the biggest killers of performance, tons of guys go out of there way to buy supplements and what not but rarely pay attention to how well hydrated they are.
Even mild forms of dehydration (1.5% of body mass) often result in headaches, poor memory, lapses of concentration and mood swings.

As water supports muscle contraction, transport of nutrients and oxygen, nerve transmission and cellular metabolism this makes sense and is even more of a reason why we should be conscious of our hydration levels.

Drinking upon feeling thirst is not a good marker as we often don't experience thirst until we've lost 1.5% - 2% of our body mass (which as mentioned above would already place you into a state of mild dehydration which has numerous negatives).

In terms of a biomarker for hydration there's still a great deal of debate surrounding what is most accurate however two methods are often used:

  • Measurement of body mass change for measurement of dehydration over the short term (i.e. weighing before and after exercise, have you lost 1 .5% - 2% of body mass?)
  • Comparison of urine color to a hydration chart such as this one.

5. Your Iron Levels

 
If you participate in endurance oriented events and training your iron levels are going to be a biomarker worth tracking.

See also
Internal Rotation Exercises For Strengthening Rotator Cuffs

Insufficient iron will result in poor performance in endurance based activities.

Oxygen transport and oxidative phosphorylation are key for endurance performance and your aerobic metabolism - iron is a key mineral for both of these processes...

Iron deficiency isn't overly uncommon either, with exercise-induced inflammation, elevated intramuscular pressure, poor dietary intake, excessive sweating and gastrointestinal tract bleeding just a few of the causes of insufficient iron levels.
By performing endurance based and elevation training but not addressing and testing your iron levels you may be preventing your body from correctly adapting to this style of training as you won't be able to optimally metabolize substrates into energy.

Unfortunately you will not be able to test your iron level by yourself, this is the one biomarker out of the 6 discussed here that you'll need to seek help from a medical professional.

The good news? If your levels are low supplementing a low/moderate dose of iron will most likely see your performance improving - a study performed deemed there to be a increase in 73% of individuals endurance performance after supplementation.

6. Erection Quality

I personally believe erection quality to be a great measure of health.
Many guys think of erection quality to be an isolated issue in itself, that there are no other associated health issues or conditions.

See also
Running For Mental Toughness

In fact it's quite the opposite, there are a number of health issues linked to ED and poor erection quality.

A decrease in erection quality could potentially be an indicator for diabetes (in younger men), cardiovascular disease, high stress levels, and a decrease in TT (Total Testosterone) levels which may be caused by poor diet etc.

This marker is now often used as an overall health indicator for men.

What's Your Take On These Biomarkers? Let Me Know Below!

Scott J.
Scott J.https://ignorelimits.com
I’m SJ. I’m a fitness enthusiast and published author. I transformed my body from a skinny fat 135lbs with 18% body fat to a solid 192lbs at 8% body fat. I became qualified in a field I was passionate about. I founded several online businesses that allow me to pursue ideas and projects in my life that I am passionate about without having to constantly worry about money. I published several eBooks explaining the training and dieting techniques I used to achieve the body I have today. I learnt a plethora of new information on dieting and fitness by reading and applying what I read, to find out what does work and what doesn’t work, because as I’m sure you’ve noticed the health and fitness industry is full of non-sense claims and BS. I found out what was true and what worked for me and applied that knowledge. And you bet I had fun during the whole process.

Stay in Touch

To follow the best weight loss journeys, success stories and inspirational interviews with the industry's top coaches and specialists. Start changing your life today!

Related Articles