daveryanwyoming said:Trouble is HR can climb or drop due to a variety of factors including: hydration, nutrition, ambient temperature, emotional state, fatigue, etc. Those ranges might or might not mean anything but a lot of folks can't let go of HR based training even if they're riding with power meters.
Wouldn't power output also be directly effected by the same exact criteria? Hydration, nutrition, fatigue, etc?
If I'm plowing along trying to hold "***" watts and I'm really to fatigued to do so... isn't that the same thing as watching my heart rate given the same level of fatigue? I do understand that HR can lag behind say 20-30 seconds. I get that part.
If you can't hold "***" watts due to the burn, and can't hold "***" HR due to the same level of burn, you're gonna back off or die regardless of which meter gives you the bad news based on your level of fatigue.
We don't need to debate it here. My personal opinion is use what you have, get close, improve and use what you've got as a guide to get you closer and your body to tell you the rest. I didn't need a HR meter to tell me I was toast and gave up, that's just what the HR number was...WHEN I FINALLY couldn't take it anymore, so it's a starting point. Backed off 5 beats and survived. Just like the person holding 200 watts finally giving up and trying to hold 190. Either way, you come to a line in the sand with either meter, you can take the punishment or you can't.
My watts and HR are all over the place right now. They're just a guide. They get me close to where I need to be to maximize whatever fitness I've achieved. If I'm feeling good, they are both wrong. If I'm feeling bad, they are both wrong. Just in the "neighborhood".
ultimately, it's up to me to interpret the data and how I'm feeling. if I was dying and looked down and it said "***" watts, My initial reaction would be to back off a few watts and see if I felt better. Same with the HR. It's just a guide, not a rule.
I'm starting to remember these debates from last time. I don't particularly care either way. I don't need either meter to tell me when I'm to exhausted to continue. To me, either meter is better than no meter at all.