Blood values and what they measure
Blood values are measurable substances in your blood. Together they sketch a picture of your energy, recovery and capacity. Look up a value and check its reference range. Each one explains what a high or low result says about your condition.
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Estradiol (E2)
Estradiol (E2) plays a role in bone health, recovery, and joint protection for active individuals. Balanced estrogen levels may support training adaptation and injury prevention. Your healthcare provider can help determine whether your levels are optimal for your performance goals.
Estrone (E1)
Estrone (E1) is a weaker estrogen that may influence body composition and recovery in active individuals. As it is primarily produced in fat tissue, levels could reflect energy balance and training status. Your healthcare provider can help contextualise your results.
FSH (Follicle Stimulating Hormone)
Follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) is a pituitary hormone that reflects reproductive and hormonal health in active individuals. Intense training could influence FSH levels through effects on the hypothalamic-pituitary axis. Your healthcare provider can help assess whether your training is affecting hormonal regulation.
Ferritin
Your ferritin level shows how much iron you hold in reserve, and that reserve ultimately determines how much oxygen reaches your muscles under load. Iron is the binding site in haemoglobin, so a declining store affects your endurance before anaemia appears. Endurance athletes also lose more iron than non-athletes, through sweat, through the gut and through red cell breakdown in the sole of the foot. At the same time a heavy training block lifts ferritin temporarily, which can make a deficit invisible. Measuring at the wrong moment therefore produces a reassuring number that is worth nothing.
Folate (Folic Acid)
Folate measures vitamin B9, a nutrient that may support oxygen-carrying red blood cell production and tissue repair. For active individuals, maintaining adequate folate levels could be important for endurance and recovery optimisation.
Free T3 (Triiodothyronine)
Free T3 is considered the most active thyroid hormone and may be important for physical performance, metabolic efficiency, and recovery. Some sports medicine providers suggest that optimal T3 levels can support training adaptations and energy availability.
Free T4 (Thyroxine)
Free T4 is the main thyroid hormone and may be essential for physical performance, metabolic efficiency, and training recovery. Some sports medicine providers note that adequate T4 levels can support sustained energy output during prolonged physical activity.
Free Testosterone
Free testosterone is the bioavailable form directly responsible for muscle protein synthesis, recovery, and physical drive. For active individuals, it may indicate your body's capacity for adaptation and performance. Your healthcare provider can help assess whether your levels support your training goals.
GGT (Gamma-Glutamyl Transferase)
GGT is a sensitive liver enzyme that active individuals should monitor, particularly when using performance supplements or following intensive training programmes. Certain supplements and high training loads can influence GGT levels, making it an important marker for liver health in active individuals.
Glucose (Fasting)
Fasting glucose reflects metabolic efficiency, which directly impacts energy availability and performance. Active individuals benefit from understanding their baseline glucose regulation.
HDL Cholesterol
HDL cholesterol is one of the few blood values that training genuinely moves, and that is exactly why it gets misused. Endurance training raises HDL, but slowly and in small steps. Androgenic agents lower HDL dramatically, often by half, while LDL climbs at the same time. Alcohol raises the value without making anything about you healthier. So HDL is not a performance metric and not a target to train towards. It is a readout of your metabolic state, and it only means something alongside your triglycerides, your LDL and your ApoB. This page explains what your HDL does and does not say in a sports context, and why higher is not automatically better.
HOMA-IR
HOMA-IR provides insight into your insulin sensitivity, a critical factor for physical performance and body composition. Understanding your metabolic efficiency helps optimize energy metabolism, fuel utilization during training, and recovery processes.
Haptoglobin
A haptoglobin test measures the level of haptoglobin protein in your blood. Haptoglobin binds to free hemoglobin released from damaged red blood cells, and its levels can help assess whether red blood cells are being destroyed faster than normal.
HbA1c (Glycated Hemoglobin)
HbA1c reflects metabolic control over months, giving active individuals a strategic view of glucose management that affects endurance, recovery, and performance consistency.
Hematocrit
Your hematocrit describes how much of your blood consists of red cells. Lab reports often abbreviate it as Hct. For an endurance athlete that is a deceptive number. It is a concentration, and training mainly changes the plasma those cells float in. A falling Hct after a hard block therefore rarely means you have lost red cells. Usually the plasma volume has grown. At the same time a dehydrated morning can lift your result. Measurement conditions decide a large share of this number.
Hemoglobin
Hemoglobin is your primary oxygen-delivery molecule and a cornerstone metric for endurance performance. Monitoring hemoglobin levels helps active individuals assess training adaptations, identify early signs of overtraining, and optimise recovery strategies.
Hemoglobin Electrophoresis
Hemoglobin electrophoresis is a laboratory technique that separates and identifies different types of hemoglobin in your blood. It is primarily used to detect hemoglobin variants and diagnose inherited blood disorders such as sickle cell disease and thalassemia.
Holotranscobalamin
Holotranscobalamin measures the earliest sign of B12 depletion. For active individuals, catching B12 deficiency early may help maintain red blood cell production, oxygen transport, and optimal recovery from intense training.
Homocysteine
Elevated homocysteine may increase cardiovascular risk, which is relevant for active individuals pushing their bodies. Monitoring supports heart health alongside performance optimisation.
IGF-1 (Insulin-like Growth Factor)
IGF-1 is a critical marker for active individuals and active individuals, as it plays a central role in muscle repair, tissue recovery, and training adaptation. Tracking IGF-1 can help optimize your performance strategy.
IGF-BP3
IGF-BP3 regulates the availability of IGF-1, a key growth factor for tissue repair and training adaptation. For active individuals, monitoring IGF-BP3 helps paint a complete picture of your body's recovery and growth mechanisms.
Inhibin B
Inhibin B provides insight into gonadal health, which can influence hormonal balance, recovery capacity, and overall physical performance. For active individuals, reproductive hormone balance is often a factor in training outcomes.
Insulin (Fasting)
Fasting insulin provides insight into metabolic efficiency and fuel utilisation during exercise. Active individuals benefit from understanding their insulin sensitivity for optimal energy management.
Interleukin-6 (IL-6)
IL-6 is a key marker for exercise-induced inflammation and recovery. Active individuals can use it to monitor training load, detect overtraining, and optimise recovery protocols.