HR Drop 1/2 Was through Training Plan

General Discussion
1

Hey all,

I am doing the 12 week Build Me Up training plan. I am currently in week 5 (it is not a ‘rest’ week). I’ve noticed this week that even though most of the work is sweet spot work, my heart rate is not elevating the same way it was in the first 4 weeks. Now, riding at 80-90% of FTP doesn’t elevate my heart rate above 145-150 bpm. In the first four weeks my HR was easily above 150 and at times over 160.

Is this a sign that my fitness is improving and that I should increase my FTP? I’m fairly new to structured training plans so I don’t want the remaining 7 weeks to be too ‘easy’ but I also want to trust the plan. Any thoughts/comments are appreciated.

2

It can be a sign of improvement, overtraining, or both. Can you still hit higher HR zones when pushing even harder?

I’d suggest sticking to the plan with the current FTP through the end of the plan (presumably the workouts are anyway designed to get harder towards the end), but if the workouts really start feeling way way too easy, maybe reevaluate in a few weeks. The potential gains are fairly small compared to the risks.

3

Thanks Anna. Yes, my HR increases when doing things like VO2 intervals. I think I’ll stick with the plan as is for now and if things still feel too easy in a week or two then can try increasing the workouts using the percentage +/- so I can make small adjustments rather than messing with my FTP mid-plan.