Physiological Descriptors
Everyone's hurting...
Weekend Warrior Performance Plans
Below are the heart, power and perception levels we use to describe
effort levels in our Weekend Warrior Performance Plans.
As the plans are around 30 pages, to keep things simple I've uploaded the descriptors here, with a link from the plan to these pages
Power Zone 1 ~ Active Recovery~ Easy ~ HR Zone 0 | |
Power @ <55% FTP ~ HR <60% max | |
Active Recovery doesn't have to be on the bike
"Easy spinning" or "light pedal pressure", i.e., very low level
exercise, too low in and of itself to induce significant
physiological adaptations. Short recovery rides. Characterised by a low heart rate, low perception of effort, resting blood lactate levels. Daily activity at moderate intensity corresponds to the general physical activity during daily tasks. For beginners and
sedentary individuals daily activities improve readiness for the
fitness-related exercise. For experienced exercisers this
type of activity, or an hour on the beach with the dog, can be
used for recovery purposes. Recovery of the mind as well
as the body; heaven... |
|
|
|
Power Zone 2 ~ Endurance ~ Comfortable ~ HR Zone 1 | |
Power @ 56% - 75% FTP ~ HR 61% - 65% max | |
GP Morbihaniase ~ Zone 2 Final climb warm up "All day" pace, or classic long slow distance (LSD) training.
Sensation of leg effort/fatigue generally low, but may rise
periodically to higher levels (e.g., when climbing). Basic endurance training improves general training ability by strengthening heart as well as other cardio respiratory functions. Development of
economy and efficiency with very high volume, low stress work.
Very long sessions improve the combustion and storage of fats.
This type of exercise is suitable for the beginners especially
for weight management purposes. For more experienced
exercisers it is a good alternative training method. This area
of training is used to increase endurance as you are
predominantly burning fat as a fuel. |
|
|
|
Power Zone 3 ~ Tempo ~ Hardly Comfortable ~ HR Zone 2 | |
Power @ 76% - 90% FTP ~ HR 66% - 75% max | |
Dianne, hardly comfortable ~ Pierre Chany Sportive Typical intensity of fartlek workout, 'spirited' group ride, or
briskly moving pace line. More frequent and greater
sensation of leg effort and fatigue than at level 2. Aerobic training improves cardio respiratory functions as well as general aerobic capacity. This type of exercise is safe and it is also suitable for beginners. Again this area of training is used to increase endurance, in this area of training you are still burning fat, but not at the same efficiency as Zone 1. The bulk of your
early training phases should be taking place in Zones 1 & 2.
Development of economy and efficiency with high volume, moderate
stress work. An important intensity for establishing a firm base
for all riders. |
|
|
|
Power Zone 4 ~ Lactate Threshold ~ Comfortably Hard ~ HR Zone 3 | |
Power @ 91% - 105% FTP ~ HR 76% - 82% max | |
Making it comfortably hard ~ Ronde sur Sarthe Sportive Just below to just above TT effort, taking into account
duration, current fitness, environmental conditions, etc. Development of
aerobic capacity and endurance with moderate volume work at a
controlled intensity. Possible on a turbo trainer for up to one
hour in bad weather. |
|
|
|
Power Zone 5 ~ VO2max ~ Hard ~ HR Zone 4 | |
Power @ 106% - 120% FTP ~ HR 83% - 89% max | |
Tranche D'Arenberg ~ Monumental Paris Roubaix Typical intensity of longer (3-8 min) intervals intended to increase VO2max. Strong to severe
sensations of leg effort/fatigue, such that completion of more
than 30-40 min total training time is difficult at best. Training at this intensity improves ability to utilize lactate. This makes it possible to exercise at high performance level for longer duration without oxygen debt. Training at this intensity requires earlier exercise experience. Training improves
performance capacity needed in competitive situations. Once into
this area it is essential that the body is ready, ie. warmed up
& fit enough. Too much at this level will lead to staleness. |
|
|
|
Power Zone 6 ~ Anaerobic Capacity ~ Very Hard ~ HR Zone 5 | |
Power @ 121% - 150% FTP ~ HR 90% - 94% max | |
Last Climb Attack ~ Jean Cyril Robin Sportive Short (30 s to 3 min), high intensity intervals designed to
increase anaerobic capacity. |
|
Power Zone 7 ~ Neuromuscular ~ Extremely Hard ~ HR Zone 6 | |
Power @ 151% FTP > Max Peak Power ~ HR 95% > HRmax | |
Very short, very high intensity efforts (e.g., jumps, standing
starts, short sprints) that generally place greater stress on
musculoskeletal rather than metabolic systems. This type of training is suitable only for experienced exercisers. High intensity interval training to increase maximum power and improve lactate production or clearance. Should be done only when completely recovered from previous work. Intensity should be such that the effort can just be held to the end of the interval . |
|
Nothing like a win to start the season... |
|
Potential Athlete Training Zones...
The Proviso...
Please don't think that you're heart rate and power files will
correlate neatly in to the boxes provided. Everything we
do is linear and forms a continuum; you don't go from being one
watt (or heartbeat) under "threshold", to one over and move from
one box to another.
229 watts isn't a fully Tempo session and 230 doesn't magically become a Lactate Threshold session. It's a very blurred line!
Also, your heart rate won't exactly follow your power lines on a daily, weekly or monthly basis; 280 watts might be 175 bpm one day and 170 the next or even 180. So you could be in different "boxes" for heart and power depending on your day, fitness, tiredness, environment etc.
Hopefully I've not made a confusing situation worse. If I've not explained myself clearly, or you'd like any clarification, please feel free to get in touch...