TriBri00 wrote:
great job. Good to see that a healthy , not fad, diet and exercise really do work. Your attention to detail is impressive. As for the low HR. I see 2 options, which are not exclusive.
1, your FTP is improved so when you're working at a given wattage it's a lower % of FTP than it used to be.
2. your dietary restrictions are limiting your HR. Personally, I need simple sugars before a ride if I want to work at high power and HR. I think it a hormonal and brain phenomenon. FWIW, there is interesting data on the effects of swishing , but not drinking , sugary drinks prior to exercise (http://www.nutritionj.com/content/9/1/33). I can ride easy to moderate efforts (0-~70% of FTP on nothing but water when I get up and am still in the fasted state. But if I hope to do any work higher than that I have trouble achieving high enough HRs to power the legs. It's not a lot of sugar, 100-200 cal of gel, but it feels like it makes a difference. I'm not suggesting that you change the routines that are working for you, just suggesting an explanation.
So I had a new workout for me today. (On tired legs) I performed 6 3min intervals. Goal wattage at 118% above FTP. It was on my tri bike so I used 318 as my number. I held above that for all 6. My HR, was hitting high 160's, so this was good.
However, what I wanted to point out was 1hour prior I had a cup of water with 30grams of maltodextrin added. I seemed to have more zipp, but I will have to test it out a few more times.