Having trouble reaching zone 4/zone 5 on the bike
OS training seems to be going well for me with the exception of having trouble getting to zone 4. My hr levels are so low to begin with and I'm really trying, but I have such a hard time getting there and staying there. Last year a friend told me I was just lazy and bored. Not sure if that really applies, but I suppose it's possible. Anybody else have this issue? And if so, how have you dealt with it? I'm a rather less-than-fast cyclist to begin with and I'd LOVE to improve. Help!!!!!
0
Comments
I'm not a HR expert but I can tell you what I've read in the forums when questions similar to yours have been asked some of which you may or may not have heard before. HR is pretty variable and there are a lot of external factors that can affect it outside of the work on the bike that you are doing. If you're tired, sick, dehydrated, carrying a lot of fatigue from a heavy training load, etc., your HR can be affected. It may mean that you can't get your HR up as high as you want, or it may mean that it gets higher than normal.
Another big thing to consider with HR is that it lags behind the work that you are actually doing. I just took a quick look at the data from my latest bike test where my HR was 169. Looking at my bike workouts since then I am typically 2/3rds of the way through an interval before my HR gets that high. So you don't necessarily need to get to your Z4 HR within the first couple minutes of the interval in order to work hard enough. When you train with HR you'll have to be more aware of RPE. You can tell what Z5 is, it's really hard and you can't last long. Z3 is work but you can typically do it for a while. Z4 is that space somewhere between. The more you train and think about RPE, the better you will get at getting a feeling for what Z4 RPE is.
If you are not training with power some other things to consider besides HR would be your speed and RPE. Again, a lot of factors can influence speed and RPE. But, if you are on a trainer and you apply the same amount of pressure to the rear wheel every time, you can get a roughly accurate number to compare from one test to the next or one wko to another. The same is true for outside. If you can repeat your test over the same piece of pavement every time you can take speed into consideration to measure improvement. Obviously outside you will have to consider wind and weather conditions which can/will affect your speed.
Allison....are you using HR zones determined from an FTP test done in the same conditions as your weekly workouts? What I mean is, if you tested outdoors and are now on the trainer, you may not be comparing apples to apples. My HR is usually higher outside for a given effort and RPE lower outside compared with same effort on trainer. I have a PM, so I can definitely attest that for me the RPE on the trainer vs. outside are quite different. I have to adjust my FTP down when I convert to the trainer, about 10-15 watts. The RPE (which for me is what ultimately limits how long I can maintain an interval....quad pain) on the trainer for me is just much harder than on the road for the same power output (HR probably too).
Another note, during the build for IMTX, in the last few weeks, I found it very very difficult to maintain Z4 for more than a few minutes. While the OS is lower volume than late IM phase, the intensity is certainly there. Once I tapered and raced, the "power" was still there...no problem.
Additionally, I see other folks in EN with more years of doing this sort of training under their belt, routinely able to complete longer Z4 intervals when I cannot (in the same training plan/day....they get the intervals done....I fail). I've come to two conclusions or possible explanations: 1) They have (over years of doing this) trained themselves to tolerate more pain for a longer period of time than me, or 2) they have not gone as hard as I did for the most recent FTP test (sort of "sand bagged" their test, knowing what is coming the weekly pain cave sessions). I don't think #2 is true, though. These people are hard-core, strong, smart folks...plus, if #1 is true, then it also applies to the FTP test itself!
I would just do the best I could at this point if I were you....keep trying....don't sweat it (ha ha). You are doing hard work, which will make you faster/stronger. HR does lag quite a bit too, as mentioned by Doug. Keep working!
Another point to consider, along with the below advice, is that, as you get more fit and your heart gets stronger, it will not rise as fast as it did under the previous fitness level, it will not fluctuate as much, you will find it more difficult to hit those high zones while under the same RPE because the heart is simply stronger.
This is one reason why the pros and veteran triathletes train with a power meter and use HR as a secondary data point. If you are finding it hard to hit those HR zones, it may be a sign that it is time to retest and reset those zones.
Upon retesting, you may find you see a slightly lower HR while hitting the same speeds or even slightly higher speeds under the same conditions as a sign of improved fitness.
SS
Lots of good stuff here, but there are also some questions that are worth thinking about.
- As Doug and Jeff mentioned, it's possible fitness has changed if your test isn't very recent. HR changes in a non-obvious way with fitness. Sometimes as you get fitter, your HR gets lower at the same power, and sometimes you are able to go harder, but keep more or less the same HR...kind of depends on where you are on the "fitness curve".
- You mentioned having trouble "getting there and staying there [high HR]". Which gives you more trouble? I assume that even if you don't have a power meter, you do have some indication of how "fast" you are going. While imperfect, you can still use this as a qualitative effort guide too. Can you go as "fast" as your most recent test for 10 minutes and your HR is still low and not climbing? Or are you having trouble even going as "fast" as you did for your test in the first place?
Any more thoughts?
Great suggestions, everyone. I will look into all of these things. Interestingly, yesterday I felt tired (and crabby) and skipped my workout! This morning, I got up to do Tuesday's bike workout, and bam, I was able to get my hr into zone 4 without too much trouble. Soooo....for those of you who mentioned being tired or worn out, you were right on.
As for power, I seriously considered using power this year, but my goal is to finish an IM in 2015 and then work on qualifying for Boston in 2016 which means my cycling will become a cross training workout or just for fun. At this time in my life, I just didn't think the investment in power would be worth it.
Thanks again. I really appreciate the comments from veteran (and all) athletes.