Hey guys, can I manually enter my HIE? Xert estimates my HIE@37,1 KJ. If you are not a 400m runner or a cycling spring classics victory contender or something like that, that value is completely unrealistic. From monitoring my FRC in anaerobic intervalls (W’ balance app for Garmin) my HIE should be rather in the 16-20KJ ballpark which already is quite a fair value. WKO5 has determined a cycling FRC of 15,6 KJ.
The result: all SMART exercises with target MPA that are above 3,5 stars are completely unsustainable. Hardest I can do is Micros with Target MPA 4.0 (I do it as a substitute for 30/30s), this is only 3.5 stars. This workouts includes 3 60 second intervalls that ask me to do 405 Watt (FTP is 260 Watt). I can complete the 60s, but then I have to stop due to suffocation (although legs could sustain further punishment), it feels like I am dying, I need a ~15s rest before I can do the recovery intervall (30s). Rest of the workout is easy-peasy lemon squeezy (sure it is hard, but I do not even have to start to “negotiate” if you know what I mean).
Is my assumption correct that if my Xert-determined HIE was lower, the targeted MPA would stay the same, the suggested duration would stay the same, but the suggested power would drop? Because if I understood the “model” behind Xert right, lower HIE with same Peak Power (which Xert determined quite accurately) should result in a faster MPA-drop in efforts above FTP.
Another example:
Supra-Threshold using Target MPA - 4.0, four stars difficulty. It suggests me to do 6 minutes of 330 Watt. My Power@VO2Max is 325 Watt. I cannot do that. Plain impossible, no matter how restend and motivated I aim. I can do 5x3min@315 Watt.
I am aware that non-pros are not supposed to complete a 5 star workout. But I could do “harder” workouts if my HIE was determined correctly.
If you go to and open one of your activities, click the ‘advanced mpa’ tab, you will be able to enter your HIE figure in the relevant box, click extract and you should then get a new signature. If it looks okay, click save and your updated signature will now be used from the activity you selected.
That approach will ‘seed’ the algorithm with the new HIE but the algorithm will run and may still increase it again… if you want lock the number you entered, you need to click ‘save’ rather than ‘extract’
To the OP, if you do that, you should probably increase your threshold power (substantially) to offset, as there is a BT effort which generated that signature… best bet is to find the BT that generated it, and in the advanced MPA section, play around with combinations of TP and HIE that still lead to a BT (MPA line just touching power line).
That is unless you think you have an error in one of your BT activities that led to a wrong and too high signature… if that’s the case, you can go to the activity (you can sort in the table view by a column noting whether there was a BT) and flag it - it will then be ignored for signature estimation purposes… that would actually be my first check… then do another BT… manual adjustments shouldn’t be needed often
I recommend reaching out to support if you have questions/concerns about your data and/or signature. Someone will be happy to help review the data with you!
Yeah, I now where that comes from - running. My running FTP is only slightly higher, but I can go longer and harder above FTP for running. So while my running does not signifiantly increase my cycling FTP in Xert, it increases the HIE, because (assumption) the gap between my VO2Max and my MLSS is bigger in running then in cycling. I use Stryd for running, so Xert also gets power figures for running. For example, I did 4x10@320 Watt running last week. I could never do that on a bike. On a bike, I can do 4x10@280 Watt. Sure, I am aware that I can flag the running efforts as erroneus, but I want the other data from running in Xert.
Think you can run separate accounts for running vs cycling so you have an accurate signature for each… someone else (or support per @ManofSteele’s offer) can advise better than me on that though
Is that another subscription or can I create an additional profile with the same subscription?
Tried to use your “Advanced MPA” trick. It worked. HIE manually entered 20kj, recalculated, Xert goes to 22 kj, looked at the Micros Target MPA 4.0 workout - 365 Watt for 60 seconds. That looks like “only 40 Watt difference”, but turns this workout from “Hell is here” to “Tough”. I will leave it with that setting. For the next Micros 4.0 workout, I will increase workout intensity with Garmin to a percentage that brings me the “original” 405 Watts and do that to me one more time. That will generate a breakthrough effort likely somewhere around ~25KJ so I have an accurate Xert HIE estimation. If I enter the 16KJ from WKO5 into Xert, it would become to easy.
Good to hear - I know 40w is huge above threshold so should be much easier
Re separate accounts I’ve no idea, but any time it’s come in the forum the answer is to write to support, so would do that - they are usually quick to respond
manual adjustments shouldn’t be needed often