Let’s talk about that. Is Zone 2 Training a waste of time for cyclists? We’ve been hearing all about Zone 2 training, we’ve seen it everywhere. Some will argue and question if it should be an essential part of training? The answer? It depends. It depends on many factors such as you as a cyclist, your training availability and history and very importantly, what are your training intentions. Context is essential before answering this question!
And what is Zone 2? Is it the cornerstone for building endurance and efficiency? We know it’s been a big part of cycling training periodization for decades. Let’s unwrap this subject!
Inside this blog, we will cover:
- What is Zone 2 Training?
- The science behind Zone 2 training for cyclists.
- Minimal dose of Zone 2 to be effective.
- Is Zone 2 Training a waste of time? Why it depends?
- Balancing Zone 2 training with other intensities.
Let’s dig into a little bit of basic understanding so we can answer the question: is Zone 2 Training a waste of time for cyclists?
What defines Zone 2?
In the field, it is estimated by using metrics such as power (60-75% of your Functional Threshold Power), heart rate zone (HR 65-75% of FTP) or as simple as using RPE (rate of perceived exhaustion) that many like to refer to as a conversational pace (RPE 3-5).
Zone 2 can also be assessed in a lab using lactate testing, where the turn point of energy system shift is identified at 2.0 mmol/L and is then matched to your heart rate and wattage.
Taken simply, it is an endurance pace that you could hold on for 2-5 hrs bike rides.
The Benefits of Zone 2 Training
Let’s take a quick look at the science to understand why endurance training has always been the foundation of effective training methods. These physiological adaptations are the groundwork for improving your performance – helping you feel stronger, recover faster, ride more efficiently, and sustain longer rides.
Zone 2 Physiological Benefits
– Increase Mitochondrial density: You muscles powerhouses! They become more numerous and efficient at producing energy.
-Improve fat metabolism: Your body becomes more efficient at utilizing fat stores (Fat oxydation) for fuel while preserving glycogen for when it really needs it.
-Better capillarization and cardiovascular function: more capillaries in the muscles means better oxygen delivery, as well as your heart becoming more efficient at pumping blood! All essential for endurance.
What Is The Effective Zone 2 Duration?
Here’s what it’s important to point out, the amount of time that one needs to spend is Zone 2 to get the benefits is not a one-size-fit’s all. It depends on your training history and adaptation and amount of time to train (Time-crunched)?
The more experience and training history you have, the more duration and time in Zone 2 will be needed to continue creating progress and driving training adaptations. Simply said, you need more training stimuli to not lose fitness gains. Keep in mind that the dose will change over time.
How Much Zone 2 Is Enough?
The amount of Zone 2 training required depends on your experience and time availability.
Here’s a quick breakdown:
Beginners
- Training History: New to cycling
- Minimal Effective Duration: 45 minutes per session
- Weekly Goal: A few short rides
Intermediate Cyclists
- Training History: 2-4 years of structured training
- Minimal Effective Duration: 60-90 minutes per session
- Weekly Goal: At least 2 rides of 60-90 minutes each
Advanced/Elite Cyclists
- Training History: 5+ years of structured training, often with racing experience
- Minimal Effective Duration: 2-4 hours per session
- Weekly Goal: 2-3 long rides while balancing other training intensities
Is Endurance Training a Waste of time – it Depends?
There is a misconception floating around that all you need to do is ride as much zone 2 as you can and “voila”, – you are ready to perform at your best.
It’s a little more nuanced than simply logging in miles after miles on the bike.
When it comes down to training, there is no one-size-fits-all approach – it’s about using the right tools at the right time for you!
To help understand if and when Zone 2 training is beneficial for you, it might be helpful to go over two training approaches that are widely used and see how they can be best used in your training.
Here’s a quick overview of those 2 training methods:
Sweet Spot Method:
Sweet Spot (88-94% FTP or RPE 7/10) is a “high pay off” zone—great for building fatigue resistance while requiring lower recovery time for that training load, ie. lots of TSS (Training Stress Score) per training miles. You can hit this type of effort up to 3-4 times per week without overloading, making it perfect for time-crunched athletes, especially in the later stages of their season.
Polarized Principle:
Polarized training focuses- on keeping the easy days easy (Zone 2) and the hard days hard (Zone 4 or higher). About 80-90% of training volume is low-intensity, with 10-20% in high-intensity efforts—such as above threshold to max intervals. This method is great for building a broad base of fitness but the caveat is it requires significant training time (ie duration) to create endurance adaptations.
For athletes short on hours, it might not be the most practical choice year-round. This might be best used earlier on in the training season, base building phase. Depending on your goals and race demands, one may miss the “middle zones” training with this approach. It can also skip the “middle zones,” which might be key depending on your goals and race demands
So, When is Zone 2 Training Best?
It depends. Early in the season, endurance-building with lots of Zone 2 is often the priority. Remember, you need to slowly build up, don’t rush up. You need to progressively increase duration, so it does not create as much stress on the body, so you can keep building up.
As your target race or event approach, shifting to Sweet Spot training or adding more high-intensity Polarized work becomes essential. The key is knowing when to switch gears, adjusting your training focus as the season progresses—training periodization.
It is about polarizing the stress of training.
This is when the art of coaching can benefit ones to maximize their training time.
For example:
- Base Phase: Build endurance with Zone 2.
- Late Base Phase: Transition to Sweet Spot or high-tempo work to increase training load.
- Race Season: Emphasize high-intensity efforts (Polarized focus) to sharpen performance.
More importantly, the nuances of training depend on your riding and performance goals and intentions.
Regardless of your riding goals, building a strong foundation (incl. Zone 2) is crucial to your fitness gains and longevity in general. But let’s not forget that all training zones matter and should be trained as well.
To build performance you need a strong fitness base.
We are also encouraging you to do you – if all you want is to just ride for hours on hours, please do so. Enjoy riding your bike, but if you find yourself plateauing, not progressing anymore…the answer might not be simply to just keep adding endurance volume. And…this is when we might say that Zone 2 might be a waste of time.
Final Takeaway
Don’t marry one training zone or method—variety is the secret sauce. Adjusting the dosage of each zone based on your goals and season ensures you’re working smarter, not just harder.
Need help figuring out the right balance for you? A coach or consultation can offer tailored guidance to maximize your potential. Remember: It’s not just training—it’s how you train. Tailored advice can help you train smarter, not harder.
Watch this video to learn more about balancing training zones.