OK so “Zone 2 rides” in context of heart rate, and what I could/should expect to see for my Watts for those rides
Example:
Ride1
60min ride
HR range 120-130, 125BPM average
155W avg
Ride 20
60min ride
HR range 120-130, 125BPM average
180W avg
Would clearly be an improvement.
What I seem to be running into is that I have HR decoupling right now. I start off hovering at 125-130bpm for instance, and as the ride continues, my HR creeps up and I have to back off the power to stay under 130bpm, for example.
you should be able to easily hold a conversation while at the aerobic threshold. (which is the upper limit for what most people call z2) if you have to pause for breath, you’re going too hard.
what do if during my 60mins my HR creeps higher and higher, and the only way for it not to is for me to reduce power? Is that too hard of a question to answer
you shouldn’t see too much decoupling if you’re keeping it below the ventilatory threshold. a little isn’t a big deal. opinions might differ but i think most ppl would advise to lower the power to maintain the same strain on the body.
I’ve been keeping my HR before 130 on these rides, for no other reason than I just have been. My Z2 I something like 125-145 so I can definitely let it creep up to 140 and see where my power will be
on a personal note, it’s been just over a year since i started training to race again and last week i got a breakthrough of a 345w ftp! it’s a bit shy of the goal i’d arbitrarily set at 350, but i’m sure that’ll come soon enough. it’s been a huge transformation starting from 262w last year. and while ppl tend to focus their attention on ftp, i think the biggest difference between the rider i was and the rider i am now has been bringing my lower threshold power from around 170w to 265w. it’s gonna be fun to race crits again starting next week!
i should say too, i think the biggest takeaway has been consistency. i haven’t put in crazy hours (typically around 8/week) or done any extremely long or intense workiuts. i’ve definitely gone about this trying to see the forest and ignore the individual trees, trying not to focus on individual workouts, but instead putting down one good week after another, getting good rest and building that way.
edit: almost forgot to credit Xert. everyone should try it.
I also like Xert a lot, my training/plans have been derailed because of other life things, but their power analysis seems to track my perception of how hard something is and how much I left in the tank at a given point on a ride or workout.
HR drift is normal and will likely reduce with increased endurance capacity. But HR is also affected by things like temperature, hydration, etc, so you will probably always find it to some degree.
Thanks for the fresh perspective. I think I just need to hit reset with new goals.
I usually do better with a training plan, if only to give myself motivation to get on the bike. @Knockout_Pompadour’s suggestion for a full cycle will probably be that reset I need.
that power graph shows a 5x effort up the local climb.
a breakthrough is when you do an effort that the software doesn’t think you should be capable of based on your current fitness signature forcing it to increase the numbers.
Keep the same power and ride through the HR drift for up to an hour. You’ll want to be putting in some longer rides as you can, 3-6 hours once a week if possible with consistent z2 efforts of at least an hour throughout the week.
No coasting.
Don’t fret too much about nailing z2 with much precision. Just do the talk test. Iunno how old you are, but I’m 50. Max HR should about ~170 and top of Z2 should be around 127bpm, but in reality it’s more like 135. My max HR measured is higher than 170 as well, maybe 180 IIRC. I tend to keep it around 70% of FTP, but again, it’s a wide band.
