Setting Your Training Zones

In the previous page we learned about why we want to have training zones and what these zones might feel like.

Here, we will talk about setting your zones.

Field Testing

We are going to use some ‘field tests’ to determine our zones. Field Tests are tests that we can do pretty much anywhere and at any time.

You can do lab tests to determine your training zones. But these are expensive, time consuming and can only be replicated with another trip to the lab. The field tests are a more practical option for most athletes.

For running, we will usually use a 5k run. After a good warm up, run at the best pace you can manage for the 5k. We will then use your average pace and your average heart rate to work out your threshold.

For cycling, we can use a 20 minute test. Again, after a good warm up, ride as hard as you can for 20 minutes, recording your average power and heart rate. Sometimes, we will use a shorter test, such as the Ramp Test in Zwift.

Swimming is a bit different. I’ll come onto that later.

Threshold Based

In these field tests, we are going to work out our functional thresholds – pace, heart rate and / or power. Once we have these threshold numbers, all of our zones are based on a percentage of this threshold number – meaning we can calculate our zones.

For example, knowing our cycling functional threshold power, we can calculate our training zones.

Zone 1: <55% of our functional threshold power (FTP)

Zone 2: 55-75% of our FTP

Zone 3: 75-90% of FTP

Zone 4: 90-105% of FTP

Zone 5: >105% of FTP

Heart Rate, Power or Pace?

We can measure our threshold and set our training zones using heart rate or power or pace.

If we do the 20 minute test on the bike, we can gather our average heart rate for that 20 minute effort – and, assuming we are using Zwift (or equivalent) or have a power meter on our bike, we can gather our average power too. We use both numbers (HR & power) and calculate our heart rate zones and our power zones.

Same for running. When running our strong 5k, we gather our HR data and our pace data.

Why measure pace / power and heart rate?

May not have a powermeter outside when riding. If we know our HR zones, we can control our intensity based on heart rate.
We may be doing a session on the treadmill where pace is not very accurate. Again, we can use our heart rate to monitor our intensity.

Heart Rate Zones

Our heart rate thresholds don’t change very much. Once we have our heart rate training zones, they are pretty much fixed. What does change is the pace or power we can sustain at a particular heart rate.

For example, you may be able to run your ‘best effort’ 5k in 25 minutes, with an average HR of 170bpm. In this case, when looking at heart rate, your ‘best effort’ is 170bpm. As you progress, you may be able to run ‘best effort’ 5k in 23 minutes, but your HR will still be around 170bpm. You can now run quicker at your best effort.

The advantage of using HR zones …

We don’t need to test as often as our zones are pretty fixed
Our HR measures how hard we are working. If we are having a bad day, have high fatigue coming into the session etc hitting particular numbers (pace and power) might be really difficult. If we follow our heart rate, our effort levels should be the same (although the power and pace will be slower) so we are working at the ‘right’ intensity.

Swimming Training Zones

Personally, I don’t tend to use specific training zones in swimming.

Not all athletes can swim at different speeds – to begin with anyway!
I find RPE in swimming to be more useful
Swim pace can be improved through technique improvements. For example, what was a zone 4, challenging effort, is now a zone 2 smooth swim because of some technical changes rather than fitness improvements.

That said, there are tests out there to measure your swim threshold – and to base training around swim pace.

I go into further detail on this in our Swim Squad Online programme.