HR vs Power

The fact that your HR at threshold decreased with increased fitness is not only normal, it is predictable. The more fit you get, the lower your HR at a given level of intensity (even relative intensity) and the faster your HR will drop after you decrease intensity. And, if you want to raise your HR (don't know why you would want to), just raise your cadence (at the same power). HR is more driven by cadence than intensity of effort. Try it and you'll see what I mean.

Quoted post said:

Originally Posted by matt76

Before I started training based on powerzones I used HR-zones. For my threshold intervalls ( 12-20 min) I tried to hit 163 bpm, which were about My threshold pulse.

Since I started using à powermeter my HR has become less important. In My last training sessions I hve noticed that I have à much lower heartrate when I perform My threshold intervalls. It is about 152 bpm in average. I don't think I can push the power much higher, which menas that my FTP is estimated correctly.

How can My threshold heartrate decrease? Are lokal adaption limiting My performance? I can also tell that i have decreased my delfinal selected cadence with 5 rpm if it. makes any difference,

Appreciate Your input.

// Matt

If your heart rate has dropped 20bpm for your 20 minute intervals, you should increase your power output to get your heart rate back up.

Your cadence should not affect your heart rate much. Your heart is trying to keep up with your power requirements.

I'd say take a week to condition reduce the hard efforts or eliminate.

turn off the power display, put just the lap time, cadence and HR. Find a TT and go kill yourself up a hill.

Some people just forget how to suffer. Or get chronically fatigued to the point where the legs just get tierd really quickly into an interval, don't get into that place.

I would say that if anything over time you should learn how to keep your heart rate higher as you learn to push yourself harder I used to think my threshold heart rate was 175, now id say its closer to 180-185.

Heart rate is always important for me. Heart rate is how I nail my improvements as fact rather than feeling. Yes I can re-test 20 min power constantly but some days you just feel strong, some days you don't. But when I'm on the turbo and I'm holding the watts for a lower heart rate that's how I know I'm improving. Observing this over 4-8 weeks is my measure if a plan seems to be working.

I think that you are right. In the last 2-3 weeks i have seen an increase in FTP with about 20 watts. I might have been a bit overtrained and needed to take an easy week. After a week with reducera training i have set new personal best on 5, 20 and 60 minutes efforts. IT almost makes me wonder if there is something wrong with my powertab... I also manage to do 20 minutes efforts with a HR somwhere between 160-165 bpm. Thanks for your input!

Sweet glad that's all it took and no substantial layoff for you and a setback. Always nice to realise you can take an easy week put your feet up and be faster for it!