HOW to do ZONE 2 - How to maximise your gains with Zone 2 training

[@MasterWingman]

A really great explanation of what to look for when training in zone 2. I have not seen anyone correlate power with heart rate. It makes sense to build the power while keeping the heart rate as low as possible while in zone 2.

[@Forest_velo]

Glad it was helpful!

[@elwynj5379]

Excellent video. Thanks for this…. Subscribed!

[@Forest_velo]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@markfly480]

Very useful video. I use a similar Zone 2 technique of trying to push more Watts over time and stay within Z2 over the winter months. Im 61 and have found that lowering my cadence to 80 enables me to keep a lower HR for the same power, and I now use this as my home cadence.

[@Forest_velo]

Good to hear! Yes cadence really effects your heart rate.

[@sdwzwangg]

Thanks for your share. How to calculate the FTP ?

[@Forest_velo]

Hi This might help. Around 4:30 I talk about ftp tests! HOW TO SET YOUR TRAINING ZONES! kzbin.info/www/bejne/jnfce5ubpNSHhdk

[@carlpentney290]

Interesting approach. On the turbo I do an hour mostly at 70% FTP with the last 10 mins at Z3 Tempo. It's possible to do Z2 on the road but you have to choose the right route thus avoiding climbs and not too much headwind or tailwind. The key is consistent pressure on the pedals.

[@Morten6842]

Really great video of working on pushing your zone2 and improving your overall fitness. Thanks

[@Forest_velo]

Glad it was helpful!

[@ronskayakingandfishing414]

Great video. I found your channel only recently and subscribed as I enjoy your content. I'm also an older cyclist (64) and feel that you're covering good material which will help me become a stronger rider. Keep up the good work !

[@Forest_velo]

Awesome, thank you!

[@Scott-s5o]

Thank you. Great video.👍

[@colinwoolf9422]

I don't have a regular heart rate so heart rate monitor's don't work what can i do

[@Forest_velo]

It’s hard to keep to zones without one but you can use RPE or rate of perceived exertion… ie you get used to what zones feel like. In Zone 2 you should just be able to keep a chat going.

[@burronorteno]

Thanks for sharing. At 60 yo your numbers are very similar to mine.

[@Helloshello0904]

Can you drop the link to the Turbo Trainer you are using, or recommend one for a complete beginner at this. Thanks!

[@Forest_velo]

Hi This is the newer version of the one I use www.paulscycles.co.uk/accessories/turbo-trainers/saris-h3-direct-drive-silent-smart-turbo-trainer-black__4774?currency=GBP&chosenAttribute=SAR9830TF&gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjwztOwBhD7ARIsAPDKnkD1GGfBmLPYWqtVFQ_3Xtwswd7YSF4g7P9FG40Yk6PqYoPr9ncbtyQaAma3EALw_wcB

[@Forest_velo]

I’ve never had a problem with it and it does everything I need!

[@MarquitoRH]

Common misconception that Z2 is mainly using fat. Agree that best way is on the stationery trainer. Z2 has to be part of a full training plan. You really don’t need to warm up for 15 mins for a Z2 workout and definitely do not need to be at the top of Z2 for these workouts. This entirely misses the point of what Z2 is for.

[@Forest_velo]

I like to warm up so that my heart rate is more in line with z2 so I can more easily see heart rate drift over the session. No you’re right it doesn’t have to be at the top of the zone to be effective.

[@Tsingh3892]

I went for a 40 min bike ride today and average hr was 127bpm. However my whoop heart rate data showed I was in zone 2 for 22 mins and zone 3 for 15 mins.

[@Forest_velo]

Is your whoop set up with the same zones as you’re using to judge Zone 2?

[@mikefish6835]

Also average heart rate is the average over time. So there’s nothing necessarily contradictory about your average and the time in zone 2 and zone 3.

[@hunters641]

Your one 2 example seems high, also your training peaks zone goes up to 255 hr. My zone 2 on peaks is 122 to 137 hr I’m using this HR zone and ignoring power. Are you suggesting to use both hr and power. At 137 on a climb power can swing from 250-310 whilst staying under 138. Appreciate your comments….

[@Forest_velo]

Yes not sure about the 255hr 😃. Generally I use hr for zone 2 and try to keep it around 130-135bpm. But I still keep my eye on power so I know what I should be able to produce in zone 2. Then I also try to work on developing the power for that heart rate by setting the turbo at a slightly higher power and although my hr will drift up eventually you can ride at zone 2 hr but at a higher power. Hope this makes sense!

[@michael1]

Perhaps ideally use RPE and breathing - you should feel you're in z2. At which point your power figure is the result - how much power you can generate when your RPE is in z2. Heart rate can be very variable. The idea that your HR zone / Power zone correlate doesn't really happen. Firstly it would imply that you had your zones set up perfectly. Secondly when you ride with power, you can push and it'll say "400 watts" and then you stop pedalling and it instantly says "0 watts" - but your heart rate doesn't jump to v5 (or whatever 400 watts is for you) and back down instantly like that does it? In fact, for a short high intensity effort like that followed by stopping, your heart rate data might say your HR was resting and then rose to around z2 level and then, over a few minutes, dropped back to resting - well that's not an indication at all of the effort you did is it? Most of my rides outside where I push up the short uphill bits (maybe 30s or a couple of minutes effort) and then ride easy between, my HR eventually gets into the 170 part way through the ride and it more or less stops there - it doesn't show my efforts. Unless there's a long stretch where I coast and soft pedal my HR doesn't really have enough time to recover. Over a longer, sustained interval HR and power zones might correlate more together - which is what we see in OP's video. So, RPE is the key measure, Power is the result (i.e you're trying to measure how much power you can generate, so don't ride to power, ride to the effort and see what the power is) HR is something you use if you don't have power. The data can (as Forest hinted) suggest other information, e.g how many hours into your z2 effort your HR starts to drift tells you something about your aerobic fitness, but it's not really a great measure of your effort - people used HR because they didn't have anything else mostly and perhaps they thought it feels more scientific than RPE - certainly if you had a coach and he wants data it would be easier for him to see a HR plot than to know how you felt, but for you the opposite is true - you probably have a better idea of how the effort you're doing feels making it more informative than HR, are you breathing easily through your nose? Are you starting to gasp for breath?

[@hunters641]

@@michael1 thanks for the response 👌

[@daveanderson70]

I found it very useful. I have recently let my cycling go with the corresponding drop in fitness. Would an exercise bike with a flywheel be okay or do you need a turbo trainer?

[@Forest_velo]

Probably if you can tune the resistance to get the right difficulty!

[@tonystone3397]

Nice one.

[@gerrysecure5874]

Zone 2 lives from duration. Unless you are really really determined you wont do a lot on the turbo. Of course a 90min on a rainy day is better than nothing, but nothing beats 3-4hr outside. Use a PM to keep power stable up flat and downhill

[@Forest_velo]

True the 3-4 hr ride or more is the gold standard! I do think you can get a lot of benefit from a high zone 2 ride on the trainer too.

[@exploring_thailand]

What kind of training were you doing in addition to the Z2 when you saw you improvement from October to March?

[@Forest_velo]

Hi I generally kept VO2 intervals going once a week and some Z4 but tried to spend most time at Z2.

[@exploring_thailand]

@@Forest_velothanks!

[@youknow6968]

What's zone 2 in RPM on an stationary exercise bike?

[@Forest_velo]

Around 85/90 RPM

[@petercockerill7366]

What sort of turbo do you have for your training read out??

[@Forest_velo]

Hi! I have a Saris H2 and I generally use Trainerroad to do workouts.

[@brankog7]

Bro, maybe mix in some weightlifting. Interesting vid cheers

[@walmyvlad2966]

Did the audio go out?

[@Forest_velo]

What do you mean? Was there a problem with it?

[@walmyvlad2966]

@@Forest_velo Yeah. I was listening to it while riding outside and heard the volume drop. Now that I am in front of a computer its at 3:06. When you go into that small screen. It goes back up at 6:14.

[@Forest_velo]

I think I changed mics…have to watch that in the future 👍

[@stevenewcombe7168]

Very useful info, thanks. My numbers are similar: HR 48 - 175 bpm, 232 W ftp. I'm 56. Would it be rude to ask your age?

[@Forest_velo]

57 😃

[@Daimoku1938]

Start Zwifting Old Man...

[@GT-sc5sk]

3-4h on single ride…i have life..can not afford that volume

[@Amna.Talpur]

you are sweating and breathless.... its not z 2 cardio .

[@stuartmclean3843]

Zone 2 (or polarised) training is a false economy if you dnt have 10 or more hours a week to train, i have switched my training gear towards more sweetspot training

[@Forest_velo]

I move to sweet spot/threshold as part of a build program but I have noticed gains over the off season in doing this 2 or 3 times a week between other more intense workouts.

[@joerenner8334]

Not true

[@ellieexplorestheworld4227]

Incorrect, and it’s been backed by science.