Yup. I’m going to try a heart rate strap for my next FTP test.
what are you using for power?
Wahoo Kickr Snap
Could this have something to do with what gear I’m using on my bike? I noticed in the last month that being in a lower gear impacted my heart rate, so I’ve gone to higher gears and noticed that makes riding at higher wattages easier.
I never though to try different gears because my understanding was that using the trainer in ERG mode mean it didn’t matter which gear I was in.
I doubt it. For me my HR is slower to react at lower cadence but will creep up. At higher cadence it just gets to that level faster and plateaus. If your using ERG there shouldn’t be any significant variation in cadence to cause that. I think you’ll get more realistic numbers with the HR strap.
Yes gearing makes a difference to how muscles are recruited through the pedal stroke. if you are using erg mode for workouts you should use the same gear that you used for the erg mode during the ramp test.
With the kickr snap it’s vital to check tyre pressure every ride and follow the manufacturer’s instructions for setting the roller tension and calibration every ride as well.
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Yup. I check my tire pressure regularly and always perform a spin down before workouts.
There are many reasons why, they are different, so many in fact you could even ask the question “should they ever match?
The two biggest factors are the autonomic nervous system, and aerobic off loading.
Aerobic off loading is the most likely reason. We know that we can create the same power for less physical force by increasing cadence. but we also know increasing cadence increases aerobic load and therefore heart rate. Try riding at a steady zone 2.5 power with a slow cadence for 5 min and watch tge heart rate. Rest 5 and try again for five with a cadence increase of 20 or 25. you should see a significant increase of heart rate for the same net power.
Whilst interesting you are less likely to see the affects of the autonomic nervous system switching from sympathetic to parasympathetic during a work out. You will in a well trained athlete doing extended /ultra endurance efforts. what happens is the body starts in flight ir fight mode and then switch back to a more sustainable mode
regards
J
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where was OPs cadence ? I can see on my phone
J
Training via HR is still effective. Power is not a must.
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I believe that HR data is incredibly useful. If you’re looking to dial in your HR zones accurately though, I’d recommend a Lactate Threshold Heart Rate test. In my opinion, Ramp Tests aren’t steady enough to pick HR data out of, and using resting/max HR isn’t very accurate. Resting HR in particular changes from day to day depending on many factors in my experience, whereas LTHR is not only more consistent most of the time, but a much better way to set zones for training use.
It’s a good idea to know your max HR, but it’s not really that useful in training situations. Similar to training with power, basing zones on physiological states such as LT1, or LT2 is going to be more beneficial.
The link below describes how to do this.
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And you can train without electronics…
I was not making a power vs. HR type argument. What I meant was that you can’t look at a HR zone chart and expect it to be very accurate.
I monitor HR all the time for steady state training but I know where my HR lands when I’m doing various intensities.
This is totally an N=1 situation, but my Snap is worthless for power data. No consistency no matter what I do. The power curve is no where even close to actual power. It works fine with power match. I gave it to my girlfriend to use (she has Garmin Rally) as I prefer the dumb trainer.
I notice that I can only get close to max HR when fresh. I’ve hit 190 on a ramp test after a rest week, and 187-188 quite a few times on FTP tests, but when I’m a couple of weeks into a block, 184-185 is the highest I’ll ever see. I can hold about 180 for 5-10 minutes (going flat out) fairly consistently, though.
In terms of 90% of max, I’ve held over 170 for over 60 minutes 4 times per Training Peaks.