Personal Experiments Behind Long-Duration Zone 2 Training

Cycling has surged in popularity, and with the rise of connected fitness platforms like Peloton, more people than ever are discovering the benefits of structured, data-driven workouts. I’ve been using Peloton as a training platform since 2019. It’s fantastic, convenient and has tremendous impact on my fitness level (and mental health).

Power Zone Training, a method developed for Peloton riders, leverages the science of training zones to optimize your cycling performance and fitness gains. At the heart of this system lies Zone 2 cycling, a crucial component for building endurance, improving efficiency, and laying the foundation for more intense workouts.

I wanted explore the power of Zone 2 cycling, and specifically the impact true endurance training has had on my fitness metrics.

Duration Matters for Endurance

High training volume, combined with some high-intensity workouts, have been shown to be the most effective at improving performance (Seiler (2010)).

Long-duration endurance training (more than 2 hours) offers immense value to cyclists, especially those looking to improve their stamina and overall performance. By extending the duration of their Zone 2 rides, cyclists can amplify the benefits of endurance training, including increased mitochondrial density, improved fat metabolism, and a more developed capillary network. These adaptations lead to enhanced efficiency and the ability to sustain a more substantial effort over longer distances.

Below is a plot of my fitness (purple), fatigue (orange) and form (yellow) metrics from a year of capturing data. The most recent training cycle (on the right of plot), shows my experiments with Zone 2 training for 2 hours or more through the week. My training volume went up, and as a result, the slope of the fitness line (purple) was much greater.

This in in comparison to earlier training regimens of shorter (< 1 hr) using Zone 3 session. I’m convinced this is inferior to longer Zone 2 rides, based on the data.

Ultimately, incorporating long-duration endurance training into my cycling regimen has been a game-changer in terms of performance. My goal is to see how I can make significant increases in my FTP measures, hopefully in much less time.

References