What are my Training Zones, and what do the names mean?

  1. Active Recovery - VERY easy, like taking a stroll on your bike. Your TL should be tiny from rides in this zone.
  2. Endurance - this focuses on building your aerobic base. Think of it as the foundation of your "fitness house."
  3. Tempo - This is the first floor. It's where you start to build a bit of speed and bed in your endurance.
  4. Sweet Spot Training - the top of Zone 3 (Tempo) through the lower part of Zone 4 (LT). It's where you get the most "bang for your buck" - that is, the highest return for the recovery cost.
  5. Lactate Threshold (LT) - this trains you at the very top end of the intensity that you can sustain for an hour.
  6. VO2 - this is the attic of your "Fitness House." It's where you build top end speed and the ability to recover from intense efforts. This zone has a high recovery cost, so you can't spend a lot of time there.
  7. Anaerobic Capacity - This is the very top of the intensity scale. It's hard to sustain for more than a few seconds and it helps to build leg strength.

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