Effects of Training on Heart Rates

[greenmark]

Hey all, I was wondering if someone could help me with a question.

Over the last month I've started using turbo trainer, spending between 30mins to 1hour every night using Spinervals videos to try to keep working around my lactate threshold. I had previously been moderately fit.

I noticed that the heart rate of my lactate threshold seems to be going up as I get fitter - I'm judging this by the HR when I start getting the burn in my legs. It was around 135bmp and now I guess on a normal day it is about 142bmp.

I'm also noticing that I can't get my HR anywhere near my max HR any longer. When I was first starting it was fairly easy for me to get up to 165bmp or more - my actual max, over many years of measuring, is about 175bmp. I now find that I have extreme difficultly getting it up above 160bpm.

My turbo trainer also has a power meter. When I was first starting my all out effort was at 1400W (at 165bpm), now at all out effort it is at 2200W (at 155bpm). Obviously I don't trust the absolute figures but it does give me confidence that I am actually improving.

I am wondering if this is normal as one gets fitter - does the lactate threshold HR go up and does your achievable max go down - it just seems that I can put down power for a higher lactate threshold, but if I just add a little more juice I suddenly blow up.

 

[HeartAttack]

Over the last month I've started using turbo trainer, spending between 30mins to 1hour every night using Spinervals videos to try to keep working around my lactate threshold. I had previously been moderately fit.

I'm also noticing that I can't get my HR anywhere near my max HR any longer. When I was first starting it was fairly easy for me to get up to 165bmp or more - my actual max, over many years of measuring, is about 175bmp. I now find that I have extreme difficultly getting it up above 160bpm.

Yes your heart rate will drop when getting fitter for a given power output, but your mention of every night and can't get heart rate up is a classic sign of over training and not allowing the body to rest and recover. Getting fitter and stronger does not mean train every day, the body recovers and gets stronger through rest, so I'd say do a max of 3 days and then take a day off.

Max heart rate will also appear to drop as you get fitter, last year I managed to hit 199 (I'm 44) this year I've only hit 191 however my threshold (ride at as close to max for a given period) that I can ride at for say 20 mins is 179 whereas last year it was 166, for example last year on the same 10 mile TT course I did 30.21 this year I did it in 24.09

 

[greenmark]

Thanks HA. I should correct myself that about half the turbo training sessions are simply sub-threshold spins for base building and recovery. I don't feel as if I am overtraining - I am able to steadily increase my power outputs each week and am feeling much healthier.

Your experience seems to reflect mine - it's more difficult to get HR near your max but the threshold HR gets higher.

The reason I ask is that very occasionally I'm doing sprint intervals on the turbo. I'm just wondering why I can't reach the same HRs I used to - is it because as I get fitter it just becomes more difficult, or is it because maybe it isn't more difficult but I am not trying as hard as I could.