I am hearing more and more that most of my training (olympic distance) should be in zone 2. I feel like its not a hard enough intensity. Thoughts on this? How much do you all train in zone 2? What are the benefits?
I am hearing more and more that most of my training (olympic distance) should be in zone 2. I feel like its not a hard enough intensity. Thoughts on this? How much do you all train in zone 2? What are the benefits?
Zone 2 work is volume overload, not intensity overload.
I am hearing more and more that most of my training (olympic distance) should be in zone 2. I feel like its not a hard enough intensity. Thoughts on this? How much do you all train in zone 2? What are the benefits?
The benefit is that you can do a lot of it and still perform at the intense workouts that you do 1-3 times/week.
I agree with the other comments, to get the benefit you need to do A LOT of Z2 training. There are trade-offs to any training philosophy. I’d love to do a ton of Z2, but my time management hasn’t improved enough to allow the time for it 
Personally, I do about 75% in Z2, which sounds like a lot but is not. That is based on HR during all workouts. Not including swimming, because I don’t measure HR in the pool (gear limitations). That is probably 6-7 of the 8-9 hours/week I run and bike (combined).
The supposed benefit is more efficiency, which makes you faster (not citing my sources, go to Joe Friel’s blog and search for it).
I do transition to more Z3+ work during race season (April- Sept/Oct), but the overall ratio is still probably 3 to 1.
I agree with the other comments, to get the benefit you need to do A LOT of Z2 training. There are trade-offs to any training philosophy. I’d love to do a ton of Z2, but my time management hasn’t improved enough to allow the time for it
Personally, I do about 75% in Z2, which sounds like a lot but is not. That is based on HR during all workouts. Not including swimming, because I don’t measure HR in the pool (gear limitations). That is probably 6-7 of the 8-9 hours/week I run and bike (combined).
The supposed benefit is more efficiency, which makes you faster (not citing my sources, go to Joe Friel’s blog and search for it).
I do transition to more Z3+ work during race season (April- Sept/Oct), but the overall ratio is still probably 3 to 1.
I just pretty much do all my stuff in Z2 unless it is a race, which I do like 10 per year.
What I hear so few do is train all year long which from the top racers I know, that is the difference.
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pretty much live in zone 2. During build/ race prep phase will sprinkle on a little zone 3 and 4 work
When I played triathlete, I lived in Z2 (I didn’t know what it was called then). But, now on my MtB and in CX racing I have discovered Zones 4 and 5.
I am hearing more and more that most of my training (olympic distance) should be in zone 2. I feel like its not a hard enough intensity. Thoughts on this? How much do you all train in zone 2? What are the benefits?
Being willing to go slow allows you to do more.
You shouldn’t do all of your training slow, but if you have time to add more zone 2, adding more zone 2 will make you faster.
I am hearing more and more that most of my training (olympic distance) should be in zone 2. I feel like its not a hard enough intensity. Thoughts on this? How much do you all train in zone 2? What are the benefits?
Being willing to go slow allows you to do more.
You shouldn’t do all of your training slow, but if you have time to add more zone 2, adding more zone 2 will make you faster.
I love this answer.
Meaning, if I do open it up in training, I have to do a lot more recovery and therefor, less training.
I just figure I will save the hard stuff for an actual race. So far this has allowed me to get to the start lines healthy and rested.
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I’d call 75%+ “most,” maybe not “all.” If you can swing X hours and log mostly Z2 and see improvement, more power to you! But the little bit of Z3 work I do (with even less Z4 and 5) has worked well for me INDIVIDUALLY.
Man, there are so many other factors to consider, as well - years in each sport (base), distance, age, injury history…hard to pigeon hole the HR zone discussion!
some may think “whats the point of training at zone 2 if i’m never going to be racing at that pace?”.
Well zone 2 training still builds additional capillaries in your moving muscles, creates additional mitonchondria density, increases bone density (if running), and also a bunch of other physiology changes that would benefit your racing. As a result of these physiological changes, you’ll be able to better tolerate and absorb speed work therefore making you even faster.
I’ve been a Zone 3/4/5 guy for most of my Tri-life. My only Z2’s were short 30-min runs or short 45-min rides. This year I’m getting coached up for IM and it’s mostly Z2 stuff now. I’ve been able to rack up TSS and still be able to hit interval workouts consistently. It has made me skip out on some group rides, because I know that those will put me into Z4, but my goal is June 28th, not today.
Don’t be bringing that kind of vocabulary onto these boards like that…who do you think we are…Doctors?
Thanks for the great post!!!
Would you guys say that “75% in zone 2” is also relevant for Sprint training? I just added up all my training zones for a typical week (not a recovery week) and came up with this:
z1 23% (warmups/warmdowns & recovery intervals)
z2 33%
z3 10%
ss 13%
z4 17% (race pace)
z5 4%
Maybe not enough z2 for sprint training? Too much in z1 maybe?
Would you guys say that “75% in zone 2” is also relevant for Sprint training?
Yes, absolutely. A sprint is an hour long. That is an aerobic event.
Training in any zone from 2 to 6 will increase your aerobic power, which will increase you sustainable power from all durations from a couple minutes to 8+ hours.
I’m not sure how you are adding up your zones. If you are using bins from your power data, lots of zone 1 is inevitable from all the coasting/stopping moments.
I also don’t know enough about how much you are training in total, how much time you have, etc to know whether you should be done more zone 2 training or not.
Would you guys say that “75% in zone 2” is also relevant for Sprint training?
Yes, absolutely. A sprint is an hour long. That is an aerobic event.
Training in any zone from 2 to 6 will increase your aerobic power, which will increase you sustainable power from all durations from a couple minutes to 8+ hours.
I’m not sure how you are adding up your zones. If you are using bins from your power data, lots of zone 1 is inevitable from all the coasting/stopping moments.
I also don’t know enough about how much you are training in total, how much time you have, etc to know whether you should be done more zone 2 training or not.I do most of my training on a trainer so not a lot of coasting or stopping. I have only ~5 hours per week to train on the bike, hence doing most on the trainer. These percentages are just the times spent in each zone in a typical week; +/- a few percentage points in each zone.
Going slow allows you to have high quality hard sessions and to race fast. I live and coach by the 80/20 rule. Roughly 80 percent of what you do should be easy training and 20 percent quality sessions. That allows high quality on the hard days so you get the most out of them AND can recover properly from them. The body doesn’t get fitter when we train, you get fitter when we rest.
Zone 2? Never heard of it
Meaning, if I do open it up in training, I have to do a lot more recovery and therefor, less training.
That’s not what that means.
Being willing to go slow allows you to do more.
You shouldn’t do all of your training slow, but if you have time to add more zone 2, adding more zone 2 will make you faster.
One year I increased my usual training volume by ~25%, by adding in more long level 2 rides (24 straight weeks w/ at least one 4+ h ride every weekend). The only thing it really did for me was cure the neck pain I used to get on such long rides.
YMMV.