bogydave

I'm guessing they are playing it on the safe side.

The heart Doc was fine with me hitting a high heart rate, as long as I was tuned into the risk factors.
He use to play Rugby, so way more of an athlete than my GP.
Said every time over 160 is a stress test, & the 'No pain- No gain" philosophy don't apply.
160HR alarm was a reccomendation to let me know I'm not gaining much by pushing harder, just increasing risk factors.

Yea, I go above 160, but tune into how well I'm feeling. Sometimes it feels really good & I go. Feels
good afterwards too . (betting you know those feelings )
Other days I struggle getting to 160.

wphamilton

That's the thing that bugs me - what risk factors? I've always heard below 95% while we're gaining fitness, we ramp up slow, and when we have a level of fitness then high intensity is no more, or little more, risk than moderate intensity even for older individuals. Is he stereotyping? Has the old-school attitude about stress tests? Am I completely off-base? I can't say that I know, not better than a doctor, but I just have to question it if he's talking from pure general principle given that he's advising an athlete.

It just raises my hackles a little bit, if a doctor assumes that we couldn't or shouldn't do something without a specific reason for it. Maybe there is one, and it's nobody's business, but it doesn't seem like it.

LAJ

Indeed.

One can certainly train by Garmin, or one can train, using the Garmin. Recovery is a time to let your body rebuild from days of ripping your body to shreds. I go 3 days very hard, then 1 day off, a couple days very hard, another off. Based on what the numbers say, an easy week may be on tap. That's active recovery, and that's when your body does it's best building. If a Garmin is telling a rider to rest 2.5 days after a somewhat stressful 1.5-ish hours on the bike, then I call bull. I will also call bull on guessing numbers to put in. Not a slam, but garbage in, garbage out. Do it right, and then adjust.

Wildwood 

Projected recovery time?
What will the software gurus dream up next? Projected time to next tire inflation, next needed bike upgrade, expected time to dirty handlebar wrap, etc?

My software programs only enable my electronics hardware. Golly i'm behind the times, ..........thankfully.

Alexa type products and Googl Assistant scare me.
Big brother is watching, be careful what he knows and sees.

DrIsotope

Naysayers, luddites, and curmudgeons aside, so long as you have correct data input (LTHR, FTP, weight, etc) and have logged a decent number of rides, the Garmin Recovery Advisor and Strava Relative Effort are pretty handy. I have very little ability to moderate intensity, so I can find some benefit in an electronic nanny.

This is not to say that I follow it religiously-- but when it says Recovery Time: 3 Days, I take a day off, and take it pretty easy the day after that.

Daftdog

I think uncalibrated 'recovery time' is pretty much a 'throw it all against the wall, see what sticks' idea. My Garmin tells me that for the same journey, same traffic, same speeds, my recovery time varies between 6 and 15 hours. 4 hours later on the return journey I get very different numbers. It seems to me to be only there for comedy interlude!