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Hello everyone,
I've been using zwift workouts for a while now and have a better understanding of the HR zones and training within them. Appreciating HR isn't perfect and can vary dependant on numerous factors, I'm still consistently working in the higher zones. I've set my max HR to 195 (Garmin recommended after many months) however this hasn't improved anything.
The 'foundation' workout expected Z1 30mins, Z2 25mins and Z3 15 mins but actually I did Z1 1 min, Z2 24 mins, Z3 42 mins and Z4 4 mins.
Given the aim was ": Relatively low intensity ride with goal of spending a large proportion of the ride into Endurance Zone 2", I'm unsure if my actual performance is hindering that target, given the overlap of tempo workouts targeting the higher zones.
Please help!
Thanks James
So are you doing a workout where you are trying to match a certain amount of wattage for a section ... but then looking back and seeing that your heart rate has been higher than you ZWIFT thinks it should be for doing those wattages ?
As you say yourself, there are so many things that affect it. The obvious thing is that your FTP setting may be too high ... lowering it would mean that in workouts, the watts that ZWIFT asks for will be lower ... which in turn will lower your heart rate to acheive them ... in turn placing your HR in the lower zones for longer to match the workout expectations ( you have tested your FTP recently haven't you? )
Yes exactly that fisha.
I did consider that my ftp was too high but coming from being unfit/recovering from injury the last handful of months, I started with an ftp of 171 as per zwift ftp test and then after a free ride last week (rather than a test) it increased to 195. Looking back at the screenshots of the after workout report, its always been too high in the lower zones.
So not high by any standards but given I'm perhaps overdue for another ftp I expect I could push harder. This however wouldn't help with a potentially high ftp skewing my heart rate zones.
Bit confused!
Ok. It's not something I've looked at for myself but I would imagine I'm in a similar boat ,(im not super fit and quite chunky).
I would hazard a guess that as you're not super fit then you are going to be muscularly inefficient and so to generate a wattage you are needing bigger effort going in and thus higher hr compared to whippets.
I'll need to look at mine. I expect I'll be the same .
It will be interesting to see if you have the same issue.
Remember Zwift power HR zones etc are guides. Use them intelligently. Their based on averages and may not reflect your personal weight, height, power, body shape or fitness. They are at best 'approximate'.
I use Zwift and Ive dumped HR zones for power. It was over complicating getting fit. Power is way more accurate and, as you have seen, you can see the increases your training brings as your FTP increases. Something I couldn't do with HR year on year.
Ride on!
If you're doing it in this weather than your heart rate will be above normal to compensate for the heat.
That is unless you've got a big industrial fan/air conditioning...
My Zwift HR rates always seem lower than real ride ones. Power is better if you've got a smart trainer/power meter.
I'm using a smart trainer, but using the pre-made workouts. I believe they are created based around the training zones, so some are structured with a duration in zone 2 for endurance etc.
How would I go about using power and achieving the same goal using a structured plan?
Zwift plans are based around power, have you selected ERG mode too?
This means you can pedal as fast as you like and it'll keep you at a constant power. Ie increasing cadence in the same gear reduces the resistance.
Heart rate is a variable, if you've got power don't bother with it. Just having a coffee pre ride can spike your heart rate.
Yes ERG is selected and its fixes the intervals to the watts required.
So the plans are based on power, so will target the same 'zone 2' benefit but calculated off ftp instead?