Some guidance please. I am on week 2 of sweetspot base LV2. I am 56 and been riding for many years.
I ramp tested last week (1 watt gain to 255). FTP after the test feels about right in that I completed week 1 sessions-hard but all done.
Today I completed Taylor -2. First block at the specified intensity. Second block
I increased by 2% and the 3rd one by a further 2%.
Despite this my heart rate seems too low for the type of session it was. Should I have increased it even more? Cadence was over 105-110 for the intervals.
Yeah it’s a pretty common issue. These types of workouts aren’t really VO2max workouts unless you maybe up the intensity from ~120% to probably closer to 130-135. In the context of the plan I think they are mainly to acclimate you to the higher power intervals that you didn’t have during SSB1. Hopefully, as you go through the plan and the interval lengths increase you’ll see the desired HR.
Yes I went through this same experience a few weeks back. Search the forum and there are a number of threads on the topic. Mills & Spencer +2 lie ahead as well as gems like Carpathian Peak +2, Mary Austin, Lamarck and Leconte, so enjoy the days that aren’t overly taxing.
I have done a few cycles of TR and think Taylor-2 is pointless unless you have no experience of V02 work or are coming off a long lay off. I start with Bluebell then Mills but add in something like Baird+1 or Dade -1 before going near Spencer+2…I think the biggest issue with failure of the latter is the giant jump from Mills…could be just me of course
Just gonna drop this here on why heart rate is largely considered an unreliable metric:
Weaknesses of Heart Rate
Heart rate varies based on many external factors
Fatigue
Sleep
Stress
Illness
Glycogen level
Hydration level
Temperature
Humidity
Motivation
Caffeine
If you’re hitting your power targets and feeling good about it, (and you aren’t due for another Ramp Test to re-evaluate FTP), I wouldn’t put too much weight in HR alone as a metric. Cheers!
