Zone 2 workouts / Favorite Workouts of Fast Talk All-Stars, Part 3

Training Concepts
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Hi,

Thanks for the recent Fast Talk Episode, it was great !

Just a question for @trevor and @ryan regarding the Zone 2 workouts from Dr. Inigo San Millan …

Dr. Inigo San Millan recommends 3 to 4 Zone 2 workouts a week.
In the 5-Zone Power Model, Zone 2 is 55 - 75 % from VT2/LT2/FTP.

Is his advice to stay in the top of that range, just unter VT2?
Or to use the full Zone 2?
Or better to use heart rate instead of power (72 - 80 % of HRmax) ?

Thanks,
Marcus

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Sorry … not VT2 …
Is his advice to stay in the top of that range, just under VT1 ?

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There is an absolutely gigantic TR thread on what ISM means by zone 2. Hours worth of reading. I’m hesitant to draw any of my own conclusions, but it’s worth reading through. Lots of data from pro’s pulled and analyzed.

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I participated fairly actively in that thread early on. ISM means right at or very close to LT1 when he says Zone 2. We (the TR thread) worked that out by looking at his (and Brooks) metabolic flexibility paper. It is not a very wide range and if you look at Brandon McNulty you can see that he adheres to it closely (Pro/Elite thread on TR).

I point this out because if you want to follow what ISM prescribes (in terms of frequency and duration) make sure you understand what he means by “Zone 2”. That was a major take away from that gigantic thread.

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Right, so someone with a highly developed LT1 might be in the tempo zone, as defined by Coggan, correct?

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Yes, another takeaway from that thread. In fact my LT1 rides are no longer .75 IF, which would be where Coggan zones would place you (if memory serves). They probably should have never been based on FTP. I personally use HR to drive these rides (and let power come), but there are smart coaches on these forums that can advise when to use what over which.

In the 5-Zone Power Model, Zone 2 is 55 - 75 % from VT2/LT2/FTP.

So don’t do this (mix the zone models). ← @mweber501

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