I am new to structured training and I am coming off my first 5 week block where each week was around a load of 600. For my rest week I took 4 days in a row completely off the bike.
When I returned to training on Monday noticed that my Z2 power caused my HR to go up to 160 BPM while previously it would be anywhere from 135-150 BPM. (I am 26 Male). My perceived exercision felt normal.
The next day I completed 2 x 20 mins at tempo and I hit max HR with 5 mins left in my second interval. Again my perceived exercision felt like it matched the effort I was doing while my HR did not.
I am curious if my 4 days in a row off the bike could have caused this weird HR behaviour? I like the idea of my rest week to have a long stretch off the bike, but I would change it if is not an optimal off week strategy.
You should expect HR to go up (and to reach said higher HR) quicker after time off due to several reasons (such as blood plasma volume) but essentially because you are much fresher.
Whilst it is true, aerobic development will lead to a lower HR (during exercise and at rest generally), over a block of training as you become more fatigued you will gradually cause your HR to become suppressed.
HR can be impacted by many different reasons though - hydration, sleep, stress, alcohol etc
Ref hitting max HR during your 2x20 tempo…you shouldn’t be hitting this regardless of how fresh you are - I would review this
Ref optimal recovery weeks, it’s personal to the individual, but I wouldn’t be recommending a full 4 days off for my athletes on a recovery week
I cannot think of a scenario where you could hit max HR while riding a tempo training session. You need to review your training zones because they seem way off.
A 5 week block is a very long block too and 4 days off (unless you’re sick) is also not a great idea. Consistency is key, even in rest weeks
Your HR increased after resting basically because your heart was tired from training.
Try 4 week blocks, and instead of taking multiple days day off (unless you want to for other reasons) just lower the intensity of each session for a week.
If a person hasn’t reached their ceiling max, by failing to go all out for a long enough effort, then it would be possible to get a maxHR that is below their potential.
But he said he hit max!! He could have hit the max he’d ever seen before which might be a long way off actual max. Even at that, I’d assume his zones are all wrong. Tempo is so far from max that there is just no way you could ever hit max HR riding tempo if all zones are set even next parish to correct.
Hi guys, thanks for the info. I am kind of embarrased… I just didnt calculate my tempo wattage correctly and after 3 days back on the saddle my z2 HR went back to normal lol.
Hi guys I wanted to share some more data, although I did miss calculate my tempo range, I was only outside of it by 4 watts (FTP is 265W). I performed the tempo at 240W for 20 mins (x2). The highest HR I have ever seen is 182 BPM.
Here is a screenshot of my workout where I get the high HR.
