Training zones can cause a lot of confusion. Some models have three, some have five, some six or seven. So, what are they? Why should you use them? How do you find yours? And why can no one agree on them? Si breaks down some of the theory behind the cycling training zones to help you better understand how to make them work for you.
00:00 Intro
00:36 What are training zones?
01:07 Why use training zones?
02:49 Understanding your zones
06:43 How many zones?
08:02 Zone training limitations
10:45 Not all zones are the same
11:55 Finding your training zones
15:52 Summary
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42 Comments
What other training topics would you like us to cover in future videos? 📊🚴
Dead simple.
Strava gives a Watts estimation, based on a 'Cookbook' speed/Watts curve and your mass.
Find a steady hill.
Ride up it and create a segment.
Ride up the hill at speeds from 20 kmh, in 5 kmh steps until your Max. Repetitive, but it will give you a nice chart.
The Strava Watt number is a 'Comparative' result. Not an 'Absolute' result. Strava has a curve where 25 kmh is 100W.
Over the weeks, your Max will increase. The speed sites should remain similar but your perceived effort could reduce. Remember to reduce your mass value on Strava due to the lost fat. 🙂
I've been riding since 2018 and I've gotten to the point where I can ride for two hours pretty much every single day. I've had the same simple bike computer since 2019 and it's getting to the point where using MPH is really frustrating. I'm not blowing my legs out but they never really feel like they're super fresh either. It'd certainly be nice to be able to correctly identify how much time I'm spending in each zone.
So many ramifications that one gets lost in the woods. 🫤 The 220-age formula is virtually worthless. Power meters are not applicable to most cross-training. The topic is fascinating and frustrating in equal measure. 😅
Common, heart rate meter cost nothing in comparison to a bike. Just buy it
Great vid, loads of info to take in. My take away ' 3 MINUTE MAX EFFORT!'
One of your best videos, thank you so much, Si!
After fiddling with the zones for years I finally understand where they are coming from.
as an old school rider, i really thank you for your explanations Si, my rides will be even more precise! you rule!
Thank you Si, probably the best 'zones' video I've seen. I've always thought focusing on zone's reduced the fun and possibly stopped me going for that Strava segment when I felt good. But I probably should look into it more.
Great episode. I've been wondering for years and years
-decades, really-about many of these questions. Thanks for the answers! (Yah, I'm aware there's the inter-Web thingy. doh!) It'll be interesting to find out what zone(s) I gravitate toward when I ride. My style has always been like I'm the lone breakaway trying for a stage win! ;pI’ve got a cardiac condition which means I’m not supposed to train at over 125bpm. Can I still do zone training or am I sentenced to a lifetime in zone 1.5? Any advice gratefully received.
How do you pick a power meter? I heard that some power meters may not be accurate either. Is any power meter good? Or are some better than others?
I'm trying to train Z2 on my indoor trainer. I've done a FTP ramp test. I have a zwift hub to set my power level and I have a HR monitor. I know my: age, resting HR, FTP# and target cadence. I would like to see GCN take someone (C. Kelly might be a good candidate) and with the data available to us MAMIL riders determine the training zones. Selfishly Z2 in particular. I've played around with the Z2 range 0.6 <->0.75% of FTP power. I feel that a ride goes between too easy and at the upper level my HR ramps up the last 20 min of a 90 min session. BTW Simon looks great on his bike. Fast and smooth. Thanks.
I love this channel, as a person, a cyclist and everything, it’s just so good, not only was a doubt that I have but I can remember reading the comments and see people asking about that and here is the video not even a month after the request. Thanks guys, you really help us get better into cycling ❤
That gym scene is phenomenal
If I have a cycling motto, emblazoned on the front of my jersey, it is: I don't have a zone 5 . Zones 2, 3, and even 4 all day, but I just say no to zone 5. Why? Not needed in any riding circumstance I encounter regardless the distance or difficulty. The few times I have drifted into zone 5 have not been pretty. Usually happens when on a lengthy steep climb, while alone, and not paying attention to my core temperature, breathing or heartrate. During such extended pain filled moments I often shut down all thinking as I drift into a mental fog in the attempt to distance myself from my body. Then boom, that's when the tunnel vision begins, followed by nausea and a sudden loss of muscle control. Everything comes to a screeching halt, leaving me on the side of the road, unable to get off the bike, using the handlebars as a pillow, my eyes just staring at the front axle, with nothing but the sound of my heart banging against my ears. Eff you zone 5, eff you!
I don't train that seriously, but I like to feel fit and get better – faster, more durable. Still, I have real trouble with using the zones, no matter how loosely defined. Even if I could afford the power meter, I can't comprehend all those methods of finding FTP. All of them assume some kind of "maximal effort" for "a given amount of time". How am I supposed to know those parameters? I'm usually burning too fast, and on the other hand, If I'm not, how can I be sure I couldn't go with somewhat more effort for the same amount of time? Those are mostly psychological problems, but they are holding me back from really using zones properly. In the end, I just take the assumption that as long, as I can breathe through the nose, I'm where I should be since I'm mostly interested in endurance.
Your explanation of zone 2 on how you breath and your ability to talk is very easy to perceive and follow when cycling so, why not set the training zones, for example on an Apple Watch from those zone 2 ride power metrics, instead of doing the standard FTP tests? When you know your zone 2 power data from “feel “ you can then move the FTP setting on Apple Watch until the Zone 2 data fields match your ride data.
I have a wrinkle to iron out around zones. Being 62 and reasonably fit my max heart rate should be around 165 bpm, but I also take pills for high blood pressure which means my max heart rate is lowered by the pills. I cannot get over 150 bpm even when going absolutely made on a HIIT session, I just hit a wall and that is it. What i wonder is should a work my zones out from 165 bpm or 150 bpm? Or carry out doing what I do now, which is just to ride where I think things are about right?
has anyone seen any research on this? My GP could not really help.
Agree with Si as he mentioned to concentrate on breathing this can achieve with yoga techniques.
Wow these training zones have really aged Si. He started with no grey hairs and then by the coffee stop he was properly salt and peppered! Or is this just me seeing things? Or did the camera cream have some fun with a filter? 😂
So all the videos that Si did talking about polarized training and the three zone training method, you know, the one that Tadej Pogacar and a lot of other top pros use, isn't the best method? He sure sounded like he thought so at the time. But now he says use 7 zones. So which is it? And why would we trust someone who flip flops his opinion so easily? Or is GCN just so desperate for content that they make videos saying anything someone might want to hear?
A great video! Just one comment. Zone 4 in the five or seven zone system use to be a bit above and bit below LT 2, typically 91-105% or 95-105% of LT2. In the video it looks like to be below LT2.
my legs are never the problem its always my lungs
Build lots of lactic acid.
I am closing to my 50-ties and found cycling only recently, a few years ago. I am now in a better shape, probably in better than in my 40-ties. Which also tells a lot. 😊 I have found out that I recover very slowly from longer, over 100k, rides. Is there a specific training that could enhance capability to recover, or is that dominated by what happens outside the saddle?
Oh, so that's what that estimated power curve is on Strava… Makes sense now! Also didn't know about the L1, L2 thing.
The famous saying 'shut up legs do what I tell you'
Very informative video. Thanks. But why all the references to Apple watches? Every person i know that cycles or runs uses a Garmin watch. Apple watches are typically owned by unfit people with too much money…
I wish it worked for me but after being in AF and on medication my heart rate is not the same as yours.
Very good advice to cyclists sir
Si mate, is that grey in your hair?
I take blood pressure medication and it lowers my heart rate. Strava rarely credits me anything but Zone 1, no matter how much I push the pace.
Simon did a pretty good explanation there! having the same age but a completely different training background (weightlifting and crossfit-ish) but i very agree on not listening to your legs. when they start to feel fatigued and empty there is still a lot in them to be squeezed out. What i do found difficult though from coming from weightlifting is, that you do heavy sets there basically often so quick that your breathing does not correspond, so heavy breathing comes after the set often. This plays stupid tricks to your cycling and it needs a fair amount of longer rides to readjust because you tend to ride purely anaerobic which is good for sprinting but not for climbing mountain roads or go on longer distances.
I like (and judging by comments) most others like these fitness / performance / training videos and have a suggestion for a new recurring series of Videos. Basically like GCN Tech Q&A sessions but around training and Power / HR / etc. Ideally woulkd be just one or two questions and there would be a follow up where the original post author gave some feedback about what they achieved by following the advice (or I guess why they didn;t follow the advice.) For example my question would be: Male 63 years, 90kilos, generally manage 100-120 Watss average on road but do most of my time in Spin type classes at gym (work/climate/life restricted) and my question is I can almost never go above about 130bpm HR but I never get lactic acid "burn" in my legs so I seem to be limited by HR alone, how to fix that?
HI, Si. Thanks for another video on zone training. One important aspect that I believe is never mentioned is age versus zone training and HR. In the article, J Am Coll Cardiol 2001;37:153–6, HRmax was updated to = 208 – (0.7 * age) in healthy adults. HRmax is predicted, to a large extent, by age alone and is independent of gender and habitual physical activity status. The work indicated that the currently used equation underestimates HRmax in older adults. Here is my follow on… As you age, then the overall HR range could drop from 194 bpm @ 20 years to 166 bpm @ 60 years. Zone 0 to 2 training will take up to 70% of the HRmax, so you have very few bpm left for the remaining zones. Therefore, slight changes in an incline or cadence could mean that you could be in any of the top 3 zones. Walking up stairs can change your heart rate by 20 bpm, so riding outside with hills and dales would also mess you up. Any thoughts?
So where do you expect cardiac drift to occur?
Being a regular user of the GCN training videos, I would have to add
10 ZONES OF COURSE!!!
Talking about power meter I have a second hand Garmin vector 3 that I use on zwift on a static bike and then 4iiii outdoors. 200 watts feels more like zone 4 indoors and outdoors feels more zone 3. So which power meter is reading incorrectly?
With naming of these lactate thresholds I'm detecting trademark and branding infringement
Is Si's hair turning grey? 👀
Wondering what cycling glassed were Simon wearing in this video?