Issues Maintaining Heart Rate

Jonathan Brown

Why am I having issues maintaining my heart rate on the bike?  The issues is I push, push, push, but my HR will not get and stay in Zone 3 and 4.  It just lingers/drops back into zone 2.  THOUGHTS?

 

novaavant

Could be a sign of over training.
More here: http://www.humankinetics.com/excerpts/excerpts/monitor-heart-rate-to-avoid-overtraining-and-staleness

Peter Wick

Don't know all the details but it sounds like your cardiovascular system is rebelling against you. Do you feel fatigued and limited like your transmission just won't shift up? Something like a nutrition deficit or exhaustion is a likely candidate here for why your heart is not responding like it used to. How has your recovery discipline been going?

Several years ago I did a weekend ride for charity in the heat of June. Saturday was east-to-west across northern Illinois to the Mississippi. Sunday was going all the way back. but on a different route. I was totally not ready for it. I survived Saturday and treid the best I could to recover but no matter what I did on Sunday, my heart would just not respond. That was one of the worst days on the bike I've ever had.

Norton

Low HR is caused by one (or both) of two things: excess fatigue or low blood sugar.

My first guess is fatigue; take a few days either off or truly easy and you'll bounce right back. But be aware: this is a sign that you're bumping into your limits; much better to be slightly undertrained than over trained at all.

Brad Marcus

I find that on my Tuesday bike (after recovery day), my HR is in the correct zone. By end of week, although I can still hit my target power, my HR is on the lower end of the spectrum. So, my guess is fatigue. Also, I assume you are warming up properly before getting into your main sets?