Dave K said:
Day 1 usually sees the highest heart rate, but the difference from day 1 - day 3 is only about 3 bpm. My goal right now is to get some miles in my legs, but at the same time focus on L4. Here is what the last block looked like:
Saturday - 3hr total, 2 30-minute L4 sessions @ 100% FTP (160 bpm), the rest high L2 - high L3.
Sunday - 3hr total, 1.5 hr group ride with a hard 30-minute portion that averages L4, 1 30-minute L4 session @ 100% FTP (158 bpm), the rest high L2 - L3.
Monday (indoors) - 1.5hr total, 5 sprints (just for a little L7 work), 2 x 20 @ 100% FTP (161 bpm)
Today's ride was on the rollers, so my heart rate was up a couple of beats to around 161 bpm. My resting heart rate is the lowest it has ever been (about 40), and has been consistently low throughout the block.
I only started training with power in July. It, along with tons of reading as well as this forum, has completely changed the way I train. I think I might simply be uncovering all of the flaws in my training prior to the powermeter. I've never focused on L4 the way I have in the past month and a half, and I can't help but think that although I've been riding for 12 years, I've never actually been "trained"! Too many long, slow group rides (L1-L2), too much emphasis on L6, and not nearly enough L3-L4. If only I had a time machine....
You seem to know fatigue will suppress heart rate at all training intensities and even at rest.
Considering your prior "old" training, and the fact that you said your heart rate is highest on day one of your blocks, this current load is making you "over reach" by the end of a block, which is a good thing. However, you may not be fully recovered after your recovery days, even if your L4 power is climbing. You may be carrying enough residual fatigue to keep your heart rates depressed even on day one of your blocks. However, the lower resting heart rate may very well be the result of being in better condition.
You are not over trained since your interest in training remains, your power is going up, and your resting heart rate has not climbed.
When you are training hard....and over reaching as they should....then you will certainly see depression of heart rate across the training board as soon as the second week after a recovery week( I have seen depression sooner).
Try this.....do your L4 work at 95% instead of 100%. Save most of the 100% work for latter on when you are trying to tweak your FTP upwards that last little bit...say in April
If your heart rates remain depressed then.....try to always take three days of recovery after your three training days, if those training days are all fairly hard like you listed, and see what happens to your heart rate on day one of the blocks.
NOW.....are you taking recovery weeks after training like this every 3-4 week?
If you are not then start doing so and take one starting NOW and then come back after 6-7 days of easy rinding with 2-3 off days and see if you heart rates are still depressed. For the recovery week reduce your volume and TSS by a good amount, and don't do any 100% FTP work on any recovery week...and reduce total L4 time.
You don't need to reduce your total volume and Tss as much in the recovery weeks to follow, just reduce by feel, but still reduce and take two days off the bike and limit your L4 work.
If you are taking recovery weeks, and still find that your training heart rates are depressed IN THE FIRST WEEK of training, then your stroke volume has indeed improved.
My guess is that your stroke volume has probably improved a bit but not enough to have knocked down your training heart rates that much.
Recovery week.....
Day 1 recovery ride(RR) 60 minutes
Day 2 RR 45 minute
Day 3..off
Day 4...2 hours L2 , 20 minutes at 95% FTP
Day 5...60 minutes on trainer 20 minutes at 95% L4 and 30 at L3
Day 6...off
Day 7 start your blocks again....beginning with your group ride.
As a side.....never do your sprints on the third day of a block. You need to do them on day one and first in the day or in the workout after a warm up of course.
, but is this normal behavior? I've been riding for about 12 years now, so it's not as though I was untrained before November, although this is the first time I've really honed in on so much L4 work. Everything else has slid down by about 10bpm, too. The top of my endurance range is about 140 (was 150), tempo 150 (was 160), etc. My FTP has been steadily improving, but it just seems odd to do a 40k time trial at 155 BPM! Has anyone else experienced this, or am I just growing a second heart??
