How to use the ΔHR Shape tab and controls

Use this tab to inspect how the observed heart-rate response still behaves across grade after the earlier calibration steps.

This is a validation-and-refinement step, not the first place to start tuning.

What this tab is for

The ΔHR Shape tab helps you answer this question:

Does the modeled heart-rate response still look believable against the observed FIT pattern across grade, or did earlier edits create a mismatch I should correct?

In practice, that means:

• reading the ΔHR chart first
• checking the advisor summary
• using the controls only when the mismatch is obvious and specific

If the chart and advisor already look good, your job here is mostly to confirm that and move on.

Step 1: Open the ΔHR Shape tab

From the Calibration Workspace, click ΔHR Shape.

This tab has two sides:

• the left side shows the observed binned ΔHR series against the modeled fit
• the right side groups the controls you can use if a mismatch is clear enough to act on

This is the full working view: chart and advisor on the left, grouped ΔHR controls on the right.

Step 2: Read the main ΔHR chart before touching the controls

Start with the chart, not the sliders.

What you are looking at:

• the green ΔHR (binned) line from observed FIT windows
• the orange dashed TRIPS ΔHR model fit

What you want to know first:

• does the model follow the broad U-shape of the observed data?
• is the minimum strain region in the right place?
• do the downhill and uphill limbs rise in believable places?
• do the extreme ends still look directionally sensible?

In this example, the fit is directionally good: the trough is in the right neighborhood and the uphill limb tracks the observed rise well.

Step 3: Use the ΔHR Shape Advisor as a quick judgment

Check the advisor after reading the chart.

Pay attention to:

• ΔHR Shape Score
• Agreement
• RMSE
• Bias
• Spearman ρ
• Bins used
• Data sufficiency

This example shows a usable result: Agreement: PASS, low bias, and strong rank agreement. That usually means you should make fewer changes, not more.

Use the advisor like this:

• if agreement is good and the chart looks believable, be conservative
• if RMSE or bias is poor, use the chart to figure out which part of the shape is responsible
• if coverage is weak, do not over-tune the curve

Step 4: Start with the controls nearest the part of the curve that is wrong

Do not start changing everything at once.

Start with the part of the control panel that is closest to the mismatch you actually see:

• if the low point of the U-shape is misplaced, start near the top of the panel
• if the downhill side is wrong, work in the downhill section
• if the uphill side is wrong, work in the uphill section

Use them when:

• the trough is clearly in the wrong place
• the minimum strain looks too high or too low

These are the first controls to inspect when the minimum of the curve is misplaced or the trough depth looks wrong. Make one small change, then re-read the chart before doing anything else.

Step 5: Use the downhill section only for downhill-specific mismatch

Use the downhill section only when the negative-grade side is the actual problem.

Typical reasons to work here:

• the downhill side starts changing too early or too late
• the downhill side is clearly too high or too low
• the downhill shape changes too abruptly or too smoothly compared with the observed data

Use the downhill controls only when the mismatch is mostly on the left side of the chart. They are not the right fix for a global curve problem.

Step 6: Use the uphill section only for uphill-specific mismatch

Use the uphill section only when the positive-grade side is the actual problem.

Typical reasons to work here:

• the uphill rise starts in the wrong place
• the uphill side is clearly too flat or too steep
• the upper end of the curve looks capped too high or too low
• the uphill transition looks unnaturally sharp or too smeared out

If the uphill limb is clearly too flat, too steep, or capped wrong, this is the section to use. Make small changes and re-read the chart after each one.

A safe order of operations

For most users, the safest sequence is:

1. Read the main chart.
2. Check the advisor.
3. Start near the part of the panel that matches the part of the curve that is wrong.
4. Change only one thing at a time.
5. Use the downhill section only if the mismatch is downhill-specific.
6. Use the uphill section only if the mismatch is uphill-specific.
7. Recheck the chart and advisor after every small change.

When not to keep tuning

Stop adjusting if:

• the advisor already says the fit is good enough
• the curve is already directionally believable
• you are chasing tiny local deviations without a planning consequence
• one fix improves a small region but makes the rest of the curve less believable

This tab is about preserving a believable strain shape, not forcing the model to touch every observed point.

What to do next

After the ΔHR Shape looks believable, continue with:

• How to use the COT Shape tab and controls
• Review calibration outputs
• Apply calibration to a route