Hi guys,what power target should you be aiming for in a 1 hour indoor endurance ride
Top end zone 2
Mid point zone 2
Let dha alpha 1 dictate the power.
Thanks Glenn
1 Like
Bigger question to be answered here first - where does this fit into your overall plan and what is the purpose of this specific workout?
1 Like
Using Heart rate, breathing and feel would be better that power. As you get fitter, you will produce more power for the same heart rate, breathing rate and feel.
- Keep you heart rate in zone 2 (temperature, hydration, outside stress, caffeine all affect this);
- Keep your breathing easy (should be able to talk without gasping for breath);
- Should feel easy (about 3-4 on a 10-point scale for RPE).
4 Likes
Hi Olly,currently I am doing about 8- 10 hours per zone 2 riding,every 10 days I wud swap out a 1 hour endurance ride for a vo2 max session,my main aim is to increase power @ LT1 as I have entered the Mallorca 312 April 2024.
1 Like
Hi Gerald,my zone2 heart according to intervals is 136-150 bpm,where abouts in that range should I target my 1hour zone 2 rides.
Zones are a continuum @Glenn_Crawford and you donāt just switch from one to another in an instant.
So if youāre targeting a HR of 150 your session is probably going to be as much Z2 and it is Z3.
But how strong is your aerobic base? Thatās a key question youāll have to ask yourself. If it needs work then Iād be more inclined to focus on top Z1/bottom Z2 for your endurance rides. As @Gerald says there - let RPE dictate your intensity. The lungs donāt lie 
1 Like
Thanks for all the advice guysš
For the number of hours per week, your Z2 rides should all be at least 80min to get more benefit. 60min is too short for 8-10 hours a week of training and will have very little positive effect. Do one really long one and some more around 90min.
2 Likes
Another quote from Alan Couzens:
Ā“itĀ“s almost impossible to go to slowĀ“ ā¦
The vast majority of non-proĀ“s do their endurance rides at an Intensity that is too high.
2 Likes
Sorry, I thought I had replied, got sidetracked and then saw the draft when returning. You have already received a few responses, so my response below is what I originally typed before the subsequent replies between your reply and this post. Here it isā¦
Trial and error; start at the middle of the range, and see how you feel. If out of breath at any point, you know it was/is too hard. Ease up.
Not sure what your maxHR is, or how youāre setting your zones (LTHR or maxHR), but 136-150 bpm could be too high for zone 2, based purely on the many athletes (and coaches) I have seen or heard from. It depends though, on each individual, their age and fitness level. FWIW, my upper limit that I cap my endurance rides at, is 136bpm. Itās not something to compare with others, but rather something to keep in mind (err on the side of lower is better).
1 Like
What are your thoughts on becoming a good nose breather? Asking for a friend. 
Thereās a little more to breathing, or rather a lot more.
- Ride slower
- Practice
- Google it, but be cautious
- Hereās a start:
Understanding and Training Your Breathing with Dr. Stephen Cheung and Steve Neal - Fast Talk Laboratories
Iāve meant Iām already a good nose breather (previously I misinterpreted my thoughts) and when I run, I can sustain the nose breathing well above my Z2. Thatās something also Peter Attia once mentioned, when doing his Z2 rides, that he canāt trust himself only based on his (nose) breathing to still be in Z2.
I recently set a similar goal for my 4x week rides in 1 hour Zone 2 rides as defined in some videos I watched from Peter Attia
He defines Zone2, using lactose blood levels. I came across some info in his video where he gives an estimated way to figure out zone 2 without the use of a lactose meter.
0.80(220-age)
80% of HR max determined using the 220-age standard estimate.
He and in his interview with san-millan recommend 45min minimum in this zone 4 or more times per week. Ideally shooting for 1.5 hours if possible.
Have you a link to that video please?
Oops, I thought I linked it
Itās around 1h40min or so where they they talk about getting close to zone 2 without a blood lactose meter. Attia mentions needing to know the real maxHR, then working with 70 to 80% of that to estimate being in Zone 2
I started by using the standard formula to estimate maxHR, and should be an okay starting point unless there is some medical conditions outside the normal
Iāll be going with that for now and the foreseeable future until I can either get tested, which I donāt know if my insurance would even cover a voluntary test like that. Or maybe some day, if I stick with it for a year or so, get a blood lactose meter myself. But there around $350 then thereās single use test strips to buy depending on how 9ften one would want to test.
The entire interview good and very informative. Worth a watch. I had to split it up over three days. And this morning watched it for an hour while doing my zone 2 ride before work.
Ah. That makes more sense. Thatās not using 220-age.
My 220-age is 20 beats lower than my max. Itās not a useful starting point at all tbh.
2 Likes
Yeah. Iām going on the high end also. But still used the estimated maxHR formula to figure that out., Since I have no real number from any form of testing to base it on.
Iām sticking as close as possible to 80%( of that 70-80 percent range of maxHR he talked about āprescribingā his patients) the entire zone 2 workout, because I also feel my true max HR is higher than 220-age. So, I think itās a very useful starting point for those that do not have proof from a test of our actual maxHR. Then we can adjust as needed. They also talk about other aspects of how we should feel at the peak of zone 2.
I just figured it was the simplest method to get into zone 2, for all the lactose benefits they talk about in that video without having the tests done.
I know I heard it in another video of his, or maybe it was also in this one where he mentioned 220-age standard estimate not being the most accurate, but can get in the ballpark.
Iāve been using the āMaffetoneā Method which is something like 220-age and then you add or minus some beats based on some conditions. Been using that for some time ever since I found success (albeit in running). So Now been using that to do my indoor session based on HR instead of Power.
After that, I just input it into the workout app and let it control the power. I think it helps. Tho at times Iāve been wondering if I should lower it down further to like 60% or 70% instead and get more towards Z1.
1 Like