Endurance training

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Hallo,if I want to ride endurance, which should I use as a benchmark? z2 heart rate or z2 ftp?
Thank you

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Opinions will differ on this. As a rule of thumb, this is what I do:

  • Anything steady state over 20min, I use HR to target my workout.
  • Shorter intervals, like 10 min or less, I use Power as a target.

Why?

  • On longer efforts, especially endurance, HR shows ‘internal’ load. It accounts for heat, hydration, HR drift,… etc. The lag in HR response is of little importance because you ease in to a longer steady state intensity.
  • On shorter efforts, the HR lag is significant and it’s better to use power (external load) to guide your intensity.

Does this mean that the other factor is meaningless?
No, you will soon get a good idea where your normal Power output is for a target HR. If you see a big difference on certain days, you know that something is wrong and it might be better to cut your workout short. If you planned a 3h endurance ride and at the beginning of the ride you see a significantly lower power output for the HR range you’re normally riding endurance, you may be carrying too much fatigue, or getting sick or…

Same goes for interval training. If you notice a much higher or lower HR putting out the wattage numbers, you’re not responding as usual. A much lower HR response during this kind of work, means that the body is fighting back and you’re not ready for those demanding intervals.

You should not look at a Power meter as the holy grail of training. It is for sure a much more accurate way for following up on short term power output but the whole story is told by the combination of HR and Power. During your workout to see if you respond in a normal way. And in post-analysis as an indication if your workout produced the intended stimulus.
The great champions of a couple of decades ago, didn’t have a Power meter but they were able to judge interval efforts by RPE. The better they got at this, the better they could execute the intended workout. The efficiency of a workout is greatly defined by the time done in the intended zone. Go too hard and you have to quit early. Go too low and you’re not working the targeted physiological zone. The better you get at this, the more efficient your training becomes.

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I’ll go off course here and recommend that you use RPE for Z2. It should be about breathing and feeling easy. Power and HR will fall in line.

And it’s ok to go into Z3+ for short periods on the ride. You don’t ruin a low intensity ride by doing some intensity.

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thanks friend for the advice,I will try it