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Training with heart rate on the bike outdoors

acwilson1acwilson1
in General Training Discussions

 I'm new to EN and have done HR training on the run for years but on the bike I have been more of a 'just go ride' guy.  My question is about the zone 4 intervals on the bike that Rich is prescribing.  When riding outdoors I am finding it difficult to get the longer sets done.  5 minutes or 8 minutes is fine but to get 20' hard with no stop light, traffic, slowing for cell phone guy, etc is tough where I live and ride [Minneapolis suburbs].  

I ride with a garmin which has a ride summary which shows how many minutes of the ride I am in each zone.  It is enough to get the total zone 4 time in during the ride [ie 40' total in a 90' ride if the daily workout is 2x20' z4]?  Does anyone else do a ride or two per week indoors to get this quality in?  That has its' own drawbacks for sure.

Comments

  • Peter GreaggPeter Greagg
    Hi Aaron — The most important thing about Zone 4 intervals is to get the work done. So if terrain or traffic lights/stop signs etc mean that you can't do 2 x 20 @ Zone 4, don't sweat it. Just get in the 40 mins @ Zone 4.

    I do all my intervals in my garage on a Computrainer, and then finish off the workout outside. I find I can suffer better (ie push higher numbers) on my CT in part because I am just focused on the work and don't have to worry about what else is on the road etc.

    However, I do all my FTP tests during the season outside on my Tribike strapped in the TT bars to be certain I have the correct FTP to use for race pacing purposes.
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