Zone 2 & Beyond: Training Secrets From Dr Iñigo San Millán (Tadej Pogačar’s Coach)

Dr Iñigo San Millán is back by popular demand to answer some of the questions you left under our previous zone 2 training videos. As the leading expert in the field and the coach of two-time Tour de France winner Tadej Pogačar, Iñigo breaks down the science and methodology behind his training model to explain how it can help you smash your cycling goals!
00:00 Intro
01:17 How does this zone 2 model compare to others?
06:15 Zone 3
07:40 Zone 4
11:42 Zones 5 & 6
14:29 How can you find your zones?
15:43 What’s the best way to measure zone 2 efforts?
20:39 How wide is zone 2 & should you push it?
21:55 How do hard efforts impact zone 2 training?
26:17 How do you get the balance of training right?
29:12 What is the optimal amount of zone 2 training?
Useful Links:
Ride with us at the Global Bike Festival: gcn.eu/GBF2023
Adventure Documentaries, Exclusive Shows & Live Racing on GCN+: gcn.eu/plus
Download the GCN App for free: gcn.eu/app
Visit the GCN Shop: gcn.eu/jan-sale2
Join the GCN Club: www.gcnclub.com/
What other deep dive videos would you like to see us make on the channel? Let us know in the comments below! 💬
If you liked this video, be sure to give it a thumbs up 👍 and share it with your friends!
Watch more on GCN...
📹 Why Riding Slower Makes You Faster: The Secrets Of Zone 2 Training 👉 • Why Riding Slower Make...
📹 Watch our Editor’s Choice Playlist 👉 gcn.eu/editorschoice
📹 Or why not check out our Features Playlist 👉 ​​gcn.eu/gcnfeatures
🎵 Music - licensed by Epidemic Sound 🎵
#gcn #cycling #roadbike #roadcycling #bike #bikes #bikelife #training #zone2
Photos: © Velo Collection (TDW) / Getty Images & © Bettiniphoto / www.bettiniphoto.net/
The Global Cycling Network (GCN) is the largest online cycling channel in the world, bringing together a global community of road cyclists to celebrate everything that’s great about the world of cycling.
Our videos bring fans compelling daily content including expert tutorials, techniques, training, racing, cutting-edge bike tech, unparalleled behind the scenes event coverage, humour, entertainment, and more.
Presented by ex-pro riders, GCN offers a uniquely qualified insight into the world of cycling, and most importantly it’s fuelled by our passionate and enthusiastic fans - everyone who makes up the GCN community. We also bring the latest and greatest tech to your attention, showcase the best places in the world to ride and get exclusive access to events and races.
Welcome to the Global Cycling Network | Inside Cycling
Thanks to our sponsors:
Castelli Clothing: gcn.eu/Castelli
Giro Helmets: gcn.eu/Giro
Pinarello Bikes: gcn.eu/Pinarello
Zipp Wheels: gcn.eu/Zipp
Topeak Tools: gcn.eu/Topeak
Canyon Bikes: gcn.eu/-Canyon
Pirelli Tyres: gcn.eu/Pirelli
Orbea Bikes: gcn.eu/Orbea
Vision Wheels: gcn.eu/Vision
Wahoo Fitness: gcn.eu/Wahoo-Fitness
Park Tool: gcn.eu/-parktool
Elite Bottles: gcn.eu/EliteBottles
Whoop Fitness: gcn.eu/Whoop
Komoot: gcn.eu/komoot
Selle Italia: gcn.eu/SelleItalia
SIS: gcn.eu/ScienceInSport
Zwift: gcn.eu/Zwift
Shimano Wheels: gcn.eu/Shimano
Shadow Stand: gcn.eu/ShadowStand
DMT Shoes: gcn.eu/DMT
Watch our sister channels:
GCN Tech - / gcntech
GCN Racing - / gcnracing
Global Triathlon Network - / gtn
GCN Italia - / gcnitalia
GCN en Español - / gcnenespanol
GCN auf Deutsch - / gcnaufdeutsch
GCN en Français - / gcnenfrancais
GCN Japan - / gcnjapan
GCN Training - / gcntraining
Global Mountain Bike Network - / gmbn
GMBN Tech - / gmbntech
Electric Mountain Bike Network - / embn

[@gcn]

What other deep dive videos would you like to see us make on the channel? 🧐

[@Jari1973]

A video explaining that lower pressure on a tire with the same width is faster. Not your own scientific test videos (which I like a lot 😁).. not theoretical calculations either.. but the scientific data that shows that lower pressure is faster in a tire of the same width.. on a road bicycle 👍

[@gcn]

@@Jari1973 Nice thinking, Do you know of any big names in the world of tyre pressure that we should interview? 👀

[@Jari1973]

@@gcn The only one I know is Jarno Bierman - Bicycle Rolling Resistance. That's partly why I made the suggestion that "real data" seems to be only available to teams and tire manufacturers?!

[@torbenfrlund5964]

A deep dive into nutrition before, during an after training, especially it would be nice to hear from a scientist similar to Millán. Polarized Training With Dr. Stephen Seiler would also be great

[@aleq]

How to iteratively optimize nutrition and training for self coached athletes.

[@richardrutishauser4689]

Whoever at GCN is pushing for the expert explainer videos...keep up the great work!

[@ftj8279]

Free lecture about ATP and training zones from a relevant professor. Thanks GCN.

[@Max-et4ck]

This is the most interesting video GCN has *ever* released. I cannot remember the last time I learned so much in 30 minutes. Thank you Dr. Iñigo San Millán and GCN!

[@zikaperic2133]

could u say what in particular u learned?

[@cowieson]

@@zikaperic2133 watch the video :)

[@zikaperic2133]

@@cowieson i did i did not hear something special so I am curious 🧐

[@cowieson]

@@zikaperic2133 if you really didn't hear anything in this video that you didn't already know then you really must know a lot about metabolics and biomechanics!

[@zikaperic2133]

@@cowieson well, I can say in the same, do you live under the rock? Most of things he said are repeated on the youtube/youtube by many PTs. You sounded like he said something spectacular, so I asked nicely what he said that so profound.

[@justinmah7778]

So just to summarize the important bits for me. Each Zone from Zone 2 and up Zone 2 - Mitochonrdria primarily using fat oxidation as a primary fuel source Zone 3 - Fat oxidation starts dropping because fatty acids are not fast enough to synthesize ATP. Glucose can produce ATP faster, but you also get less, so you have a mixture of glucose and fat oxidation, and fast twitch muscles are being recruited at this point. Zone 4 - (lactate threshold, FTP, etc) - Fat oxidation is minimized, energy system is almost all glycolytic. Glucose enters the cell at high speed, and converted into pyruvate to be uptaken by mitochondria. However, mitochondria cannot take up all the pyruvate, and therefore the excess is then converted to lactate. This is when you see an increase in levels in the blood. Also, the lactate that is produced by the fast twitch muscles now travels to the slow twitch muscles and the mitochondria in the slow twitch muscles use that lactate as a fuel source (lactate is a preferred fuel over glucose due to the multiple steps required to break down glucose). The more efficient your mitochondria is, the better your slow twitch muscles can absorb (or clear) lactate. Zone 5 - VO2 max (high intensity 2-4 minutes) - glucose starts becoming limited in converting to energy, so then you start recruiting ATP that is stored in your muscles (this is done without oxygen, hence anaerobic). Zone 6 - Sprinting - only available fuel is muscle-stored ATP (can last for less than a minute). Why does it take time to reset back to Zone 2? - The reason why if you break out of Zone 2 and do higher efforts that it takes a while to "reset" your body to Zone 2 - is because high lactate levels bind to fat cells to prevent lipolysis (breakdown of fatty acids). High lactate levels also inhibits mitochondria transporter CPT1 and CPT2 that transports fatty acid into the mitochondria. Taken the two together, the lack of break down of fats and the inhibition of the transport of fatty acids to mitochondria, it prevents you from using Zone 2's primary fuel source until your body resets, depending on the lactate levels you produced. Even if the heart rate goes down, physiologically/metabolically you're still recovering from the increased lactate levels until that clears.

[@hawkeyelikesbikes]

Just a technical detail - VO2Max is by definition not anaerobic - it's maximal oxygen uptake. Anaerobic is zone 6 (and Zone 7 neuromuscular power if using the Coggan model). Otherwise, an excellent summary that I have borrowed for my own notes. Thankyou. 💕

[@alanchorley]

aerobic and anaerobic energy sources contribute across the board, its the proportion that of each that varies. e.g. Intensities that attain VO2max in 2-4 mins will have a sizeable contribution from anaerobic sources, similarly a "zone6" effort will still have an underlying aerobic contribution.

[@geraldmartin7597]

Z2-3, or the crossover point (where glucose becomes the primary fuel source) can be low or high depending on your “base” fitness. An efficient rider will have that crossover point closer to Z4 than Z2. This means the rider can burn more fat and spare the carbs for higher intensity.

[@55mblindy]

❤

[@darwinsc67]

Thanks for summarising it 😊 helpful for non native english speakers.

[@ukestjohn]

Years ago, I guy turned up to our local timetrials after years of loaded bike touring. Crushed everyone. Bike touring is almost totally Zone 2.

[@Tex735]

I absolutely LOVE this type of training. I started doing massive amounts of zone 2 over the past 6 months or so and toss in some zone 4-5 in there as well. I was a self-flogger for years and this is producing MUCH better results and I feel better too!! Love interviews with Dr. Inigo!! That man is a genius!!

[@zacharymorford1846]

I'm on the cusp of moving away from flogging towards more zone 2. Can you talk about what structure is working for you? I recognize that it should change as race season approaches, but I'm thinking about 3 Z2 rides per week, plus one threshold or VO2 max workout plus one hard saturday group ride.

[@rych7852]

@@zacharymorford1846 "conventional thinking" is for 75-80% Z2 and then the rest (20-25%) at higher intensities as you mention. In your sample week. So long as the Saturday ride has enough Z2 in there so you don't go too far away from the percentage of your total week. That sounds fine. The issue is when your Saturday ride becomes 2-3 hours of smashing it (the ego can take over in group rides, especially club ones ime) And then you aren't getting enough Z2 to maximise the benefits.

[@zacharymorford1846]

@@rych7852 so hard to not go smash with friends on Saturday mornings!

[@Volvo745T]

Also noticed that too - more Z2 training produced a better effort during the harder days.

[@ketle369]

@@rych7852 Its exactly what any expert on endurance training will tell you, but people won't listen. We have an Olympic champion in our bike club. His expert trainer hold a talk telling all us oldies to do polarization. 80% in zone 2 and 20% of the rest in zone 3-4-5. People still try to go full gas on the weekend zone 2 group ride. It's understandable because 3-5 hours in zone 2 can be quite boring. But I rode a lot of zone 2 ten years ago and had the best results ever.

[@bartglover22]

I'm 72 now. Back in the 60's it was miles in the winter and all out in the Summer. In the 90's Heart Rate came into its own, Train the Engine not the Bike. Along came Power Training and Watts came into our vocabulary. I am not knocking Power training because it does have its place but as the good doctor says, we have moved away from the Engine and concentrated more on the Bike. Ours is a Bio-Chemical Engine and the greatest clue to its functioning is Heart Rate and Lactate thus we have to tune it to what we want it to do. Block training using Heart Rate and Lactate measurement programmed to your goals is a great way to go. Obviously, if you are training for a 200 k sportif lactate removal at lower heart rate is far more important than Zone 5 efforts needed for a Cyclo Cross event or a 10,25 time trial. Now I have to go practice what I preach. Great Video with Dr. Inigo San Millan.

[@ethangodridge6833]

More, more, more. This was great. Thanks Dr Inigo and Si. Totally different- I have listened to some nutrition podcasts with Aitor Viribay (Ineos) and that was very interesting at the time and changed my on the bike nutrition strategy in line with the intensity of riding. The initial video with Dr Inigo was great. I knew zone 2 was always important and formed the foundation of a solid training plan but that further confirmed it.

[@gcn]

So great that you enjoyed this interview🙌 Who should we talk to next?

[@MattGredig]

Dr Phil!! :()

[@richardmarzec9136]

Also check out Stephen Seiler videos on KZbin

[@damu6678]

@@gcn I know it's running but please talk to Kipchoge 's coach. It would be great to learn of endurance racing training is different or not with cycling

[@MMichiganSalveRegina]

What I love about this discussion is that it flat out contradicts the pseudo-science that is pushed around about Z2. People think Z2 is training your heart but it's clear that your heart rate is merely an indicator of what kind of muscles you are using (fast vs slow twitch). Love it

[@leehewitt9559]

What a fascinating interview

[@davidbentley4731]

Absolutely the best thing on exercise I’ve listened to in years.

[@arvindgunnoo3781]

This was the perfect middle ground from the interview he conducted with Peter Attia! Very concise for the cycling layman. Would love to see a Zwift Zone 2 variation series workout implemented off the back of this🤞

[@bee_whisper]

honestly the way this man explains the science behind training is so refreshing . As a scientist in another field of study i find that many science communicatiors dont highlight literature and or limitations or execptions to the rule and make general sweeping statments . this guy talks about science and explains it in a way that people can clearly understand.

[@wss327]

Well… worked for me. In 2019 I started TrainerRoad. Great for max power but I nearly overtrained and burned out. Then I did polarized training, lots of Z2 with VO2Max added in at then end of the session and I ended up setting my distance PR for 1 hour and 3 hours rides. My FTP is still the same but I have my max power back but since I don’t race and prefer to ride alone, then it’s irrelevant.

[@dsundarram]

This was one of the best videos regarding Zone 2 riding out there. Absolutely Loved Dr. Indigo’s openness and willingness to share all his knowledge, this does not happen ever often. Thank you GCN team for making this interview possible. Simply beautiful 🤩

[@xuchenglin6256]

Si really knows how/what to ask questions. Such talk videos can only get as good as the one who asks. Now zone 2 is an overly myth-ed/hype-ed thing that everyone is talking about. I saw a lot of guys talking about "walking into that zone 2" and believe that they can do zone 2 training by "walking". It's really good to see these myths got cleared by a real pro. My experience in regards to zone1/zone2 is when in zone 1 and lower zone 2 I got "tired", "boring" and "sleepy", while in zone 2 you feel energized, active and "clear-minded", but you don't need to "hold" using mental power. When in zone 3 you feel the same energetic but you have to "hold" while your body will give you a negative signal to "slow" down. You "hold", you endup in zone 3 and much fatigue. You don't "hold", you fallback into that right zone 2 and you feel energized afterwards. Now a hilarious scene is for serious training guys the problem is they tend to go "too hard" and ended up in zone 3. While for the greater general population, it's the opposite. A whole lot of seniors and low-athletic-level "active" people are doing it "too easy" into zone 1, and believe that they can become world-class endurance athlete just with easy everything.

[@user-we8rk2ec2k]

That was awesome advise to locate the z2. Thx a lot!

[@buzzman4860]

Lets do Dr Ferrari next

[@wraith8323]

That would be DOPE

[@TD05SSLegacy]

And the orange juice diet!

[@renaldolukas1599]

😂

[@kevincoughlan2474]

😂😂

[@alexisdrunk]

😂

[@MH-js8vb]

Simon you are a telepath! You asked all the specific questions I was still having about zone 2! The best interview! Thanks a lot! 👍👍👍

[@briancarter8694]

That was fantastic Simon, great followup. These two about Zone 2 and the one you did concerning cardiac remodeling have been some of the more substantive high points of GCN lately. Thanks for that!

[@Ruggine85]

Watching this right before my long z2 ride. Wow. Please more of this! Extremely interesting, well explained, very technical yet easy to understand

[@MarcusBrito]

This is such a great video, and Dr. Iñigo is fantastic. Thanks for producing and sharing this.

[@pietropellicelli4682]

Thank you very much Simon and prof. San Millan!!! I’ve started some Z2 training after your first video and also made some researches along the way, so at this time I was just having the same questions your reported to Innigo...so I’ve really enjoyed all of his replies and the clarity of his language even when he gets to a more technical language. I will watch it again for sure to better understand all the details. Very cool, thnks again!!!

[@168grhp]

Excellent interview! I love the Q & A about how to stay in zone 2 over a prolonged time period.

[@sierrapolo]

I am loving this content. Only so many videos can be made about clipping in but this is a great long form video.

[@starlitshadows]

Your last interview was my introduction to this man. I watched all the content I could from him for a couple weeks. And Si's lactate test vid provided a good example of a zone 2 talk test to go off in that vid. Since then I've been training in zone 2 and its great. I feel amazing after a good zone 2 session. Only issue is I got caught up doing more mid ride climbs recently but this serves as a good reminder to fix that. Having Inigo on the channel is always enjoyable.

[@sandrohuber2461]

Thanks a lot for yet another treat! I started zone 2 training because of these interviews and after years I feel I‘m improving again!

[@ckrides]

Outstanding. I wish this was available when I was racing more years ago. It’s funny because I had a friend who used to be a world class Marathon runner. He was from Somalia and he said when he came here for college the coaches used to force him to do a lot of high intensity intervals. He had terrible results. He finally convinced his coaches that he could train himself on the way he used to run in Africa, primarily zone 2. He said his results turned around and he had a successful season with places in major college events and marathons. This reminded me of the story Ahmed told me those years ago.

[@davyoh4304]

This content was on point from start to finish and all of Si's questions, comments and real life experience was a mirror of my experience in starting in CX this winter. I related to all of Si's experiences in my training and also adapted my training as I felt my upper zones suffer from constant zone 2 training. Can't thank you guys enough for unlocking and unpacking the holy grail of cycling fitness. 👏🏼👏🏼

[@rodrigofaria4498]

Completely changes how I approach my training now! This was great!

[@colinmckague2656]

Amazing questions, Simon. It's like you read my mind before the interview. This video/interview is extremely valuable!

[@billmccaffrey1977]

Great talk and everything even made sense. By shear coincidence I have been mixing in my higher zone training efforts in at the end of my zone 2 rides. This feels better to me than trying to do a short warm up and then pushing into higher zone training. I do the later one day a week, but I feel I gain more from the high intensity efforts at the end of a long zone 2 session.

[@cb6866]

thanks Si , Doc and crew.......he is very cool , and easy to understand his method.

[@humble_beest]

This makes me want to get my college biology books out again. I’ve learned so much from this video, thanks for taking the time for the interview!

[@extremetaz]

Outstanding video. Great information and Si hits every single one of the questions I've wanted answered about Z2 training. 👏👏

[@andreapostacchini3688]

Great video. My favorite of all times. Prof has capability to explain easily without oversimplifyng. Fantastic!

[@BillAdamsen]

Such a great interview Simon! Thank you Dr. Iñigo for sharing.

[@roberttell1587]

I really enjoyed that this video didn't try to simplify the information but gave full complexity. It's helpful to have more than you can fully process in the first go around.

[@oliver.abroad]

Awesome! Indulged the whole video with 100% concentration and the thought of how to change my training. Thank you for this video! Dr. Millan explained it in a very understandable way. A legend!

[@kenchang3456]

Absolutely enjoyed this interview and the previous overtraining interview. Thank you.

[@ChuckMacCary]

Great video. Thanks to the Dr. for the technical explanation of the zones. I wish we had a lactate monitor to better see our zones

[@neilgj6305]

Outright the best explanation of what the Zones mean and why they exist that I have ever had the pleasure of watching or hearing, usually talks on the subject make me Zone Out. Thank you for this !!

[@fabulusmaximus]

Absolutely insightful interview! More of these please!

[@mdbourne]

These are the best videos GCN has done. This and the one with Dan Bigham. Please continue to add more videos like this.

[@francesstager997]

I am very grateful to learn more about this!

[@richardmocnik6631]

Great interview and perfectly explained by Inigo! The only thing I was missing regarding the importance of Zone 2 was, that if you "tip over" into Zone 3 aka above your first HR/Lactate Threshold, the amount of stress hormones (adrenalin, noradrenalin and cortisol) is increasing significantly. Therefore be safe and ride 2-3 beats below your threshold instead of above.

[@kevink1143]

One of the best GCN videos. Simon - you asked perfect questions!

[@straussi710]

What a great episode of both of you legends! I would love to hear Dr. Iñigos opinion about concurrent training (hybrid-athlete style) and how that might change the distribution of Zone 2 and higher intensity training in order to avoid overtraining.

[@jonathankitto7771]

Great video. Using the interplay between all 3 data point - HR, W and PE - during training is a great way to manage your effort, and paying attention to the relationship between them really gives great insights to your capability over time and form in the moment.

[@timothychansa1157]

What a fantastic series of videos. Soo informative. Dr Inigo is legendary. Keep it up GCN

[@peterthomas8053]

A lot of this was way over my head, but, what I could get my head around was very interesting. This is a video that I'm going to have to keep watching to take on board the logic behind it, even for a purley average rider like myself.

[@notmyrealname6272]

The guy is simply the king. I could listen to him allllll day. May have to watch this a few times to make sure I’ve got it all haha

[@OmerBerkman]

thank you for doing this. Learned so much. I am a beginner, but I feel this is relevant to all levels.

[@chriskahlson]

Absolutely fantastic FTP zone narrative with utmost clarity 😊

[@renehinnum417]

This was probably one the most informative and useful videos that you have ever done 👍 I really appreciate this , well done guys. Keep them coming🙏

[@christopherhood9241]

Certainly one of the most interesting videos you have produced/released in a long time.

[@derickcastillo9083]

Thank you for this wonderful video! I have been watching it several times because it is so interesting. I graduated with a degree in biology with a stress on human physiology in 1993. Dr. San Millan has answered many of the questions I had way back then. Please continue doing videos like this.

[@MisterPlopPlop]

9 beers in at 1:41pm this is beyond fascinating, to the extent that I understood it, meaning that I'll have to re watch it tomorrow

[@StanWatson]

What a great interview. I learned so much in this half hour. Dr. San Millan is such a pleasure to listen to and learn from. Very difficult concepts explained in terms so easy to understand. Thanks so much. And great job Si -- excellent questions.

[@JoaoGualterM]

The knowledge and quality behind this video is pure gold! Amazing overview by Dr Iñigo, brilliant questions by Simon... Such a powerful content to enhace our training! Many thanks, GCN!

[@emmabird9745]

Thanks Simon and Dr Inigo.

[@alexsheppard2706]

Would love to see more interviews like this so informative. Would love to see some in depth interviews about nutrition specifically fuelling correctly while trying to loose weight for people just getting started in cycling that want to shed some weight

[@davidporter2828]

An outstanding discussion! It IS a complex issue, but if you paid attention there were some nice simple take away messages, hints and tips. Thanks to everyone involved.

[@bamicus9342]

Great interview, I’ve seen most of the other interviews, and this one nailed it. These are the great questions I wanted to know. Other interviews I’ve seen with Dr. Millan get bogged down. I’ve been doing Z2 for a few months now, and it does make a difference IMO. He really makes physiology fascinating!

[@oliverleclere1829]

probably the two most interesting videos on cycling training i've seen!!

[@Volvo745T]

Dr Millan is both an excellent source of informative, but a good person and interactive on social media. Thanks!

[@MrJohnsink]

Fantastic Simon, love your work. Keep it up!

[@craig8694]

Again BAM! As a novice rider using cycling as a catalyst for weight loss and control I can absolutely connect with Dr. San Millan's articulation of understanding HOW our muscle systems work and to recognize the different stages when putting in the effort. Great, GREAT content! Thank you Dr. Inigo and GCN!

[@pawncow]

I've watched most of the interviews with Dr. San Millan beginning with Peter Attia and now the GCN ones, and this was by far the most informative mainly because of the questions! There is a lot of contradictory info on KZbin as to what "level" of Zone 2 is best for mitochondrial adaptation and he did a good job of explaining the need for working in the upper level of the zone. Thank you for a great interview.

[@sshikari]

This is awesome thank you.

[@thevitalityproject]

Excellent info - will be listening to this for a second time on my next zone 2 ride!

[@spankmypita]

Fantastic interview. Thank you so much. Clarified a ton on Z2 training ❤

[@charlescore]

I started cycling 3 years ago and didn't know how to prepare for the season. Last year I did a Zwift training plan (bulild me up) mixing with some outside rides but I felt that the Zwift training plan was random (either too easy or too hard) but I started the spring with a better shape than the year before (random outside ride and just riding hard on zwift once a week without structure). This year I have watched lots of videos of Dr Iñigo San Millán and then did lots of sustained Z2 training (1h-1h30-2h) 2-3x per week mixed with some outside ride without going too hard and some 7-8 min sweet spot interval or 12-15min tempo (with +- 20min Z2 warmup). It's only January and I did my best ever max 5s - 10s - 15s & 20s power (at the end of a 3hour ride with lots of headwind). I'am joining the Z2 cult

[@pnyholm]

Hi, it is so great to hear a trainer that has the scientific foundation on the cellular level of what happens during work. I have also enjoyed a conversation between Inigo San Milan and Stephen Seiler who works with i.e. norwegian cross-country skier. Try to get an interview with Seiler!

[@yeahhhhh9209]

This is by far the best explanation regarding the aerobic-anaerobic concepts. There are so many wrong info and advices on the web.... thanks a lot!

[@danieljames1]

What an absolutely fantastic vid. What may be easily overlooked is what a great job Si did as an interviewer and conversationalist in order to open and keep the gate open for the flood of knowledge to come from Indigo; who too is a brilliant conversationalist and teacher. Bravo to everyone involved in this masterpiece video and thank you for a great learning lesson. Cheers!

[@FlatSpinMan]

Good questions, Si, and Inigo’s explanation of the zones was particularly interesting.

[@grahambowes756]

Fascinating. Thank you both. I’ve been doing Zone 2 for a few months now. I can only really maintain it on the turbo. At 66 I find on the road I can’t keep my HR down in that own. I guess that is because my system is less efficient overall now so my heart is having to pump faster I guess. My max heart rate is still around 170bpm and I hope I’m not causing damage when I occasionally reach it?

[@WarHammerWH]

Great video! It’s very satisfying to know how to train for optimal fitness considering our limited time. Si the questions you asked are exactly the questions I had after viewing your other great video with Dr. Iñigo. Many thanks.

[@iansingleton]

Such a fascinating subject. I could listen all day! I watched the first part and have since incorporated Zone 2 into my regime and I've gotta say it's working great. I'm doing a pretty intense program at the moment getting myself in shape for some big rides this year. 7 days on 2 days off for a block of 4 then 4 days off. I do 4 zone 2 rides in the 7 days on. The Zone 2 efforts get harder through the block of 4 X 7. In the last of my 7 days on my legs are really really burning but my HR is steady. This is doing great for my endurance which is my main aim. I only do 2 sets of high intensity in the 7 days and 1 long endurance ride on day 7. I feel good, fit, healthy and happy all the time. In the past I've got to points where I just feel worn out and knackered. Zone has put and end to that. You have to be very patient though. Sticking to zone 2 when you feel like smashing it isn't easy! Believe in the method 👍

[@TylerKaraszewski]

This answered a lot of questions I had about this, thanks!

[@kubaizdebski6165]

Great stuff. Thank you both for your hard work.

[@HootyPup]

Just brilliant - arguably the best rendition of this critical, metabolic theory on the web - really fantastic

[@rangotangable]

I really enjoyed this. It was really well explained and thanks Si for asking those questions about how hard do you have to go to break zone two and how important is it to just sit in zone two or do you have to be at the very top. Thanks Dr inigo San milan for your insight!

[@MrTedJourney]

Right off the bat you know this is going to fascinating, yer going to have to concentrate hard. Oh,and, yer gonna have to watch it more than once. How I wish I had known this in my 20s in the 80's. Brilliant video.

[@geoffreyhoney122]

WOW!! Absolutely stellar content!! (And I'm an unracer.) I love the metabolic /muscle science!! (Not just because I'm a retired RMT) I'll definitely use this information to structure my training sessions and keep my best full range of fitness. Inigo is so clear & matter of fact and down to earth. What an inspiration! A lotof what he says dovetails with Phil Clavell's Midlife Cyclist. Since I am 64, I really appreciate an extensive recap! I've bookmarked this video. Thanks for the great interviewing techniques Si! You asked our questions well and didn't get in his way. Hats off to you and gcn!

[@barrywhite4291]

This was a good one, like me as a gearhead i see my body like a engine and now i understand the zone's better in what gear i have to be to burn the different feul supply....

[@SioLazer]

I love how instead of just saying to Si "you didn't periodize properly" he explains what Si could have done to prepare for his cross race. One thing I'm going to have to re-re-watch this for was his answer to the question Si asked about if the body adapts to zone 2. It sounds like his answer is no but he's so good at explaining why and I think that's the part I need to hear again. Thanks for having him on! I first fell in love with this dude when he was showing up in keto spaces about 5 years ago.

[@bensonburnsaus]

That is absolutely fascinating.

[@obikedog]

Great discussion. The aerobic gains of high-volume zone 2 training should be considered the foundation one builds their zone 4+ engine upon (it's called base season for a reason!) As race day approaches the workouts get more specific to the event. So yes, use it or lose it still applies and it's important to realize the order of training is important to the specific race type.

[@alvarodediego6307]

What an ABSOLUTE MASTERCLASS !!!

[@kobelarry]

Really enjoyed this one. ❤

[@igortrajkov2791]

Amazing content and information. Me as an intermediate amateur rider in combination with Keto and intermittent fasting, I always felt best at the edge of Zone 2 without even knowing the science and mitochondrial biochemistry behind it. I also did longer rides even without food. And now knowing all of this information, I know it was the proper way of riding and improving my fitness and stamina at my age of 43. Thank you Dr. San Millán and GCN.

[@haidulidu]

More please!!!🙏

[@richardgeddis1973]

We need so so so much more of these videos

[@j4m1e-b]

Brilliant video, great follow up to the initial video. I actually did lactate testing on Monday and will have the results in a few days so will interesting to see how it lines up with my RPE and current thinking around Z2 - Be great if you could get a deep dive with Stephen Seiler and Rønnestad and polarised training

[@webbovich2324]

Great video and appreciate that you both came together for a follow-up. Have you read 'Training for the Uphill Athlete'? I find their points about raising your zone 2 as high as possible to be very interesting; one of the benefits is that you increase your ability to use lactic acid. Dr San Millán touched on its benefits when referencing the preference of your body to choose lactate over glucose. Thanks again for this type of content and really digging into with humility and candour.

[@paolobianchetti5195]

Great video! Thanks for this high quality info

[@avifvideo]

I think this is one of the most interesting videos I watched , ever. Thank you GCN❤

[@activezone8574]

Great video! I also made a lactate test, to find out the real zone 2 - which may vary with time. And, guess what, needed to lower my Z2 heart rates, both for cycling and then for running as well. By the way, the are not the same. So lactate testing is the way to go.