I'd also like to add that HR profiles will vary between people even for a given exertion level. If you have a strong weightlifting background but not a lot of endurance, you could feasibly see much higher average heart rates than someone with good cardio and low strength.
When I did a century with my triathlete buddies, I averaged 153bpm for 5.5 hours of moving time. 70% of my ride was spent in zone 4 or above (148 bpm to 192bpm). 153 bpm isn't actually that high for me. I'm doing 110 when I just sit on the bike. But for others, 153bpm for 5+ hours would be tough.
Basically what I'm saying is that you shouldn't take things like "you can't hold zone 5 for more than 5 minutes" at face value. It's totally dependent upon the balance between your legs and pump.
For example, all I have to do hit my max HR is sprint for 30 seconds. But I have friends who simply cannot hit their max HR on the bike because they run and have developed really good cardio.
Also. Is there any agreement upon what defines HR zones? Wahoo seems to make the increments for zones really low. 148bpm is the low end for Z3 according to Strava.
Last edited by smashndash; 04-21-21 at 11:57 AM.