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HR Drift/RAMP Test Results

  • Creator
    Topic
  • December 12, 2022 at 7:26 am #73589
    nsharp01
    Participant

    I am having an issue with some of the data from my most recent HR Drift/RAMP test. See data at the following link (if so inclined):

    http://tpks.ws/WEZFSAF47JNLRJD2JRFG36JSD4

    My issue isn’t that I failed the test, the issue I’ve been seeing is with the speed of the medium I chose (2.6 speed at 15% incline on a treadmill). The effort was easy, but the data doesn’t reflect that, and I get this giant spike in hear rate that puts me into the ‘fail zone’ of HR drift percentages. Conversely, I did a HR/RAMP test earlier in the week at 2.5 on the treadmill and my HR barely rose out of the mid 120s (for context, the same amount of warmup/test time I went from 124-127) meaning I was below my target Z2 range. I find it odd that between 2.5 and 2.6 on the same incline, same treadmill, I have this massive spike. I’m not really sure if the data is even good to glean any real information as to where my ideal Z2 HR should even be.

    Any information would be helpful toward figuring it out. I need to start getting prepped for a couple of big races next season.

    Also, I chose 15% on the treadmill because my training and races will be in mountainous areas in CO and WA state.

    -Nick

  • Creator
    Topic

Posted In: General Training Discussion

  • Participant
    rcj on December 15, 2022 at 10:01 am #73719

    I’m not sure you failed the test. If you grab the final hour and count everything before as a warmup, you get an average of 140 for the first half, 145 for the second. The difference of 5 bpm makes the drift come out to 3.4%, which is just below the 3.5% threshold. Grabbing the first five minutes of that hour puts your AeT at 135.

    I take the average of the first five minutes because a coach here once suggested that, and it seems to make more sense to me than trying to stabilize your HR at the exact bpm you think it might be.

    You could maybe bump it to 136 because you were below the threshold, but this is a pretty good test from what I can see. I see the spike, but I think that once you got into the test, your heart rate stabilized at a higher rate than you realized it would. The drift is what you’re measuring, and your hr was drifting right within range.

    First half – 140 bpm
    Second half – 145 bpm
    Drift – 3.4%
    First five minute average – 135

    Participant
    nsharp01 on January 4, 2023 at 3:12 pm #74310

    Interesting take on the average of the first five minutes theory; I have never heard that before, even on here. That’s probably been my most “self-critical” aspect of these tests is trying to nail one specific heart rate and stabilizing around it, which I haven’t found much success with.

    I appreciate you taking the time out to look at my data and read my lamenting. I have to be honest, I had forgotten I made this post on here as this was the third test in about a week and a half, which was mostly made out of frustration.

    I’d also have to agree with your last statement. My previous HR drift was 131 and I had slacked off for a couple of weeks due to forces outside of my ‘leisure’ activities and had concluded that I wouldn’t have made much headway since my last good test. I think that spike is generally what made me think I had failed – I just don’t know why it would take nearly thirty minutes to experience the warmup.

    Either way, again, thank you very much for the feedback and your opinion on the matter. I was rolling forward anyway with my new base for the upcoming season and was settling around the high 130s since it felt easier than I had remembered. Happy New Year!

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