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How much Zone 2 training should you do?
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Zone 2 training has amazing benefits to the health and performance of mountain bikers. Zone 2 training refers to training you do below your aerobic threshold where your body i primarily using oxygen to break down fat as an energy source. It is often referred to as long steady slow training at a pace you can maintain all day long. The benefits include building more mitochondria (the powerhouse organelle) in your muscle cells, increased time and speed at lower intensity, delays the usage of stored carbohydrates at higher intensities of exercise, as well as sets the foundation of building high intensity power output closer to the riding and racing season. Plus many more! Earlier today I posted my thoughts about how zone 2 on instagram about how s There's currently a push on social media to do as much as possible zone 2 training, referencing studies of Norwegian XC skiers performing extremely high volumes of zone2 while having high VO2Max's (maximum oxygen usage during exercise). While its true that working up to high volumes of zone 2 has its benefits, these training volumes are unrealistic for the average athlete working a full time job and raising a family. A condensed version of a pro athletes program is also not the answer. The reality is more than 99% of mountain bikers aren't training for the World Cup nor elite results so some of these studies protocols are creating unrealistic expectations of training volumes. Simply adding variety in the program with below maximal intervals, pedalling cadence changes, When building a training program for an athlete, the context of their training history, goals, time available to train plus many others, need to be considered when choosing how much time can be spent in zone 2. Want to dive more into how you could incorporate Zone 2 training into your training plan? Stay tuned! I will be sharing a few strategies I use in the near future. |
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