Zone 2 training

How do you stick accurately to zones outdoors.

I try but spiking like anything and unless you're pan flat very hard. Id be in and iut if 1 and 3 unless im in the turbo and you can't be on the turbo on a day like this!

Discipline! That's all it actually takes.

If staying in Z2 means riding along at 25km/hr then so be it. If it means crawling up an incline or hill in the 36/28 then so be it. Or if it means being passed by other cyclists then so be it. I ride on quite undulating roads. There are times I'm crawling up hills at 12-15km/hr but so what. An endurance ride is what it is...

I did quite a lot of Z2 training over the winter, for me the biggest eyeopener when I did some research was how widely some diferent "experts" diverge on their definition of where Z2 starts and finishes, so for me mostly I went by heart rate trying to keep in general below 142, if I popped over that for a few seconds that wouldn't be the end of the world but I'd ease off as soon as I realised.

I didn't find the PM that useful on the bike for trying to stay in zone, by definition it spikes up and down and noone can ride outrside for 3hrs + just staring at their stem.....

*unless maybe you have a train to guide you*

I found this useful, plus a few other videos I found

also

Either 3 or 10 sec, I'd have to check and I think I have one page with instantaneous and 10 sec but I ovbiously don't use that one too much...

In reality you get to know by feel when you're pushing a bit too hard, as long as you don't get distracted...

Zone 2 seems to be touted as a new fad in cycling and in vouge at the moment. Not sure if this as a result of indoor training popularity where cyclist are spending the majority of their time racing on Zwift or using other platforms that only advise high intensity.

If you are following a periodization training plan then most of your winter riding would be spent riding zone 2 and traditionally most racers would have spent significant amounts of time riding zone 1 /2 during a 3 or 4 month base period. Then during build and peak phases introduce threshold, VO2max anaerobic work etc.

You can certainly progress your fitness with Z2 but you will plateau at some point and that where you need to introduce higher intensity training. I don't think you will see huge progress in terms of FTP or Vo2max numbers but you will build a good aerobic base and mostly likely get leaner in the process.

Sounds like you are following a polarized training plan if 80 / 20 split and 20% includes Threshold / Vomax? If so its likely the higher intensity work increase your FTP.

So I've just picked myself up a power meter. Decided to do a bit of zone 2 over the last couple of days. It is much harder than anticipated. Spin was from Delgany to Ashford and back, about the flatest route I can find around here. But definitely struggle to keep the power in range anytime the road goes downhill It is easy enough to lay off the power when needed but I find myself spinning out at the opposite end.

It is also a lot more tiring then I expected. What were maybe zone 2 rides in my mind previously were definitely zone1. I would find myself clipping along at 30kmh ish and look down and power is down sub 100 watts.

I'd maybe rephrase that as using the turbo is a much easier way to get a steady consistent long workout at z2 where you can tune out. I find long z2 rides on the road absolutely fine - fine to do, not fine easy. They just take a lot of concentration, you are constantly hunting for gears depending on what the road is doing. I think that there's just a period of acclimatisation for people early on in terms of, subjectivly, how easy you have to pedal uphill and how hard you have to pedal downhill to remain in the zone.

You will also find yourself locked into the one position on the bike for most of the spin, which isn't easy. And just like any other power session, yes, of course you spend the majority of the spin with one eye looking at your computer and not much else.

With 3s smoothing on a PM your power should not be jumping around so much for it to be an issue to stay within Z2 if you're paying attention.

@manglebadger we're local enough. N11/Coynes/coast to Brittas, back the old N11/Deputies/Glenealy/Ashford/N11. That's about as easy a route for a 3h Z2 ride around here.

Doing z2 right your never off the gas, always constant strain on the pedals.

I done a lap of the lakes recently followed by next day 3 hours pure z2, both rides about 190 watts average both average HR the same, the lakes with almost 1000m climbing you would think should feel harder, riding the climbs z3 and z4. Not a chance a pure z2 spin when you come home and have and NP power almost the same as average power you know you done the work right.

Todays spin was shorter 2 hours pure z2 196watts, power distribution showed only 3 minutes were power dipped below 150watts. Average HR and Max HR within 8 beats 300m climbing. it gets easy how to pace it, i dont even look down at power i just always know to change gear and stay in zone

Never tuck or descend either without pedaling.

I tried to go polarized from December once the CX finished, intervals icu still shows im not doing right yet with my distribution spread. But i ve gained 30 watts on FTP and 20 watts on 5 minute power, everything else hasn't moved up. Same training load same TSS per week / month from last year.

This time last year i was A4 , A2 now, i never raced A3 either last year after promotion , spent the summer just on the mtb mostly. 45 years old was well

I think for an older rider z2 is king

No, just you're not accumalating the same amount of stress when you "rest" but you're still using the same energy pathway.

The idea is to work close to the top of your zone so you don't have to stay out all day.

Again, only a laymans understaanding but I think I'm on solid enough ground here

Save the going over bit for the last 20 mins, no worries then😀

That was my understanding untill I watched the GCN video linked above, which suggested to me that riding a little harder still left you in the same fat burning/slow twitch energy burning system.

I use Xert to monitor my training and suggest workouts to me and it has available to subscribers various data fields for Garmin devices, one of which uses your accumalated data to suggest whether you're burning fat, carbs or a combination of both. Coming home today I tried to take a video of it in action, TBH it came out poorly (riding up a hill with one hand on the bars and trying to keep a phone focused on a c garmin screen is a little beyond my capabilities) buy I might throw it up anyway later if anyone is interested.

I’d say that 90% of us don’t have the time to truly build the Z2 base. It’s a long hard & disciplined process.