Beginner’s Guide: Understanding Training Zones

Ever heard someone talk about Zone 2 training or hitting a power target during a ride—and wondered what they meant?

Training zones aren’t just for elite athletes. They’re one of the simplest ways to make your training more effective and give your training session a purpose to target a specific fitness component.

What Are Training Zones?

Training zones are ranges of intensity that help you target different physiological adaptations in your body.

You can measure intensity through:
- Heart Rate (HR)
- Rate of Perceived Exertion (RPE)
- Pace (running)
- Power (cycling)

The most accurate measurements for intensity are pace, power or HR through a chest strap. RPE can be used when another option is not available, however it is not the best method. I would also like to note that wrist based HR monitors can also be inaccurate and have a delay in tracking changes. Similar to RPE, they can be used (especially when you forget your chest strap) but ideally would not be relied upon.

The 5 Basic Zones

There are a variety of zone calculation methods available. The most commonly used is a 5-zone range:

🏖️ Zone 1 (Recovery) – Very easy effort; helps you recover.
🏃‍♂️ Zone 2 (Endurance)– Easy conversational pace; improves aerobic base.
🏃‍♀️ Zone 3 (Tempo) – Moderate, “comfortably hard” effort.
🔥 Zone 4 (Threshold) – Hard effort; sustainable for short periods.
🚀 Zone 5 (VO2 Max) – Maximal effort; short bursts of high-intensity work.

How to Measure Your Zones

Heart Rate:

Many training apps like TrainingPeaks or Garmin help you calculate your heart rate zones. This can be done from your maximal heart rate or threshold heart rate. Using the old 220-age is not an accurate way to know what your maximal heart rate is. I strongly recommend finding your threshold heart rate from the same test that you will do to find your power and pace.

RPE: Use a 1–10 scale where 1 = very easy and 10 = all-out effort.

While this doesn’t exactly give you your zones, it is an option when you do not have access to a device or if the device malfunctions during a workout. Been there - HR strap battery died, HR strap data was faulty, and GPS data has gone way off course.

Pace or Power: Your GPS watch or cycling power meter can also help you track effort.

Perform an FTP test for both bike and run to find out your function threshold power and functional threshold pace. This can also then be used to find your function threshold heart rate at the same time. This is the best way to find your zones.

Why Zones Matter for Endurance Training

Without zone-based training, it’s easy to go too hard on easy days and too easy on hard days.

Training with structure allows:
- Better recovery

- Improved race-day performance

- More predictable progress

- Knowing that you are making the right adaptations that you need

Final Thoughts

You don’t need a perfect lab-tested setup to start using zones. Even simple awareness of easy vs. hard effort can change how you train. If you want more precise training, then perform the functional threshold tests to get the most accurate zones without the lab.

Remember: consistency + the right intensity = smarter, stronger performance.

Want Personalised Training Zones?

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— Coach Bec
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