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Training high or low within a specific training zone
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If we consider standard five or six training zones in TraningPeaks, those will normally have a spread of several Watts or BPM. Does it make a difference if I train high or low within that zone?

Lets for sake of argument say, my Aerobic Capacity Zone (2) goes from 170-230Watts, and I do a 3 hour indoor ride on my trainer within that zone, will there be any difference if I do those three hours at 170 Watts or at 230 Watts? I understand that of course in reality those boarders are fluid and the 5/6 Zones are just to simplify things, but 170 and 230 Watts is quite a difference. Or should I aim to be exactly in the middle of my zone?

This is not meant to discuss to sense or no-sense of 3 hour aerobic capacity training indoor rides, I just took this example because that would be easy to control scenario, where you could actually focus to be very exact on your output =)
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Re: Training high or low within a specific training zone [Ben6] [ In reply to ]
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What you describe is like being in the sweet spot, which covers a good portion of the aerobic middle and IMO pretty good stuff for 3 hours. I would say that is how my outside cycling can average when solo in a TT type training pace in traffic for that time frame and a little more honed in on indoor training target in ERG mode at a shorter duration. I may have most of my time in the upper range of L4, but will still label it sweet spot because some of it may be in low L4 / high L3.

For me personally when choosing to be at the upper end or lower end of that range depends on what I have planned for the week in managing the training load. If it is too intense and it disrupts other training days I will go a bit lower, but it is a tough choice. At the moment I am trying to ramp up or be a bit more progressive so I am trying to endure (and adapt) the higher range and still be consistent with day to day training.
Last edited by: Felt_Rider: Feb 14, 18 4:06
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Re: Training high or low within a specific training zone [Ben6] [ In reply to ]
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Personally I would aim for the middle, the end result would be a result of how I felt that day or from the terrain I rode on Zwift.

Sorry if I didn't help much, at least I bumped this to the top again.
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Re: Training high or low within a specific training zone [Ben6] [ In reply to ]
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Tired legs = lower end. Fresher=higher end. Really if you think about it, before you do a new FTP test you should be capable of riding at the higher end of each zone. Your body has (hopefully) changed, but you are still training in the zones you set off your last test. Last week's FTP interval could be next week's sweet spot interval. So technically, riding at the low end isn't actually doing the work you want, but also remember that these zones are not an exact science. Just a system to structure your work. Heck a poor night's sleep or bad hydration could have a bigger effect on your body's ability to hit a specified zone than you realize.

You are probably over-thinking this. Just try to stick to your plan and don't stress too much.
Last edited by: grumpier.mike: Feb 14, 18 6:44
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Re: Training high or low within a specific training zone [Ben6] [ In reply to ]
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Ben6 wrote:
If we consider standard five or six training zones in TraningPeaks, those will normally have a spread of several Watts or BPM. Does it make a difference if I train high or low within that zone?.....

.......I understand that of course in reality those boarders are fluid and the 5/6 Zones are just to simplify things, but 170 and 230 Watts is quite a difference. Or should I aim to be exactly in the middle of my zone?.....
I think the question doesn't really make sense given these two conflicting ideas.
What I mean is, the zones are just approximate ranges selected from the continuous power/HR spectrum from stopped to flat out. Which you appear to agree. So yes, it matters where within the zone you are working, because zones are not a switch where you're doing the right training or not doing the right training. Higher in a zone is just the same as higher intensity anywhere on the intensity spectrum. The zones are not "real", they're just a convention to facilitate communication.

So, what I'm getting at is this: The real question is not whether it matters. The question is what the session is supposed to accomplish and/or what the person who designed the training session intended that you do (whether that's yourself, a coach, or some other training plan).
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Re: Training high or low within a specific training zone [Ai_1] [ In reply to ]
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Ai_1 wrote:
Ben6 wrote:
If we consider standard five or six training zones in TraningPeaks, those will normally have a spread of several Watts or BPM. Does it make a difference if I train high or low within that zone?.....

.......I understand that of course in reality those boarders are fluid and the 5/6 Zones are just to simplify things, but 170 and 230 Watts is quite a difference. Or should I aim to be exactly in the middle of my zone?.....

I think the question doesn't really make sense given these two conflicting ideas.
What I mean is, the zones are just approximate ranges selected from the continuous power/HR spectrum from stopped to flat out. Which you appear to agree. So yes, it matters where within the zone you are working, because zones are not a switch where you're doing the right training or not doing the right training. Higher in a zone is just the same as higher intensity anywhere on the intensity spectrum. The zones are not "real", they're just a convention to facilitate communication.

So, what I'm getting at is this: The real question is not whether it matters. The question is what the session is supposed to accomplish and/or what the person who designed the training session intended that you do (whether that's yourself, a coach, or some other training plan).

I totally agree with this. If you are looking to do a completely aerobic workout, first you would probably use HR (BPM) instead of power. HR will tell you how hard your body is actually working, while power tells you the output your body is producing.

If you are looking for the exact HR where your body is still completely aerobic, you will probably need a metabolic efficiency test to find your anaerobic threshold and train below that number. Or you can estimate by subtracting 30bpm from your lactate threshold. The goal would be to train your body in a state where you are burning mostly fat for fuel instead of using sugars. This will increase your aerobic efficiency.

In short, you might want to aim for the low half of your Zone 2, because training anywhere below the threshold (1 bpm or 20 bpm) will give you aerobic benefits.
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Re: Training high or low within a specific training zone [toastygloveman] [ In reply to ]
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Fresh legs = higher end, tired legs = lower end.
Good day = higher end, tired legs = lower end.
Just after FTP test = lower end, just before FTP test after a good training block = higher end.
Average day = in the middle.
Does RPE feel easy compared for the effort? --> higher end.
Every time also considering how the wattage compares to hart rate and RPE, where RPE is often the leading factor. If the legs are fresh, the hart rate low, but the RPE is high, I would float (not aim for it) towards the lower end.
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