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Suggested workouts not following changes in LTHR

My lactate threshold heart rate (LHTR) has been going up lately with the auto-detection (and I accepted it when prompted). But, even after making sure that my HR zones are correctly set according the LTHR everywhere (watch, phone, zones in general, and for running specifically), the suggested workouts didn’t change the target HR. My base runs and my threshold runs are still both using the same HR values they were respectively using for a long time.

I tried changing manually the value for the LTHR, and reseting the zones, deleting/adding the running/cycling specific HR zones, syncing, rebooting… everything.

I don’t know if this affects the rest of the training metrics, but there surely is a bug about all this. The only thing that I haven’t tried yet is to do a new guided lactate threshold test. Also, when detecting a new LTHR, is does not automatically populate every places where this value is present.

0 Etupes25 over 1 year ago

The suggested workouts only use % of VO2 Max to determine the target intensity from an HR perspective, and the model of the relationship between ventilation (HR/HRV), output (pace or power for biking) and duration that the watch maintains.

The heart rate zones settings have no effect on the models that the watch uses in the background, except setting expectations for the user.

The lactate threshold test and values are just some of the many ventilation/output data points that the watch integrates in its models to calculate all its metrics, including VO2 max, and ventilation/output relationships. Therefore you can see your target change when you do an LTHR test, just like when you do some other very intense or very long effort.

However, changing manually the HR zones or the LTHR will not impact the data that the watch has recorded.

The only input in your control are 1) your physiological data (HR Max, weight, age), 2) the quality of the HR data and pace/power that you feed the watch with.

In fact, when the DSW targets are well aligned with your actual performance RPE, it is a sign that you did a good job feeding the right data to the watch, notwithstanding the ~5% average standard error coming with these models. What does this mean? If the HR and pace targets are just right for long easy runs, if the LTHR and LT Pace power detected by the watch corresponds to the threshold workout targets, and if the pace for VO2 Max, Anaerobic and Sprints workout is just a tad below what the maximum steady pace you can sustain for the intervals, it means that your metrics are good. Now, for many people, the metrics will be within 5% of the actual metrics. For some people, it can be much more, since 5% is an average across individuals.

What can you do?

(a) Make sure your HR Max is correct. If you run often, do a 5K PB and add 5 bpm to your peak HR during that run and compare with the auto-detected value.

(b) Do a new LT test whenever the HR Max changes, because the latter influences the former

(c) If you don't train on HR, use %of HRR for heart rate zones. the % of HRR is the same as the % of VO2 Max, so you will be able to monitor whether the ventilation/output model is about right when, aside from HR lag and drift, the HR zones line up with your power zones during exercise.