FTP, threshold and training zones
Zones turn the plan into concrete numbers for your body. Without up-to-date thresholds, the targets are wrong.
Power (cycling)
FTP is the power you can hold for about an hour. Coggan's zones are expressed as % of FTP: Z1 recovery (<55 %), Z2 endurance (56–75 %), Z3 tempo (76–90 %), Z4 threshold (91–105 %), Z5 VO2max (106–120 %), Z6 anaerobic capacity (121–150 %), Z7 neuromuscular.
As FTP changes with training, it's worth reviewing it every 6–8 weeks or letting Garmin estimate it from your sessions.
Heart rate and pace
If you train by HR, your zones should be based on threshold HR (not the theoretical maximum HR of 220 − age, which is badly off for many people). HR reacts with a delay: in short intervals, power or pace are better guides.
In running, threshold pace (the pace trained athletes can sustain for about an hour) is the basis for interval paces.
How Zenvit uses this: When you import a plan, the app converts power zones to % FTP and HR zones to bpm using your Garmin zones (or your threshold HR). Every conversion is shown before you approve.
Sources
- Allen H, Coggan AR, McGregor S. Training and Racing with a Power Meter. 3rd ed. VeloPress; 2019.
- Friel J. The Cyclist's Training Bible. 5th ed. VeloPress; 2018.
General information for amateur athletes; not a substitute for medical advice or a coach.
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