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Why did bike LTHR Fall Between Tests

NicoleCNicoleC
in General Training Discussions

Hi,

I was wondering if some members could help me out on this, it has been bugging me for the last week.  When I first tested seven weeks ago, I was coming off an injury and hadn't really worked out since the end of October.  I also hadn't been on the bike since September.  My 40'TT on the bike gave me an average HR of 168, but I was pushing an embarrassingly low wattage.  When I retested last week, my LTHR fell to 156, but my average watts climbed to 20w more on average over the TT.  Anyway, I am now a bit confused, and it looks like my target HR zones have fallen on the bike.  I know I pushed hard on the retest and felt even more tired than the previous test (as the increased wattage attests I was pushing hard), but I am not sure why the heart rate fell.  Is it a function of me being horribly out of shape and my body just bouncing back?  I should also note that I had noticed in the last 3 weeks before the re-test that it was much harder for me to get my heart rate up into z4-5.  It required a dizzying almost throwing up effort (so maybe my zone should be lower).

Thank you for any insight you can provide,

Nicole

Comments

  • mgraffeomgraffeo
    The fitter you are, the more efficient your heart gets, and the less it has to work at the same output. What you are seeing is very common, and totally expected. Watts are what matters, and those are going in the right direction!
  • Joe MatchetteJoe Matchette
    Nicole,
    I had the same thing happen to me, but without the benefit of Power. Unfortunately I did not do my first test on the trainer so I can't do an apples-to-apples comparison of the two tests. However, by looking at my interval data, I can see that my average speed on the trainer had gone up over the first 8 weeks of the OS. And my LTHR was down by 4bpm. Is that significant....don't know. But I can tell you that I was 'working' harder on my intervals at week 8 versus week 1.
    I wouldn't sweat it (bad pun intended). Like Mike says, your watts are what matters and they are trending the correct direction.
    Joe
  • trigirl1203trigirl1203
    I had a similar result between my first 2 tests. Unfortunately, I do not have access to power, but if you are doing all these workouts, you are improving! I hear its going to all pay off on the road in the spring....right guys??? image
  • Gordon CherwoniakGordon Cherwoniak

    Nicole,

    I have had similar experiences when coming in to the OS in poor shape, last year and after taking 8-10 weeks off this year.

    In addition to Mike's comments I also find that when I have been working hard I can on occasion have trouble getting my HR to elevate.  If you have watts just focus on those especially in the OS.

    Gordon

  • Al TruscottAl Truscott
    Posted By Nicole Cimino on 19 Feb 2011 07:54 AM

    ...When I first tested seven weeks ago, I was coming off an injury and hadn't really worked out since the end of October.  I also hadn't been on the bike since September...



    This describes my entry into the Jan OS as well, and my experience is then same. My HR at the same (100% of FTP) watt output dropped from about 143+ to 132 (my max is about 167). I suspect the physiologic reason is the heart is pumping more blood (and thus oxygen) with each beat, so fewer beats are needed to fuel the same amount of work. The resting HR should also go down as a result. It's basically good news all around.

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