I am by no means a FOP’er. However, I wanted to see if you guys thought I am leaving untapped potential on the table. Some background info: I’m 32, 155 lbs and 5’9". i have been a soccer player for most my life but only started endurance training in 2005, first with running then with short course Tri in 2007.
My best run times at the 5k and the half marathon is 19:13 and 1:31 respectively. My maximum HR observed in both these events at the finishing sprint is 188 bpm.
My ftp this year was just over 230W, done on an all-out 20 minute test where I averaged close to 250W. However what strikes me is that my maximum observed heart rate is around 148-149 bpm. But it surely felt like I was in the finishing sprint of a running race - it might have hurt even more!
So the question is whether such a large differential between observed max HR on the bike and run infers that I am seriously underperforming on the bike and under training the bike? I do quite a number of sweet spot intervals throughout the year but I can’t seem to improve on my max HR on the bike. Does it even matter that I have a 40 bpm diff between the max HR on the run and bike?
So the question is whether such a large differential between observed max HR on the bike and run infers that I am seriously underperforming on the bike and under training the bike? I do quite a number of sweet spot intervals throughout the year but I can’t seem to improve on my max HR on the bike.
Agree - you need more bike-specific training to reach your ‘max HR potential’ - at present, your bike legs just do not have the power/endurance to get you there. But, of course, this is the compromise inherent with multi-sport.
I also have a lower HR in easy workouts on the bike. Running easily gets you HR to 140 bpm while in cycling you already need to be working to get this HR.
However you should be able to reach the same max values on the bike as you can in the run. Just cycle harder. It is more difficult on the bike than on the run to get this numbers but you can get there. Just push harder for longer and HR will go up.
So the question is whether such a large differential between observed max HR on the bike and run infers that I am seriously underperforming on the bike and under training the bike? I do quite a number of sweet spot intervals throughout the year but I can’t seem to improve on my max HR on the bike. Does it even matter that I have a 40 bpm diff between the max HR on the run and bike?
I felt like it took me years of training to get where I could reach running HR numbers on the bike. And then years after that to be able to reach them while not on a climb. It was just learning how to work hard on the bike. If you think you simply can’t, find a nice 9% grade of any length and start riding up it for time. You can totally do it.
I’ll be watching this thread as I have had this same problem. It is getting better but it is a slow (4 year) journey.
I agree with a previous poster when they say part of it is just learning to ride harder. One great thing I did this past summer was race in a monthly time trial series. I learned a bunch about riding harder. I also came in DFL every time, but did manage to improve over the summer.
So the question is whether such a large differential between observed max HR on the bike and run infers that I am seriously underperforming on the bike and under training the bike? I do quite a number of sweet spot intervals throughout the year but I can’t seem to improve on my max HR on the bike. Does it even matter that I have a 40 bpm diff between the max HR on the run and bike?
I felt like it took me years of training to get where I could reach running HR numbers on the bike. And then years after that to be able to reach them while not on a climb. It was just learning how to work hard on the bike. If you think you simply can’t, find a nice 9% grade of any length and start riding up it for time. You can totally do it.
-Eric
This seems like a very important issue for many of us.
At this point, I do not have a hard time sustaining a higher heart rate on climbs or shorter duration flat rides.
I still have huge problems on down hills and longer flat rides.
Anyone advice on how to improve this? (Other than to hammer the decents in practice).
The body isn’t carrying all the weight on the bike like the run which will affect HR. The swim tends to have a lower HR than the bike for the same reason.
Anyone advice on how to improve this? (Other than to hammer the decents in practice).
I felt like it was in large part based on position – learning to produce power in the drops or in aero. For the first few times I remember launching into 10-15 minutes of tempo with an all-out sprint. Once my HR pegged from that, I would try to hold it at that same level. It seemed like it took quite a few tries before I could even exceed my LTHR average over 10-15 minutes, something that felt more of an avoidance game while running. Now that I know what it feels like, I feel like I can smoothly press the gas down all the way up to well past LT on the bike. And I suck a lot less at time trialing!
In fact, I’m proud that my highest recorded average HR was on the bike. Granted, of my top 20, there’s 1 on the bike and 19 running. 4 out of the top 40 on the bike – the rest mostly 5 and 10k races.
For me, it takes riding on an indoor trainer in a hard spin class to hit my running max on a bike.
Outdoors, its easy for me to cheat and soft pedal when I’m tired, I run into stoplights, the hill ends etc. But on a spin bike with timed power targets and I can’t “fall” lIke I can outside, I regularly meet or exceed my run max
I rarely if ever reach my run max outdoors on the bike.
Ummm… no. You think pro bikers do not get their hr to the max?
I used to think the same thing (running HR was always higher than cycling). It seemed to make sense given the reasoning stated above.
…science to the rescue!
Check out this article: Maximal oxygen uptake and heart rate in various types of muscular activity Per-Olof 0Åstrand , Bengt Saltin
Journal of Applied PhysiologyPublished 1 November 1961Vol. 16no. 6, 977-981
It is concluded that the aerobic capacity and maximal heart rate are the same in maximal running or cycling, at least in well-trained subjects.
Turns out, you just gotta train more and that cycling max HR will eventually match yours while running.