Setting Up Your Training Zones

Once you've performed your relevant performance testing to find heart, power or pace at lactic threshold, you can use the percentages below to setup your training zones. Once you've figured out your zones, be sure to update them in TrainingPeaks and Garmin Connect (or whichever platform you use) so that intensity and training stress are more accurately measured. Be sure to scroll down to the "Putting It All Together" chart to get a sense for how everything relates and corresponds with perceived effort.

Heart Rate-Based Zones

Heart rate and perceived effort are usually enough to do the trick, although power meters are nice for a little more accuracy and objectivity. Use the percentages below to set those up. Please note that HR zones do differ between bike and run due to how the metabolic demands differ between the two. Lactic threshold is also often about 5-10 beats higher for running.

Heart Rate Zones - Bike

Zone 1, Easy/Recovery - Less than 81% of LTHR

Zone 2, Endurance - 81% to 89% of LTHR

Zone 3, Tempo - 90% to 93% of LTHR

Zone 4, Threshold - 94% to 99% of LTHR

Zone 5a, VO2 Max - 100% to 102% of LTHR

Zone 5b, Anaerobic Capacity - 103% to 106% of LTHR

Zone 5c, Neuromuscular Power 106% of LTHR

Heart Rate Zones - Run

Zone 1, Easy/Recovery - Less than 85% of LTHR

Zone 2, Endurance - 85% to 89% of LTHR

Zone 3, Tempo - 90% to 94% of LTHR

Zone 4, Threshold - 95% to 99% of LTHR

Zone 5a, VO2 Max - 100% to 102% of LTHR

Zone 5b, Anaerobic Capacity 103% to 106% of LTHR

Zone 5c, Neuromuscular Power More than 106% of LTHR

Power-Based Zones

Power is a wonderful, objective measure of output, but although they are more common nowadays, not all athletes have access to power meters. If in doubt, you can always fall back to heart rate and perceived effort to guide you.

Power Zones - Bike

Zone 1, Easy/Recovery - Less than 55% of FTPw

Zone 2, Endurance - 55% to 74% of FTPw

Zone 3, Tempo - 75% to 89% of FTPw

Zone 4, Threshold - 90% to 104% of FTPw

Zone 5, VO2 Max - 105% to 120% of FTPw

Zone 6, Anaerobic Capacity - More than 120% of FTPw

Power Zones - Run

Zone 1, Easy/Endurance* - 65-80% of FTPw

Zone 2, Moderate/Tempo - 80% to 90% of FTPw

Zone 3, Threshold - 90% to 100% of FTPw

Zone 4, Interval - 100% to 115% of FTPw

Zone 5, Repetition - 115% to 130% of FTPw

*Zone 1 here captures zones 1 & 2 in the other models and correlates better with Daniels' model of running intensities and Vdot predictions. These are also the zones officially adopted by Stryd.

Putting It All Together + How It Feels

This chart should pull it all together (run power/pace excluded) and give you a sense of how each effort feels, as well as its corresponding relative perceived effort (RPE).

Run Pace Zones

I calculate and provide these for my athletes more for reference than anything. Pace can vary so much based on terrain (hills/downhills), wind, and temperature that they can quickly become unreliable. Heart rate, power, and perceived effort are all much better, more consistent metrics. In short, take these zones with a grain of salt.

Zone 1, Easy/Recover - Slower than 129% of FTP (78%)

Zone 2, Endurance - 114% to 129% of FTP (78-88%)

Zone 3, Tempo - 106% to 113% of FTP (88-94%)

Zone 4, Threshold - 99% to 105% of FTP (95-101%)

Zone 5a, VO2 Max - 97% to 100% of FTP (100-103%)

Zone 5b, Anaerobic Capacity - 90% to 96% of FTP (104-111%)

Zone 5c, Neuromuscular Power - Faster than 90% of FTP (111%)