I don’t have a power meter on my bike, but do on my trainer. So all my outside rides are HR derived. So my question is, can you get a breakthrough on an HR derived ride? I’m assuming probably not, but it would be nice to know.
To my knowledge, your assumption is correct.
Without power data you won’t get any MPA draw down making it impossible to get a breakthrough.
If you are not keen on purchasing a power meter for your bike, you can periodically ride one of the “fitness test” workouts from the library to validate your signature indoors.
You can increase the accuracy of HRDM by adding an inexpensive cadence sensor to your bike. I used one over the summer last year when my main outdoor bike was without power for a few months. Tracking XSS is the most important aspect and HR + cadence works very well for that.
Some of my favorite routes are within 10 pts when comparing HRDM results to power records.
With HRDM you get:
- Xert Strain Score (XSS)
- Average Power
- Xert Equivalent Power (XEP)
- Focus Duration and Athlete Type
- Specificity Rating
- Fat and Carb Utilization
- Difficulty Score
IOW everything you need to track your training load and intensity which on its own affects signature adjustments.
A periodic indoor fitness test will confirm where you’re at.
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Great. Thanks both. Yes, I ride outside with cadence and HR already so it’s great to hear that that works well for tracking XSS etc… I’ve been on xert since December and so still finding my way, but have been doing fitness workouts every few weeks (when xert comes up with a warning).