Upgrading kit please! I bought a Specialized Allez around 6 years ago and splashed out on some Fulcrum Quattro wheels. Can you give advice on upgrading to a faster machine? With all the deals around am I better going for a new (rim brake) frame or a complete new bike and then upgrading those disc brake wheels? There seem to be loads of options to move forward but maybe too many. Looking for an endurance bike for comfortable long rides which is also fast enough for 100 mile events. I find the Allez geometry really comfortable, are other brand bikes very different? Budget £2k. Many thanks.
The training topic I would like you to cover is the one that 99% of exercise physiologists miss out. Namely the neuroscience or more specifically pedalling skill. This is how we gain efficiency and endurance so it's rather important.
This may seem stupid, but I've got questions about the accuracy of optical HRM. If I cinch up the velcro band a bit too tight, mine reads a resting HR in the high 60's before a ride. If I don't cinch it down, my resting HR is 48-52. I've validated the latter by counting for a minute against a chronograph.. Though it seems like it might not matter, the difference between 48bpm and 68bpm is huge, especially in how Strava measures TSS and training load. Does GCN want to do science on this topic?
Great video! First, the fact that the basic calc for heart rate zone is the one based on age is on par with using BMI (height /weight) to determine fitness. Both are calculations from the 1950's (almost 70 year old measures) and both are wild generalizations. Considering that body fat can easily be measured AND heart rate threshold can be easily tracked, using those baselines is a myth that needs to die. Which leads me to my topic suggestion: training myths that are still followed despite being proved wrong.
@@gcn Indeed I am! I was before as well (powermeter and garmin connect) but now I'll be able to use them more effectively, especially during the Zwift winter season. Thanks again!
Great expiation of how the multiple zone models fit together. I am comfortable with where my training zones are. The problem is my lack of discipline in sticking to them. As soon as I see a rider ahead of me or I get passed, the competitive juices start flowing and the chase is on.
Si mentioning that his legs are always screaming was really insightful for me. As someone who has just taken up cycling, I wasn't sure if it was just me with the screaming legs
The interpretation of nervous signals by the brain is individual. I don't feel any of the sensations from my legs as anything I'd interpret as "pain" or "screaming", even if I'm greying out in a TT
@@smeetsnoud1 greying out is the loss of vision. Your vision gets narrow, as the peripheral goes dark, so it looks like you're looking down a long dark tunnel.
@@smeetsnoud1 I usually d9nt push myself quite that hard, the most dramatic was near the end of my hour record attempt, at about 53min I was feeling good and tried to raise the pace slightly, and started to grey out for a lap.
When I first started cycling (well, again as an adult, for a 20 minute commute) it was really tough on my legs - after just a few minutes they would feel heavy and it was difficult to hold the same pace while my breathing was still okay, and I could only bike to work two or three days a week with how sore I was after. It was significantly better after a couple months as my body got accustomed to the movement and effort, and I could bike every day (probably some fitness improvements too, but I was already running with my young dog daily at the time). Now, my legs always feel heavy from about 5 to 15 minutes into a ride but after I'm warmed up I can do a moderate pace ride for a couple hours without worrying about my legs anymore. It's only the rides where I'm doing a big climb (30+ minutes) or a lot of small sprints where my legs start feeling like the thing holding me back.
Si, a video to save, well done. While I understand this topic, always great to have such a detailed, easy to understand, pragmatic approach. At age 60, I find it even more important to work in and know your zones. I will say with not racing, I think that training with Heart rate, cadence and Power using a training app/trainer inside and using Heart rate and cadence outside is good way to do it and keep the cost down as you tend to 'memorize' how perform in the zones. Thanks!
HR only works for feeling zones for long intervals. Your heart reacts far too slowly with intervals under 5min and not that well for 10min intervals. This is all very easy to see when you first get a power meter. If I'm doing 20min at threshold, it'll take 5 min before my HR goes up to mid z3 and upwards of 10min before I'm in hr z4 and it'll keep creeping up through that 20min. People's power relative to HR can also differ drastically from indoors to outdoors
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 ❤
As someone who doesn't train and just rides for fun, I use the 3 zone model in my head to keep track of how long I can keep pace when on a group ride. 👍 I think of it as being in the green, yellow and red, as Si described; sustainable, unsustainable, and catch up to the draft. XD
Re: breathing through your nose, to find zone 2. I find this does work, but only if I keep the muscles of my face relaxed. If I scrunch up my face to increase airflow then I can slip into zone 3 while breathing through my nose. But with relaxed face muscles I find this totally works, and I use it regularly (and confirm the results with heart-rate periodically).
For me, I always view Zone 2 as "the one I can do all day" Sure, at some point I'll fatigue especially if there are hills or sprints to pass, but zone 2 is totally that comfortable place to ride across country
Went for a 32 mile ride(on a trek roscoe 8 enduro bike, arguably the heaviest bike next to electric full suspension)in 90 degrees 60% humidity, didn’t feel the leg scream til the last 8-10 miles, but i was trying to stay in zone 2 in ft worth Texas. I did drop into zone 1 and couldn’t get out of it due to downhill speed and climbed into zone 5 due to climbs along the way. But i felt like trying to stay in 2 was actually pretty good result wise. No gels or fuel just water, as i am looking at weight loss and strength gains as my primary focus.
I found this video brilliant and very helpful in sorting out so many things. It's like the missing link for me and I'm incredibly grateful! I'm a 67 yr old man who has ridden most of my life and am now transitioning to a cyclist who wants to maximize my VO2 through more specific training. I now need help in knowing what tech to purchase and will look to see if you have a video on that. Thank you
I’m kind of excited about this. A work buddy was talking to me about zone training the other day and I had no idea what it was but it turns out my watch tracks that. I’m not competitive training or anything but using it the last couple days I do like how it keeps me from slacking off when I’ve started day dreaming on my stationary bike and loss track lol.
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!
sounds like me when I don't eat enough and get low blood sugar. maybe bring someone and have em check your sugar levels when you reach that state? just a thought.
Zone 6 is where I thrive. Then again, I just play squash, which requires bursts of power for a maximum of only 2 minutes and a 15 seconds rest (: Having that rest in between is absolutely crucial!
12:15 Si, you touch on this preset Zone 2 conundrum that I have run up against as well. But I still don’t understand it. What did do you do to your Z2 to make it intelligible? On one platform my Z2 is from HR 112-120bpm, another it’s from 133-155, one more has it at 113-147. I see the similarities in these numbers, but I don’t really understand what to do with them in my training…
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.
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.
Si, good one. Have worked out that you have 5 training zones. 1. Coffee & Cake 2. Coffee 3. Epic 4. Full Gas 5. Blown My Doors Off 😂 Good vid and a prompt to consider a HR monitor and power meter. The watch is fine, breathing still good but 5 years on, a few events later, getting into it and time to untap a little more 😀
Thank you Si, very illuminating. Earlier this year all my zones smeared into one but now i think I can see "zone boundaries" in my riding. Keep up this good content. If I could give you more that 1 thumbs up I would.
Thank you for sharing this rich content, the presenter was excellent. I like how he was practical and pointing out things for non-elite athletes as well. What is and isn't practical.
I am a recreational cyclist who is trying to cycle for fun but also heart health. You are so right about the legs. They always scream at me when I stand to ride up a hill even if my lungs haven’t yet given up. Do I just need to do more leg exercises to strengthen my quads and hamstrings?
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?
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.
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.
I think we need a video explaing what is going on in them zones to our muscles. Like why we train in zone 2 and why its important. Same as zone 4.. more in depth.. thanks!
The main thing I do is focusing in my body at all. I dont use tech, and I have seen my progress doing different things like training by doing only flat days, only climbing days, and days with everything mixed, also doing one time per week a massive ride focusing in improving every aspect, speed, time, kms, and so. I dont say zones and tech is bad or unnecessary, but you can also hear your own body and have a good training plan without these things and still have a great progress
Excellent overview Si your very easy to listen to and take on board what your saying, be great to hear some more tuitional type vids with you presenting 😊 well done dude.. Pete 👍🚴🏻😃🥇🚴🏻
Great insight into training zones. Will have to watch the summary again though as the couple who entered the cafe behind Si completely drew all of my attention for some reason! Was it clandestine? Are they an item? Whatever it was, they were very animated. Looked like they were heading for a zone 6 relationship 😂
Si, great video. I think zone fun and zone; do what feels right and don't sweat the small stuff, are critical zones too. If it feels right, it is right.
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?
Well done. I've been studying this topic and was curious how you would present it. Very consistent with Training Peaks University courses and lessons from WKO5 leaders.
I have a question. I’ve carefully followed advice and training plans and raced road and mtb for more than 20 years. I took up bike packing and rode the Tour Aotearoa in New Zealand. 3,000+ km and 40,000m of climbing on single track, gravel and roads in 24 days on a hard tail weighing 28 kg fully loaded. At the end I was fitter than I’ve ever been doing carefully constructed and expensively coached training plans. Is it all nonsense and are we better off just doing big days in the hills with a heavy bike?
Haha. I think the coaching plans aim for performance at a specific discipline more than general fitness, which are not necessarily the same thing. But yeah, I bet a several week biking trip packing your own gear would lead to great fitness, and for the rest of the year when you have to be at work, get a 100lb capacity rear rack and giant panniers, ditch the car, do not just commuting and getting around but all your shopping by bike (barring messy weather if you don't want to deal), for actual ride time mix it up between mtb, gravel and road, ride to the mtb trail (within reason), wear a weighted pack or ride with stuff in the bags just for exercise.
What confuses me is hrr (heart rate reserve) vs hr for zone setting. Hr zone for me is 134 mid zone 2, tops out at 139. But hrr is 144, tops out at 153. Significantly higher. Breathing effort…. I can work at the higher rate for an hour on the turbo, then glad it’s finished, and throughout my heart rate increases for the same effort so I start at the bottom of zone 2 (reserve) and finishes at the top. But based on basic heart rate at 134 it feels easy and I can maintain the effort. So … is hrr better/too hard. This is on my garmin, and garmin says hrr is the more accurate….
@@indjke well that was my theory. But when I did the bill of my training at the lower hr, I wasn’t getting any improvement. However, when I back off the pressure at the higher heart rate, my Hr drops immediately. So I’m thinking it may be ok.
Great video and explanation. I am trying hard to structure my trainings, but it fails every time after adrenaline is kicking in. Speed above all. I know it’s wrong, but really fun. After this video I will try to train more with focus on zones again. Thanks for the video. 👍🏻
Good luck! And a random tip that miiight help? Just remember that DISTANCE can be just as fun as SPEED. Or just go back to WHY you're even trying hard to structure your training.
What do you think of the Fartlek concept? Adapt your training with your feel and/or the geography. I found it very useful. I kind of having difficulties to stik with a training program. Instead I go out and some times do intervals sessions base on where are the hills. I do the intervals in the hills and go tempo or soft in between. Or I use music: one song over threshold and the other under. Or things like that. I try to use the concepts of structure training and be flexible with it to adapt to the session I'm in. Do you have tips to be more efficient with that kind of training and what do you think of it??
Nose breathing is a great start for Zone 2 rides. On the trainer (Zwift) while I am all alone, I also read the numbers and names out loud occasionally to be sure. Ride on!
I have a turbo trainer that measures power. With this, it is possible to do an FTP test. From there you can calculate power zones and also gain a good idea of what the heart rate will be in those zones. Ideal for those with only a heart monitor. As for working off max heart rate. Well, I have never truly believed I know what that heart rate is. It is not easy to determine it.
You can do a test for max heart rate, I did one a few years ago with a friend who was a very good (international) runner. never again, it makes a FTP test feel like a walk in the park followed by cake.
@@jonnz061I'm probably just a coward. Although, I've been good at time trialling in the past I don't believe that I have ever truly approached my max heart rate. To get an accurate result would need massive motivation.
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! ;p
Great video, one of the best at explaining nuance to the masses. ? Zone 2 would be an easy pull without labored breathing after a deep pull, Zone 4 would be a few deep catch-up breaths?
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?
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.
Question I try training whit watt pedals now I noticed I cannot stay between zones like 0-143, 136-194 in hilly terrain so I think going back to heart rate what is your advice
Hello, Thank you for this nice and clear explanation. Could you please explain to which zones (let’s say the 7 zone model) the Perceived effort levels from 1-10 in the GCN training videos correspond to?
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.
Great. Si did it again. Imho You do not need powermeter as long as you have a home trainer with that. Iif you are being too serious then perhaps. Consider excessive fatigue that might wreak a havoc into your numbers. GL
so, based on your recommendation, i set on my garmin watch to show speed and respiration rate. what respiration rate should I aim at, say, for vo2max efforts? 169 is my threshold bpm (in running, probably the same in cycling too, i assume?)
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?
G-Day Try some High intensity -post warm up- 30sec max cadence with "road" resistance-90sec steady X8, if you don't hit mhr before, Just make the max effort just that.I think you will find a change in your bpm response to all training fairly quickly
I’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.
Thanks for mentioning HR isn't everything. I have anxiety (ptsd) in traffic and my HR goes up crazy, but I'm not training much harder than in nature where I'm more calm and composed. HR can depend on multipke things, also food, weather, etc
A nice explanation for the zone training Si! I have a heart rate monitor being 61 my theoretical maximum is 159 bpm but I can get my heart up to 164 bpm. with regards to power meters I have 3 bikes with them on! a Sram Quarq single sided power meter, a Shimano 4iii power meter and some Garmin XC100 SPD power meter pedals (3 different bikes) they all read slightly differently so work on the average of the three. It would be good if you did a review of such power meters
This was good and I watched you pretty closely. Thanks! But I think you went off course as you got lost in the competing methodologies and input data set choices. So first new thing I learned was 'Zone 2 is as hard as you can go before flipping from fat burning to carb burning' and 'Zone 4 is as hard as you can go before changing to anaerobic body function' Thank you !! But you could have shown worked examples - is '220 - age' really a poor guide? Can you divide (peak heart rate - resting heart) rate by 4 and get the Zone boundaries pretty accurately? For the Strava Power Curve, would have been interesting to see your FTP, and how (if at all) that can figure in to adjusting the Zones - presumably it is the Zone 4 transition. At the end, it came across that you wanted budget to do a deeper dive with lactate measurements until your fingers looked like pin cushions, without proving that it was actually worth the effort for ANYONE beyond the top 5 at the Tour.
Simon, you told that due to traing your zone2 upper limit did not match the usual percentage of 75% FTP. At least I think that is what you said. My question: is it possible that for an indivudual who trained much in zone2 the upper limit will get higher than 75% of FTP? If I can breathe through the nose my upper limit would be more than 75%. What are your ideas about this?
What other training topics would you like us to cover in future videos? 📊🚴
A Video on how Si got such a muscular upper body ;-).
Upgrading kit please! I bought a Specialized Allez around 6 years ago and splashed out on some Fulcrum Quattro wheels. Can you give advice on upgrading to a faster machine? With all the deals around am I better going for a new (rim brake) frame or a complete new bike and then upgrading those disc brake wheels? There seem to be loads of options to move forward but maybe too many. Looking for an endurance bike for comfortable long rides which is also fast enough for 100 mile events. I find the Allez geometry really comfortable, are other brand bikes very different? Budget £2k. Many thanks.
The training topic I would like you to cover is the one that 99% of exercise physiologists miss out. Namely the neuroscience or more specifically pedalling skill. This is how we gain efficiency and endurance so it's rather important.
This may seem stupid, but I've got questions about the accuracy of optical HRM. If I cinch up the velcro band a bit too tight, mine reads a resting HR in the high 60's before a ride. If I don't cinch it down, my resting HR is 48-52. I've validated the latter by counting for a minute against a chronograph.. Though it seems like it might not matter, the difference between 48bpm and 68bpm is huge, especially in how Strava measures TSS and training load. Does GCN want to do science on this topic?
Great video! First, the fact that the basic calc for heart rate zone is the one based on age is on par with using BMI (height /weight) to determine fitness. Both are calculations from the 1950's (almost 70 year old measures) and both are wild generalizations. Considering that body fat can easily be measured AND heart rate threshold can be easily tracked, using those baselines is a myth that needs to die. Which leads me to my topic suggestion: training myths that are still followed despite being proved wrong.
After 2 years of being a cycling nerd, I finally understand training zones. Informative and digestable. Thank you Si and GCN!
Zones cna be tricky one to get your head around, you're not alone! Great to hear that we could help you out, are you now using zones for training?
@@gcn Indeed I am! I was before as well (powermeter and garmin connect) but now I'll be able to use them more effectively, especially during the Zwift winter season. Thanks again!
Great expiation of how the multiple zone models fit together. I am comfortable with where my training zones are. The problem is my lack of discipline in sticking to them. As soon as I see a rider ahead of me or I get passed, the competitive juices start flowing and the chase is on.
Discipline can be tough! Have you tried indoor training? Time on the turbo can be a little more focused 🥵
Si mentioning that his legs are always screaming was really insightful for me. As someone who has just taken up cycling, I wasn't sure if it was just me with the screaming legs
The interpretation of nervous signals by the brain is individual. I don't feel any of the sensations from my legs as anything I'd interpret as "pain" or "screaming", even if I'm greying out in a TT
@@galenkehlerhow would you describe your sensations when you're greying out?
@@smeetsnoud1 greying out is the loss of vision. Your vision gets narrow, as the peripheral goes dark, so it looks like you're looking down a long dark tunnel.
@@smeetsnoud1 I usually d9nt push myself quite that hard, the most dramatic was near the end of my hour record attempt, at about 53min I was feeling good and tried to raise the pace slightly, and started to grey out for a lap.
When I first started cycling (well, again as an adult, for a 20 minute commute) it was really tough on my legs - after just a few minutes they would feel heavy and it was difficult to hold the same pace while my breathing was still okay, and I could only bike to work two or three days a week with how sore I was after. It was significantly better after a couple months as my body got accustomed to the movement and effort, and I could bike every day (probably some fitness improvements too, but I was already running with my young dog daily at the time).
Now, my legs always feel heavy from about 5 to 15 minutes into a ride but after I'm warmed up I can do a moderate pace ride for a couple hours without worrying about my legs anymore. It's only the rides where I'm doing a big climb (30+ minutes) or a lot of small sprints where my legs start feeling like the thing holding me back.
Si, a video to save, well done. While I understand this topic, always great to have such a detailed, easy to understand, pragmatic approach. At age 60, I find it even more important to work in and know your zones. I will say with not racing, I think that training with Heart rate, cadence and Power using a training app/trainer inside and using Heart rate and cadence outside is good way to do it and keep the cost down as you tend to 'memorize' how perform in the zones. Thanks!
HR only works for feeling zones for long intervals. Your heart reacts far too slowly with intervals under 5min and not that well for 10min intervals. This is all very easy to see when you first get a power meter. If I'm doing 20min at threshold, it'll take 5 min before my HR goes up to mid z3 and upwards of 10min before I'm in hr z4 and it'll keep creeping up through that 20min. People's power relative to HR can also differ drastically from indoors to outdoors
Great to hear you are keeping the training going! How often are you focusing on zone work? 💨
Thanks, At least once a week, but mostly twice. Try to get two workouts in and then a free ride a week. More in the warmer months. @@gcn
Don't often comment, but this video was mega. Really helps refocus me on real training rather than just randomly pedalling hard and easy.
Wellcome to the comments! It's a nice place really 😉 Great to hear we could help! It's amazing what a bit of structure can do to your fitness!
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 ❤
As someone who doesn't train and just rides for fun, I use the 3 zone model in my head to keep track of how long I can keep pace when on a group ride. 👍 I think of it as being in the green, yellow and red, as Si described; sustainable, unsustainable, and catch up to the draft. XD
Nothing wrong with simplifying the zones! Great to hear you have managed to mixed a relaxed cycling mindset with a bit of structure 🙌
Yeah I was doing half turns on Spin Bike to find my zones until discovering GCN's playlists
Re: breathing through your nose, to find zone 2. I find this does work, but only if I keep the muscles of my face relaxed. If I scrunch up my face to increase airflow then I can slip into zone 3 while breathing through my nose. But with relaxed face muscles I find this totally works, and I use it regularly (and confirm the results with heart-rate periodically).
Going by my hr monitor it is actually pretty accurate providing you're not bunged up with a cold.
Interesting! We might have to test this one out 👀 Luckily Si is such a chilled guy 😉
My nose just doesn't have enough throughput to do even zone 1.
When you're breathing in zone 2 through your nose, do you still breathe normally or slightly harder?
@@bonbonflippers4298 A little harder. But so long as I keep my facial muscles relaxed, it's not a lot harder.
For me, I always view Zone 2 as "the one I can do all day"
Sure, at some point I'll fatigue especially if there are hills or sprints to pass, but zone 2 is totally that comfortable place to ride across country
Zone 2 rides are a great base to build your fitness on 🙌 Do you also pepper in high intensity work?
The problem with zone 2 is that sometimes I can't differentiate zone 1 and 2. All day effort is hovering upper zone 1 to lower part of zone 2
Awesome video guys! I just completed my first FTP test this week and looking to build up my zone 4 interval training, so this is really helpful!
Welcome to the world of training 🙌
Went for a 32 mile ride(on a trek roscoe 8 enduro bike, arguably the heaviest bike next to electric full suspension)in 90 degrees 60% humidity, didn’t feel the leg scream til the last 8-10 miles, but i was trying to stay in zone 2 in ft worth Texas. I did drop into zone 1 and couldn’t get out of it due to downhill speed and climbed into zone 5 due to climbs along the way. But i felt like trying to stay in 2 was actually pretty good result wise. No gels or fuel just water, as i am looking at weight loss and strength gains as my primary focus.
I found this video brilliant and very helpful in sorting out so many things. It's like the missing link for me and I'm incredibly grateful! I'm a 67 yr old man who has ridden most of my life and am now transitioning to a cyclist who wants to maximize my VO2 through more specific training. I now need help in knowing what tech to purchase and will look to see if you have a video on that. Thank you
I love these videos from Si please keep them coming
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 someone who's just starting to get into cycling, I really needed to hear that any time on the bike is going to help fitness as a beginner.
I’m kind of excited about this. A work buddy was talking to me about zone training the other day and I had no idea what it was but it turns out my watch tracks that. I’m not competitive training or anything but using it the last couple days I do like how it keeps me from slacking off when I’ve started day dreaming on my stationary bike and loss track lol.
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!
sounds like me when I don't eat enough and get low blood sugar. maybe bring someone and have em check your sugar levels when you reach that state? just a thought.
You need sugar
Zone 6 is where I thrive. Then again, I just play squash, which requires bursts of power for a maximum of only 2 minutes and a 15 seconds rest (: Having that rest in between is absolutely crucial!
as an old school rider, i really thank you for your explanations Si, my rides will be even more precise! you rule!
Thanks Si for the time you put into this. Zone training is interesting, but tricky to get your head round.
12:15 Si, you touch on this preset Zone 2 conundrum that I have run up against as well. But I still don’t understand it. What did do you do to your Z2 to make it intelligible? On one platform my Z2 is from HR 112-120bpm, another it’s from 133-155, one more has it at 113-147. I see the similarities in these numbers, but I don’t really understand what to do with them in my training…
Very well presented. Thank you, Si.
Do you expect anything else?
One of the best videos on the channel this year. This different zones on different apps have been confusing many including me for quite some time!
You're not the only one! Glad we could help out 🙌 How are you getting on with zone training?
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.
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.
Legs are currently weeping silently on every sweet spot and threshold turbo session at the moment 😢
Glad Si has given advice to ignore them 😂
Glad this came out because I saw other videos GCN posted about some particular zones but lacked context.
Si, good one. Have worked out that you have 5 training zones.
1. Coffee & Cake
2. Coffee
3. Epic
4. Full Gas
5. Blown My Doors Off 😂
Good vid and a prompt to consider a HR monitor and power meter. The watch is fine, breathing still good but 5 years on, a few events later, getting into it and time to untap a little more 😀
Thank you Si, very illuminating. Earlier this year all my zones smeared into one but now i think I can see "zone boundaries" in my riding.
Keep up this good content. If I could give you more that 1 thumbs up I would.
Thank you for sharing this rich content, the presenter was excellent. I like how he was practical and pointing out things for non-elite athletes as well. What is and isn't practical.
Nice video, I always enjoy videos featuring Si. As always he does a great job explaining everything.
I would really appreciate it if you could put together a training schedule using zones. Please :)
I am a recreational cyclist who is trying to cycle for fun but also heart health. You are so right about the legs. They always scream at me when I stand to ride up a hill even if my lungs haven’t yet given up. Do I just need to do more leg exercises to strengthen my quads and hamstrings?
high quality explanation, im actually impressed for a change.
Super great video that explains clearly what the zones are all about. Thanks GCN.
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?
Being a regular user of the GCN training videos, I would have to add
10 ZONES OF COURSE!!!
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.
Informative, well-done video - thank you. Found it helpful as a runner.
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.
Thanks for the insight Si! Always struggled to explain this to my buds and will definitely share your message to help them understand👌
I think we need a video explaing what is going on in them zones to our muscles. Like why we train in zone 2 and why its important. Same as zone 4.. more in depth.. thanks!
Very well put together. What I would like to learn is how to pace efforts, especially between 1min and 10min.
Best explanation on the internet. Tkz
the analogy of zones and weights at the gym was a great one.
That gym scene is phenomenal
The power of zones fine-ly explained! ⚡Thanks Si!
Very helpful. I always debated the variation between power and heart rate within a given zone. That’s good guidance.
The main thing I do is focusing in my body at all. I dont use tech, and I have seen my progress doing different things like training by doing only flat days, only climbing days, and days with everything mixed, also doing one time per week a massive ride focusing in improving every aspect, speed, time, kms, and so. I dont say zones and tech is bad or unnecessary, but you can also hear your own body and have a good training plan without these things and still have a great progress
Excellent overview Si your very easy to listen to and take on board what your saying, be great to hear some more tuitional type vids with you presenting 😊 well done dude.. Pete 👍🚴🏻😃🥇🚴🏻
Super informative video. Thank you!
Great insight into training zones. Will have to watch the summary again though as the couple who entered the cafe behind Si completely drew all of my attention for some reason! Was it clandestine? Are they an item? Whatever it was, they were very animated. Looked like they were heading for a zone 6 relationship 😂
Agreed. However, I think the one standing only knows how to do a Zone 7 - 10 second effort.
@@fredsirvalo1904 🤣🤣🤣
Si is the best GCN presenter 👍
Si, great video. I think zone fun and zone; do what feels right and don't sweat the small stuff, are critical zones too. If it feels right, it is right.
Agree with Si as he mentioned to concentrate on breathing this can achieve with yoga techniques.
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?
Well done. I've been studying this topic and was curious how you would present it. Very consistent with Training Peaks University courses and lessons from WKO5 leaders.
I have a question. I’ve carefully followed advice and training plans and raced road and mtb for more than 20 years. I took up bike packing and rode the Tour Aotearoa in New Zealand. 3,000+ km and 40,000m of climbing on single track, gravel and roads in 24 days on a hard tail weighing 28 kg fully loaded. At the end I was fitter than I’ve ever been doing carefully constructed and expensively coached training plans. Is it all nonsense and are we better off just doing big days in the hills with a heavy bike?
Haha. I think the coaching plans aim for performance at a specific discipline more than general fitness, which are not necessarily the same thing. But yeah, I bet a several week biking trip packing your own gear would lead to great fitness, and for the rest of the year when you have to be at work, get a 100lb capacity rear rack and giant panniers, ditch the car, do not just commuting and getting around but all your shopping by bike (barring messy weather if you don't want to deal), for actual ride time mix it up between mtb, gravel and road, ride to the mtb trail (within reason), wear a weighted pack or ride with stuff in the bags just for exercise.
What confuses me is hrr (heart rate reserve) vs hr for zone setting. Hr zone for me is 134 mid zone 2, tops out at 139. But hrr is 144, tops out at 153. Significantly higher. Breathing effort…. I can work at the higher rate for an hour on the turbo, then glad it’s finished, and throughout my heart rate increases for the same effort so I start at the bottom of zone 2 (reserve) and finishes at the top. But based on basic heart rate at 134 it feels easy and I can maintain the effort. So … is hrr better/too hard. This is on my garmin, and garmin says hrr is the more accurate….
Yes, please do a video on this, @GCN .
I would trust cardiac drift, below LT1 HR should be stable
@@indjke well that was my theory. But when I did the bill of my training at the lower hr, I wasn’t getting any improvement. However, when I back off the pressure at the higher heart rate, my Hr drops immediately. So I’m thinking it may be ok.
Great video and explanation. I am trying hard to structure my trainings, but it fails every time after adrenaline is kicking in. Speed above all. I know it’s wrong, but really fun. After this video I will try to train more with focus on zones again. Thanks for the video. 👍🏻
Good luck! And a random tip that miiight help? Just remember that DISTANCE can be just as fun as SPEED. Or just go back to WHY you're even trying hard to structure your training.
So my goal is to make my zone 2 as fast as everyone elses zone 4. Sounds fairly simple to me. Lets get training. 😂
This is the content we thrive for nice one Si 👌
What do you think of the Fartlek concept? Adapt your training with your feel and/or the geography. I found it very useful. I kind of having difficulties to stik with a training program. Instead I go out and some times do intervals sessions base on where are the hills. I do the intervals in the hills and go tempo or soft in between. Or I use music: one song over threshold and the other under. Or things like that. I try to use the concepts of structure training and be flexible with it to adapt to the session I'm in. Do you have tips to be more efficient with that kind of training and what do you think of it??
Nose breathing is a great start for Zone 2 rides. On the trainer (Zwift) while I am all alone, I also read the numbers and names out loud occasionally to be sure. Ride on!
Thanks! 2024 is the year I move from beginner to....better. This will be a helpful referral.
I have a turbo trainer that measures power. With this, it is possible to do an FTP test. From there you can calculate power zones and also gain a good idea of what the heart rate will be in those zones. Ideal for those with only a heart monitor. As for working off max heart rate. Well, I have never truly believed I know what that heart rate is. It is not easy to determine it.
You can do a test for max heart rate, I did one a few years ago with a friend who was a very good (international) runner. never again, it makes a FTP test feel like a walk in the park followed by cake.
@@jonnz061I'm probably just a coward. Although, I've been good at time trialling in the past I don't believe that I have ever truly approached my max heart rate. To get an accurate result would need massive motivation.
A good one! Thanks GCN.🎉
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! ;p
Another informative video from Si 👍
Great video, one of the best at explaining nuance to the masses.
?
Zone 2 would be an easy pull without labored breathing after a deep pull, Zone 4 would be a few deep catch-up breaths?
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?
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.
I often ride in the evening. I guess you could say that I usually ride in the twilight zone😂
😂
Very well put together!
Question I try training whit watt pedals now I noticed I cannot stay between zones like 0-143, 136-194 in hilly terrain so I think going back to heart rate what is your advice
Hello,
Thank you for this nice and clear explanation.
Could you please explain to which zones (let’s say the 7 zone model) the Perceived effort levels from 1-10 in the GCN training videos correspond to?
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.
Great. Si did it again. Imho You do not need powermeter as long as you have a home trainer with that. Iif you are being too serious then perhaps. Consider excessive fatigue that might wreak a havoc into your numbers. GL
so, based on your recommendation, i set on my garmin watch to show speed and respiration rate.
what respiration rate should I aim at, say, for vo2max efforts? 169 is my threshold bpm (in running, probably the same in cycling too, i assume?)
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?
G-Day Try some High intensity -post warm up- 30sec max cadence with "road" resistance-90sec steady X8, if you don't hit mhr before, Just make the max effort just that.I think you will find a change in your bpm response to all training fairly quickly
Excellent vidéo! Thanks!
Oh, so that's what that estimated power curve is on Strava... Makes sense now! Also didn't know about the L1, L2 thing.
Great vid, loads of info to take in. My take away ' 3 MINUTE MAX EFFORT!'
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?
Question: if you're working on sprinting is there no other way to assess you're performance besides going to Zone 7?
Thanks Si, a good video that one 👏 most enjoyed with my morning cuppa
More importantly... how do you make that tea? Milk? Bag in? 🫖
@@gcn Almond milk builders tea! - bag in, always😄
I’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.
What to eat topic and whan for what improvements
You guys make good, science-based content. :)
Very informative video for beginner cyclists.
Wondering what cycling glassed were Simon wearing in this video?
Thanks for mentioning HR isn't everything. I have anxiety (ptsd) in traffic and my HR goes up crazy, but I'm not training much harder than in nature where I'm more calm and composed. HR can depend on multipke things, also food, weather, etc
A nice explanation for the zone training Si! I have a heart rate monitor being 61 my theoretical maximum is 159 bpm but I can get my heart up to 164 bpm. with regards to power meters I have 3 bikes with them on! a Sram Quarq single sided power meter, a Shimano 4iii power meter and some Garmin XC100 SPD power meter pedals (3 different bikes) they all read slightly differently so work on the average of the three. It would be good if you did a review of such power meters
11:55 stylish sunglasses 😁
This was good and I watched you pretty closely. Thanks! But I think you went off course as you got lost in the competing methodologies and input data set choices.
So first new thing I learned was 'Zone 2 is as hard as you can go before flipping from fat burning to carb burning' and 'Zone 4 is as hard as you can go before changing to anaerobic body function' Thank you !!
But you could have shown worked examples - is '220 - age' really a poor guide? Can you divide (peak heart rate - resting heart) rate by 4 and get the Zone boundaries pretty accurately?
For the Strava Power Curve, would have been interesting to see your FTP, and how (if at all) that can figure in to adjusting the Zones - presumably it is the Zone 4 transition.
At the end, it came across that you wanted budget to do a deeper dive with lactate measurements until your fingers looked like pin cushions, without proving that it was actually worth the effort for ANYONE beyond the top 5 at the Tour.
Where can we find out our correct hr zone % based on fthr or max. Garmin and strava are totally different so is most calculators on the Internet
Simon, you told that due to traing your zone2 upper limit did not match the usual percentage of 75% FTP. At least I think that is what you said. My question: is it possible that for an indivudual who trained much in zone2 the upper limit will get higher than 75% of FTP? If I can breathe through the nose my upper limit would be more than 75%. What are your ideas about this?
I am more confused than in the beginning of the video. 🤣
What's the model of SI's Canyon commute bike?
I would sum up zones with the number of gears dividend by 2 with a factor of incline diminished by wind.