Should you test and use training zones to improve your performance?
In my opinion Yes, Absolutely. Why? Because you can significantly improve training benefits and race performance/predictability.
You will need a watch with capability to record times for pacing zones, a heart rate monitor (HRM) if you want heart rate zones, or a power meter for power zones. Tests for pace and heart rate are included as examples below.
This post provides five things to help get you started:
1) Sample testing workouts for swimming, cycling, and running
2) How to determine zones from your tests
3) One key workout to try for each sport
4) A few ideas on implementing zones into your races
5) Brief overview of what adaptations occur in each zone
What this post does not do:
1) Attempt to identify a “best” test or set of training zones for each sport. You need to try some for yourself. I use tests from two texts in my examples, but that’s only for convenience. In practice, I use several different tests for each sport and constantly compare them with results from workouts and races. Don’t forget about races, since they can yield great results because the effort is typically your best. One race example is used below.
2) Design specific training blocks, integrating all the zones. There are many programs on the market, in books and online, and many coaches, that provide this level of detail. This is very athlete specific.
So, are you giving me a small piece of knowledge that I can get into but am then unable to use on my own?
No. This is a crucial piece of knowledge that is the start of the new and much improved you. Once you have zones, you can begin to investigate workouts and training plans that use them, upping your game via specificity. You can use your zones during group workouts, and understand what zones the coach has you working in. Once you’ve done some training within a plan using zones, you can see how your body responds, vastly increasing what you know about how your body works and recovers. It’s fun! Get to know yourself and race your best!
I’m in the middle of my season now. Can I test now or do I have to wait until next year?
Test now. There is never a bad time to start. (Okay, doing hard testing the week before your A race is probably not a good idea.) Think of this process as training to train: a new series of events that is overlaid on your season plan, taking the place of some other workouts. If you have three or four weeks, you can have zones for your next race or block of training in one or more sports.
Important note on testing frequency:
In my experience, you cannot do a test once and expect to have good data. It usually takes 4-6 attempts over as many weeks. You must ‘learn the test’: how to pace it, how it feels, how your form changes, how to use your technology, how you improve week to week, and give yourself a chance to have at least 2-3 good results. You will make ‘mistakes’ in pacing, or forget to look at your watch, or hit the stop button and not log the data, or delete the data by accident, or have to stop for a phone call, and have a less than optimal result. This is fine. The testing workouts themselves are great training/race preparation sessions – a 30min maximal effort will be your ‘quality’ session for the week in that sport. I have seen cyclists improve test results 5-10% per week for six weeks as they got better at a test, but also got stronger – and this can hold true for beginners or elites. You don’t want to risk setting up months or years of training based on a poor test result. (If you want to go deeper, here is a detailed post with real life testing examples using power and heart rate: https://racedaycoaching.com/?p=287)
What might weeks look like with testing in the mix?
Week 1-4, test bike and swim weekly
Tue – Bike 20min HR Test,
Thu – Swim 200yd Time Trial
Week 2
Sun – 5k Road Race or Time Trial
Week 4
Sat – 10k Road Race or Time Trial
Notes: Testing is taxing and you want to be rested coming in. Schedule a day off or easy day between test workouts. You can try to do a workout in a second sport after a test session, but make it very easy, more of a recovery session.
Here are some common tests:
Swim – 200yd Time Trial, 5x100yd Best Split, 3x300yd Average Pace, 1000yd Time Trial, 30min Swim for distance, Long/short test for Critical Pace
Bike – 20min Heart Rate (HR), 20min Power, 60min Time Trial, Long/short test for Critical Power
Run – 5k/10k/13.1/26.2 Road Races or Time Trials, 20min HR, Long/short test for Critical Pace
This is a sample, and there are many more. They were developed for good reasons. We’ll investigate one for each sport.
Note: After reading through the examples below, you will have a feel for how testing works and be able to do it for yourself. If your program or coach calls for a test other than what’s shown, you will understand how it works and therefore be better able to implement it. The tests below, especially for cycling and running, are very common.
Let’s see a testing example for each sport, and how to determine training zones for each:
SWIM
Test: 200 Time Trial in a pool
Frequency: Perform this workout every week for 3-6 weeks.
The Workout/Test:
Warmup –
3-500 done as 25 kick or kick-powered drill/25 swim
4-6×50 building from slow to moderately fast within each 50, resting :15 after each
Rest 2-3min
Test –
Swim 200yd at your best possible pace and note the time it takes
Swim the first 50yd easy so you don’t “blow up” and slow down at the end
Build the last 150yd, going all out the last 50yd
Rest 2-3min
Swim Down –
2-300 easy choice of swims or kicks
You may swim a set(s) after the test if desired, but do not ‘save’ any energy for them. The test result is all that matters.
Alternate Test via Race or Workout:
You enter a race (or do a hard group swim) in a lake, or an ocean swim with minimal current. This would NOT be the NYC Triathlon swim. Take your best 1000yd pace and use this as your threshold pace. Numerous tables will give you pacing zones based on a test of this distance. How does this threshold pace compare with what you calculate below from your 200yd test?
Determine Training Zones (Pace-based):
For this example, 200yd is swum in 3:00, or 1:30/100yd pace
Take half your time and add the following time increments:
VO2max: 1:30+:04-:09 = 1:34-1:39/100yd
Threshold: 1:30+:07-:13 = 1:37-1:42/100yd
Zone 3: 1:30+:10-:18 = 1:40-1:47/100yd
Zone 2: 1:30+:15-:24 = 1:45-1:52/100yd
Zone 1: 1:30+:20-:28 = 1:50-1:58/100yd
Note: There is some overlap in zones. If you are closer to 1:15/100yd pace for your 200 time trial, start in the bottom half of the range. If closer to 1:45, start in the upper half.
Credit – I first saw this type of test detailed by coach Bill Sweetenham in “Championship Swim Training”, and have modified it to accommodate a wider range of paces, based on my experience.
Try this Threshold workout:
Warmup:
500 done as 25 kick or kick-powered drill/25 swim
Pre-Set:
4-6×50 building from slow to moderately fast within each 50, resting :15 after each
Main Set:
Note: Start the first 100 easy and see where you come in, since going out too fast can ruin the end of the set
5×100 at Threshold pace, :15 rest after each, count strokes per length for the last 25 of each 100, trying to stay consistent
5×100 at Threshold pace, :15 rest after each, count strokes and try to drop 1 or more strokes per length from the first set of 5×100
Swim Down:
2-300 easy choice of swims or kicks
Note: You may add reps to the main set or increase rep distances as you improve, increasing rest up to :30
BIKE
Test: 20min Heart Rate (HR) Time Trial
Frequency: Perform this workout every week for 3-6 weeks.
Method: It doesn’t matter how your best 20min HR is attained. Three options are given and the highest average should be used.
The Workout/Test:
Warmup –
10min easy spin
10min moderate including 5x30sec pickups to a fast cadence
5min easy spin
Test –
Perform a 30min best effort ride with the goal of being consistent or increasing effort throughout
Do the first 5min at a moderate effort so you don’t “blow up” later and slow dramatically before the end of the test
10min into the 30min effort, press your split button
At the end of the Time Trial, press stop or split, so you have the average HR for the last 20min
This HR approximates Threshold HR
Some programs such as Training Peaks will identify your best 20min HR segment for you and this is the number you should use.
Cool Down –
10-20min easy spin
Alternate Test via Race:
Race a duathlon or sprint triathlon and use the bike portion as an all out time trial (bike should be 10-15 miles). Yes, you’ll be able to run after, but it will test your mettle. Take your best 20min HR for use below.
Alternate Test via Workout:
You’re out on a short (1-2hr) group ride and they pretty much hammered it for one half to full hour segment, plus or minus. You were spent and barely kept up. Take your best 20min HR for use below.
Determine Training Zones (HR-based):
For example, average HR for the best 20min = 161bpm (beats per minute)
Using a popular reference (there are many) such as Triathlete’s Training Bible (p. 42, 2nd Ed.), your zones are found by:
1) Locate your Threshold HR on the chart
2) List your zones as follows:
VO2max: 165-170
Threshold: 151-164
Zone 3: 144-150
Zone 2: 130-143
Zone 1: 106-129
Note: Already you can see some differences in terminology. Friel lists zones above and below threshold (other charts do not), and Zone 5B is equivalent to VO2max. You have to do some work for yourself in this area to see what different authors are doing.
Try this Threshold workout:
Warmup:
10min easy spin
10min moderate including 5x30sec pickups to a fast cadence
Main Set:
2x15min at Threshold Heart Rate, 5min easy spin in-between
Cool Down:
10min easy spin
Note: Begin each main set rep easily, allowing HR to rise gradually to TH level over several minutes, then hold steady. The rep (and benefit) begins when you start the effort, not when your HR reaches the zone. Try not to overshoot your zone limits.
RUN
Test: 10k Road Race (or 10k best effort on a course you run frequently, preferably not too hilly – Prospect park loops are fine)
The Workout/Test:
Warmup –
10min easy jog
10min moderate including 5x30sec pickups to a fast cadence
Rest a few minutes (may be longer if you’re participating in a road race)
You can get TWO data points here vs one: pace and HR
Test –
Run/Race a 10k as fast as possible and note your time at the end.
At the 20min mark press your split button
At the 40min mark press your split button (this segment will give your 20min average HR)
If you know you’re faster than 40min, press your split button at 10 or 15min into the run
Some programs such as Training Peaks will identify your best 20min HR segment for you and this is the number you should use. Use charts such as the ones in Training Bible to determine HR zones as you did for the bike.
Cool Down –
10min easy walk/jog
Determine Training Zones (Pace-based):
For example, the 10k is completed in 46:21 (round to 46)
Using a popular reference (there are many) such as Triathlete’s Training Bible (p. 38, 2nd Ed.), your zones are found by:
1) Locate your 10k time on the chart
2) List your zones as follows:
VO2max: 6:47-7:17
Threshold: 7:18-7:59 (recall from above that Zones 4 and 5a comprise Threshold in Friel)
Zone 3: 8:00-8:35
Zone 2: 8:36-9:43
Zone 1: 9:44+
Try this Threshold workout:
Warmup –
10min easy jog
10min moderate including 5x30sec pickups to a fast cadence
Main Set –
2-3x1mile at Threshold pace, with a 5min jog in-between
Cool Down –
10min easy jog
PACING DURING RACES
Here are the briefest of brief thoughts on this topic, just to give you an idea of how to equate zones to race distances. It depends on how you define your zones, how well you limit variance in the zones you choose, and beyond that there is some overlap between them all. VERY generally, in terms of time:
VO2max – 10-20min best effort (2-3 mile Cross-Country Race)
Threshold – 1 hour best effort (10-15k Road Race)
Zone 3 – 1.5-2.0 hour best effort (15k-1/2 Marathon)
Zone 2 – long workout (Marathon, Century Ride)
Zone 1 – all day pace
Note that when you see workout sets directed in these zones, time spent in each zone will usually be less than or equal to the best effort time. It makes sense that you can’t do 3x30min in TH with 2min rests – that’s way beyond the definition of TH. What you’re really doing in that case is a Zone 2 or 3 session. And you’ll know this when you look at pace, power, or heart rate. OR, if you are able to hold your ‘threshold’ for an hour and a half, your zones are wrong and you should retest, expecting a higher threshold number.
Sprint – A race that typically lasts 1-1.5hr. Most of your time will be spent in the Threshold Zone. Faster athletes may bump up into VO2max for short periods, while slower ones will spend time in Z3.
Olympic – A race lasting 2-3.5hrs – quite the range. Most of your time will be spent in Z2-3. Faster athletes may bump up into Threshold for short periods, while slower ones will spend more time in Z2.
Half – A race lasting 4-6.5hrs – again, quite the range. Most of your time will be spent in Z2. Faster athletes will spend time in Z3, while slower ones will spend more time in Z1.
Full – A race lasting 8-17hrs – it’s just a different day for the pros. Most of your time will be spent in Z1-2. Faster athletes may bump up into Z3 for periods, while slower ones will spend time all their time in Z1.
From this you can see that by knowing your zones you can plan your race pacing, heart rate, or power zones. It makes racing much more predictable, with better results. For example, from your new zones, you may find out from reviewing past data that you were going out at threshold effort for forty-five minutes on the bike of your Half IM races and that killed your run. Stay in zones that work for your race distance and feel better throughout.
TRAINING ZONES AND WHAT THEY DO
How do you want your body to adapt? This is a bird’s eye view of what changes are caused in your body by training in each intensity zone. The zones do overlap. While each zone does certain jobs best, the ones adjacent to it impact those areas to a lesser extent.
Zone I Recovery – promotes circulation, glycogen restoration, rest without inactivity
– no specific adaptations
Zone II Endurance – improvement of slow twitch fiber fatigue resistance
– minimal specific adaptations, length more important than intensity
Zone III Tempo – long race pace training, typically for events of 3+hrs
– maximal improvement in glycogen storage capacity
– moderate improvement in oxidative enzyme levels
– moderate improvement in LT
Zone IV Lactate Threshold (LT) – maximize metabolic fitness of muscles
– maximal improvement in Lactate Threshold
– maximal improvement in oxidative enzyme levels
– moderate improvement in glycogen storage capacity
– moderate improvement in VO2max
– moderate improvement in cardiac output
– moderate increased plasma volume
Zone V VO2max – maximize cardiac fitness
– maximal improvement in VO2max
– maximal improvement in cardiac output
– maximal increased plasma volume
– moderate improvement in muscle capillarization
Zone VI Anaerobic Capacity
– maximal improvement in anaerobic capacity
Data on zones from Allen, Coggan (2006)
