For background, I’m new to cycling as well as athletics, so still learning the theories as well as my body.
My FTP (as determined by garmin, intervals, xert, moore’s empirical FTP test, etc.) is ~ 150w. Interval’s eFTP is 149w. I suspect this is where a lactate meter would also confirm… but I also don’t think I could sustain 150w for one hour.
My HRLT is always detected very high, intervals today says it’s 181bpm! But I think the reality is closer to 155-165bpm, as that is the pace I feel is comfortable and can do for long periods of time. 165bpm+ I feel like I’m heading towards a brick wall and doesn’t feel sustainable. it certainly doesn’t “feel” like I could keep doing 165bpm+ for an hour. While I’m fairly sure that my zone 2 HR is between 135-140bpm and Z2 power 105-110w and my FTP ~150-155w, I don’t think I yet have a good understanding of LTHR, my feeling says 155-165bpm, but doesn’t seem to align with other power estimates / detections.
If I ride at FTP or even below FTP, my HR goes well above that 155-165 mark, for example just 10 minutes after 145w my HR was 175bpm and climbing … but wouldn’t you think these two things should be fairly well aligned? 145w felt in my legs very “doable” but 175bpm did not, if that makes any sense… like my heart is the weakest link and overcompensating for my legs maybe?
In any case, while I know these two things are different measures, I have to assume there is something valuable in the data regarding what I should focus on for training and improving.
Do I need to keep training my endurance / cardio / heart because it’s not as strong as my legs? (i.e. goes very high at FTP) [ My longest ride has been 40 miles, that was without a power meter ]
Do I need to train the strength in my legs so they can “keep up” with the high detected HRLT? (i.e. improve lactate clearing or something?)
Don’t say both thanks for any pointers or references.
In my opinion the best way to estimate HRLT (LTHR) is to do a 30-minute time trial (or longer). It does take some time to both learn how to pace, and push hard for the entire TT.
The old definition of FTP being the maximum power you can maintain for one hour is totally wrong, if you want to know how much you can maintain for one hour, do a one hour test. FTP can be maintained for durations between 25 and 40 minutes. The correction factor of 0.95 is totally wrong if you don’t do a 5 minutes test before and after a maximum of 10 minutes you do the 20 minutes. In amateur cyclists using 0.92 or even 0.90 is the best option, even depending on the vo2max you have you could apply less coefficient.
Volume > all, at least when starting out. Don’t overthink it yet. Just ride all you can - a lot of endurance/low tempo, with some harder stuff sprinkled in. Your heart and legs will both get stronger. The newbie gains make for quick improvement, which should keep you motivated.
I totally agree with @PleasantRidge. I went down the same rabbit hole you did @w5dwd when I started looking at ways to train as opposed to just going out and riding. I read dozens of scientific papers and dozens more articles, more all the time, and listened to hours of lectures and podcasts from leaders in the field of cycling fitness.
What I learned is that time on the bike is what gains fitness. Occasional high intensity intervals should be included, but low intensity is what will allow for many hours on the bike. You do not even need a power meter to do any of that.
(I have thankfully erased the rest discussing the merits of data mining. As PleasantRidge so well stated in so many fewer words, you don’t need that just now.)
Heart rate is a very tricky thing to train by because it can be influenced by many factors like heat, stress, dehydration, etc.
I also suspect that your heart rate monitor is providing some bad values.
Focus on riding by power and feel (usually referred to as RPE, Rate of Perceived Exertion). Ride hard twice per week and easy-ish a few days per week. In the beginning you will gain fitness quickly if you are consistent and give your body fuel and rest.
Your FTP will be changing quickly in the beginning, but don’t worry about it since your body is also getting used to being on the bike and exercising. Don’t try to re-assess your FTP any faster than every 2-3 weeks.
As said above, FTP is not actually your hour power, it is the power tipping point (threshold) where when you try to hold that power it’s much easier to be at that power than slightly above it. How long you can hold that power could be anywhere from 25-85 minutes, depending on how well your endurance is trained. Considering you are new to this, you will be closer to 25 minutes max that you can hold that power, and only when you are fresh.
A power meter is an excellent tool, but you should try to get in tune with the feel (RPE) of threshold so you can really know when you are training well vs overdoing it. When you have figured out your FTP but riding near it feels too hard, you know that you need rest.
Don’t fall into the trap of training fasted. Fuel your body (lots of carbs when you train hard or long) and you’ll get fitter and burn more calories overall. Ignore anything about maximizing fat burning. And never underestimate how important good, long sleep is
thanks for any pointers or references.
erased the rest discussing the merits of data mining. As PleasantRidge so well stated in so many fewer words, you don’t need that just now.)