Hi,
I had a health scare a year ago and stopped training for 6 months.
Thankfully all clear and I have now had 6 months of build back again.
When I first got back on the bike my Heartrate peaked higher than I had ever seen (193) at the end of my usual favourite sprint. It seemed sensible to set this as my max heartrate for training zones at the time.
Now I am fitter I never see such high numbers, no matter how crazy I go - should I reduce the max heartrate I use to calculate my zones (say 183) to give me a better estimate of LT1 for Z2 rides, or is it really an absolute number?
I am also of an age where it will naturally be reducing (61) so it should probably come down anyway, but all I have to judge by is the biggest number I have seen…
-Steve
I prefer training by LTHR instead of max HR. I feel it makes sense that the zones will go slightly up as fitness improves, and LTHR is testable easily enough.
My max HR usually only expresses in races - that’s the only time I’d let my watch update it if it should change. Also I look at the chart to see if it’s a very short spike or seems sensible. That value you had may just have been a fluke.
Easiest way to determine your HR for a LT1/Z2 ride/run, is to ride/run at an ‘easy pace’ ~2-4/10 RPE and track your heart rate.
Or, start easy at really easy a pace/power, one that you can talk in full sentences, every 2-3 minutes increase the pace/power slightly. The pace/power at which your breathing frequency increases and you can no longer talk “easily” or in full-sentences is roughly where your LT1 and top of your Z2 is likely to be. Look at your heart rate, and that would be your Z2 HR ceiling.
yep, its too easy to start following the numbers.
talk/sing test for z2, and breathing through your eyeballs for vo2max.
thanks people.
Dang. Shame that we don’t have old style footers/signatures on this forum - that quote would go right in there. 