Big Z4/Z5a Effort Mid of Z2 Ride... Worth It?
Poll: Big Z4/Z5a Effort Mid of Z2 Ride... Worth It?
Total Members Polled: 5
Discussion
Also as per Table 2 in this link why would you bother with Z2? https://www.trainingpeaks.com/blog/power-training-...
The trouble with a lot of this type of article is they are written assuming the reader is a pro or semi pro athlete with vast amount of time per week to train. They get read by keen albeit time-crunched enthusiasts who try to apply the same methods to their training but miss the fact they are only doing a couple of hours a week training rather than 15+.
I think for most people doing a couple of sets of hard intervals a week will offer gains, it's probably almost irrelevant what they are. For higher level athletes the 80:20 ideas become more relevant as managing fatigue becomes a much bigger issue.
I think for most people doing a couple of sets of hard intervals a week will offer gains, it's probably almost irrelevant what they are. For higher level athletes the 80:20 ideas become more relevant as managing fatigue becomes a much bigger issue.
What is a "Big" "z4/5a" effort? How long should it last? I always thought z5 meant a balls out sprint, with nothing left, so are we talking a 30 second burst? How long is your z2 before and after?
I agree with Lufbramat, this is the kind of thing aimed at pros with plenty of time on their hands. They can do a couple of 3 hour z2 efforts and still have time for several harder sessions.
For the rest of us, I would say it is worth it, provided you don't keep doing it day afer day, with no recovery or variation.
I agree with Lufbramat, this is the kind of thing aimed at pros with plenty of time on their hands. They can do a couple of 3 hour z2 efforts and still have time for several harder sessions.
For the rest of us, I would say it is worth it, provided you don't keep doing it day afer day, with no recovery or variation.
Nothing in that poll relevant to me.
I'm not even sure I know what my "training zones" actually are. I may occasionally race (XC MTB stuff, no road racing) but "training" isn't something I'm all that interested in. I simply go out and ride my bike as much as I can, and go as hard as I feel I can maintain for my intended ride duration. I prefer peanut butter sandwiches to energy bars/gels, and mostly drink squash in my bike bottles. If that means most riders on the road are quicker than me, then I'm fine with that. I ride to enjoy it, any fitness benefits/pace improvements are purely incidental.
I've tried "training", but I'm an outdoors-only cyclist, so when the weather is bad or I'm tied to the house for some reason (like my wife being on-call at work) then I can't ride so that training becomes impossible to stick to. Kudos to those that can commit themselves to organised training programs, and deliver specific rides with tailored training goals. But it's just not for me...
I'm not even sure I know what my "training zones" actually are. I may occasionally race (XC MTB stuff, no road racing) but "training" isn't something I'm all that interested in. I simply go out and ride my bike as much as I can, and go as hard as I feel I can maintain for my intended ride duration. I prefer peanut butter sandwiches to energy bars/gels, and mostly drink squash in my bike bottles. If that means most riders on the road are quicker than me, then I'm fine with that. I ride to enjoy it, any fitness benefits/pace improvements are purely incidental.
I've tried "training", but I'm an outdoors-only cyclist, so when the weather is bad or I'm tied to the house for some reason (like my wife being on-call at work) then I can't ride so that training becomes impossible to stick to. Kudos to those that can commit themselves to organised training programs, and deliver specific rides with tailored training goals. But it's just not for me...
lufbramatt said:
The trouble with a lot of this type of article is they are written assuming the reader is a pro or semi pro athlete with vast amount of time per week to train. They get read by keen albeit time-crunched enthusiasts who try to apply the same methods to their training but miss the fact they are only doing a couple of hours a week training rather than 15+.
I think for most people doing a couple of sets of hard intervals a week will offer gains, it's probably almost irrelevant what they are. For higher level athletes the 80:20 ideas become more relevant as managing fatigue becomes a much bigger issue.
Managing fatigue isn’t easy for me...I’m an unremarkable moderately fit mid 40’s rider who is happy to flog myself hard from time to time on 80km group rides. I end up being so destroyed that I don’t fully recover in the two day gap to my next group ride.I think for most people doing a couple of sets of hard intervals a week will offer gains, it's probably almost irrelevant what they are. For higher level athletes the 80:20 ideas become more relevant as managing fatigue becomes a much bigger issue.
BeirutTaxi said:
Poll as per the subject bar and questions. Feel free to add experience/comments etc below.
Worth what? And how are you qualifying a "big" Z4/Z5 effort?To be honest, no matter what your level, if you're that worried about going in to other zones during your Z2 rides, then you've probably lost perspective.
Kawasicki said:
Managing fatigue isn’t easy for me...I’m an unremarkable moderately fit mid 40’s rider who is happy to flog myself hard from time to time on 80km group rides. I end up being so destroyed that I don’t fully recover in the two day gap to my next group ride.
Amen! As a moderately fit mid fifties, recovery can mean 4-5 days of nothing! Gassing Station | Pedal Powered | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff