There are 7 common training ranges used in cycling. This article reviews the first 4 training categories and what they do for you. I will compare the normal categories to what I use and explain the difference to allow you to make a decision on which training guide to implement. Make sure you have read about what an FTP test is and how to perform an FTP test.

The first 4 most common training categories are as follows; zone one is called Active Recovery, zone two is called Base Endurance, zone 3 is called Tempo, and zone 4 is called Lactate Threshold. I will also go over what ranks I have in the same categories as I divide these 4 zones into 6 zones.

Zone 1 is as its name implies, Active Recovery. In this category, you can exercise at low intensity to allow your body to recover from more intense training sessions and loads on and off the bike. When a rider says that he is going to go out for a smooth turn or a light pedal, he generally implies that he will be in this range. There is definitely no heavy breathing, there are no physiological adaptations that occur in this area, you could carry on a conversation for days, non-stop with yourself. That’s how easy this range should be, no pauses to catch your breath, the pace isn’t hard or fast. Remember that this pace is less than 55% of the average power of your FTP test. Active recovery is very important after hard training sessions as it can speed up recovery, decrease soreness, and help rebuild muscles by getting blood to flow better through the body. Keep in mind that there are other forms of active recovery, such as yoga and hiking.

Area 2 is Resistance or Base Resistance. The intensity is obviously higher than what you’re doing in zone 1. This category still allows for constant conversations unless you’re getting to the top end of the range or going up a hill. This category is known as the zone where you could ride all day. Back when I ran cross country and track in my running days, my coach called it LSD, or long slow distance. This training category ranges from 55-75% of your average FTP test power. Most of your training time should be in this training zone. Zone 2 should allow recovery even after several days of training in this zone in a row, unless the duration of training in this zone is really long. In this case, you may need more than 24 hours to recover. Improving your fitness in zone 2 helps improve your aerobic base, here’s what you can do with oxygen. Spending time in this zone increases your endurance to ride longer at sub-threshold paces. Threshold is your body’s ability to deal with acid buildup. Once you get over the limit, the acid starts to build up and your legs start to get that burning sensation. Eventually you have to slow down as this is the limiting factor of all. The goal is to build that zone 2 endurance to help you last longer during sub-threshold efforts.

Base Endurance, Zone 2 has its benefits and they are; adaptations with muscle glycogen, adaptations with mitochondrial enzymes, and the change of fast-twitch muscle fibers from type 2b to type 2a.

Common Zone 3 is the TEMPO zone, and it is above the strictly aerobic zone and also below your threshold level. Towards the top end of this zone I consider that a sweet spot and I’ll get to that in a minute. Like the resistance zone, you can exercise in this zone for several days in a row if you are recovering adequately with diet, rest, and massage. This area has more labored breathing and interrupts constant conversation. Riders generally take pace rides near the end of the off-season coming out of base construction. Like Zone 2, adaptations with muscle glycogen, mitochondrial enzymes, and changing fast-twitch muscle fibers from type 2b to type 2a are some of the benefits of Tempo. You can also raise your Lactate Threshold in this area. The tempo is 76-90% of the average power of the FTP test.

In the most common zone 4, and this is the Lactate Threshold, where the intensity is obviously higher than what you’re doing in zone 3. This zone is what some call just below a time trial effort, something that could hold for a good amount of time. The breath is higher and the conversation definitely stops because of the breath. This zone is usually where more training intervals are prescribed and during these intervals you may experience discomfort in your legs. The more time you spend in this zone in a single activity, the stronger your mental game should be. In this zone, you switch to using carbs as your primary fuel source, and if you maintain this pace without replenishing them, you will deplete your carb stores and as a result, be forced to slow down or pass out. This training zone ranges from 90-105% of your average FTP test power.

The Lactate Threshold zone begins to push the limit until days in a row in this zone. It is possible to do several consecutive days in this area, but it is better to do it with recovery between them. Along with some of the improvements we see in the previous zones, this zone also increases your plasma volume, increases the efficiency of your heart, increases your VO2, and increases your aerobic power, which is power with oxygen.

My zone 1 is exactly the same as the common active recovery zone 1, including the name.

My zone 2, Base Endurance, is a bit different from normal endurance zone 2. I usually only prescribe this specific zone when an athlete’s HRV indicates they need to ride at a lower level to recover, or after workouts tough for athletes who better handle training loads. For the athlete who may need a lower intensity run but not active recovery or the magic zone, I will prescribe my zone 2, Base Endurance, as it is a mix of the higher end of the active recovery zone as well as the more complete. common resistance zone 2. For the athlete who can handle a higher training load, you will get this zone instead of an active recovery day in some cases.

My zone 3, the magic zone, is basically the same as the common zone 2. I call it magic because this is where you should spend most of your time training, laying the foundations of your fitness to build a stronger body, more quick you. Magic happens here, baby, so when your trainer tells you to stay in this zone, you must stay in this zone!

My Zone 4, the Tempo zone (common zone 3), is slightly different than what everyone else seems to use when it comes to zone 3. My Tempo zone is a smaller zone ranging from 76-85% of the mean power of the FTP test. This leaves a small window for what I call the steady state zone, which is my Zone 5.

My steady state zone, zone 5, uses the top of the normal tempo zone (common zone 3) as well as a small portion of the lactate threshold zone (common zone 4). I truly believe this is the sweet spot for even better results by increasing your plasma volume, increasing your heart’s efficiency, increasing your VO2, and increasing your aerobic power.

My zone 6 is the same as the common zone 4, the only difference is that I call them Limit Ranges instead of Lactate Threshold.

Look for the next article while I finish the rest of the training zones, I hope you get something from these articles to help you become a faster rider!