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Where Cyclists and Triathletes get Faster/Stronger/Leaner/Sooner

Why We Still Look at Heart Rate

One of the old standards is Heart Rate. For decades, Heart Rate was a practical way to measure intensity. It could also be used to measure recovery, hydration, and fatigue. We cannot look at wattage alone. We have to look at wattage as an extrinsic force. When we look at heart rate, this is an intrinsic force. Both bring value. Here's an example:
Xert MPA Wattage Strain
Looking at Wattage and MPA only, this cyclist did not work too hard.
This cyclist was given a workout of 60 minutes. The main set of intervals were 2 minutes long, with one at the end which was very intense and would hopefully yield a breakthrough per Xert.

If we look at the wattage chart alone, it shows a successful workout. MPA dropped, then rose, and the final interval yielded a CLOSE CALL, but not quite a breakthrough. Watts followed the load very closely.

However, when heart rate is revealed, it shows something more.
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Five Stars On Xert: What It Takes To Get to Pro Level, Part One

 

Xert Keeter Five stars.
Earning Five Stars for your fitness signature takes a LOT of work, and a LOT of time.

 

I’m excited to announce that my coached client, Dr. Kyle Keeter, has gotten to Five Stars Training Status on Xert! A Five Star Training Status is the result of A LOT of work on the bike!

This means that his training volume, per his daily and accumulated “XSS” (Xert Strain Scores) values, has surpassed 150 points!

I’m going to show you several images to show you how he got to five stars, what his goals are, and how we will handle a taper for mid-October.

Dr. Keeter is an Ultra Cyclist, and is training for the “No Country for Old Men” event, being held in and around Alpine, Texas. The event he has chosen is a 383-mile race, and is expected to take 22-25 hours. He has competed here before, and finished 3rd overall. The goal is to get closer to 24 hours, and improve upon his personal previous record, which was 26 hours, 33 minutes.

It Starts Back In March of 2017…

Dr. Keeter approached me in March of 2017, and we laid out his objectives, and his requirements. The goals were as such:

  1. Raise Threshold Power to a high level through appropriate interval Frequencies, Intensities and Times.
  2. Raise HIE (High Intensity Energy) for those periods of time when it may be impossible to generate power on slopes or in headwinds without approaching or pedaling above Threshold Power.
  3. Raise the LTP (Lower Threshold Power) to the highest value possible, so that he can cycle longer using more calories from fat, and not carbs.
  4. Increase volume to a level that he would become incredibly efficient, and improve his stamina for sustained efforts of 10-12 hours between breaks.

We looked at everything; bike fit, equipment, power meters, head units, tire pressure, hydration, food intake…. everything.

Then, we got to work.

Click here to see how we did it in Part Two (Premium Content—subscription)