laptop is out of reach so I’m ignorant whilst riding as people give me thumbs up and I can’t do anything back.
Download Zwift companion app to your phone. Lets you do a lot of stuff in ride easier than reaching for the laptop or tablet
going to see how long I can ride round on Zwift at zone 2 and a bit of 3…trying to build a bit more endurance of time in saddle and miles clocked…
if you join an appropriate pacer ride that should be relatively enjoyable and the time should pass quickly.
laptop is out of reach so I’m ignorant whilst riding as people give me thumbs up and I can’t do anything back.
I've bought a cheapy wireless mini-keyboard and I'm fashioning something to pop it just out front on the bars, signal in the garage is a bit dire for the mobile, I don't really like the partner app TBH and it generally seems easier to use shortcut keys than podge and swipe at a touchscreen (IMO)...
Zone 2 for my age is around 123bpm.
Asbrooks,your Z2 is not based on your age, but on your physiology. If you're basing your HRmax on (220 - your age) you'll likely be calculating your zones wrong. Better to get a "real you" estimate of HRmax and work your zones from there. And then use a website like crickles to give you data based estimates of your zone boundaries, which will change w fitness levels, your LTHR can improve as you get fitter
there are different formulae to calculate zones, based on HRmax or HRR(Karvonen) or %LTHR.
But Zwift is basing it's zones on Power anyway isn't it, so you need to be thinking about your FTP more than HR. I'm still trying to get my head around that, as on short rides it feels easy cf HR zones, but on longer rides it starts to feel harder cf HR zones
For zone 2 on Zwift I just use one of their erg based workouts and run it off my iPhone whilst watching something on Disney channel on my main screen via Apple TV. Although I’m finding the Zwift set workouts aren’t as varied as the TrainerRoad ones I used to use. I need to have a play around and see if I can build my own.
If I manage to work it out I was going to take my ftp and put in different intervals between 55-75-% of ftp. Maybe a gradual ramp up and ramp back down. For an hour or an hour and a half depending on life / time for exercise.
I don’t have the free time to spend 2 hours+ exercising really…..so I’m never going to get in hours and hours of zone 2. My fitness out on my real bikes feels pretty good at the moment - although I’m mostly either doing zone 2 or hammering at threshold on a race with Zwift. When I used TrainerRoad I used to do a lot of sweet spot training so maybe I ought to fit some more of that back in really.
I just do the pacer group thing. If you fall asleep and drop off the back, just teleport back in rather than doing any actual work is my hot tip. Mostly I choose not to do zone 2 indoors - I choose, fresh air, I choose roads, I choose trails, I choose life... 😉
I'm sure there's a market out there for some sort of fast-acting general Mogadon-like drug that will allow you to pedal for hours around Watopia without any awareness that you're actually there, Zwiftadon?
I get the general principle mind, I snuck out for a 'steady ride with a mate yesterday that turned into a two-hour, 1100-metre, half-wheeling climb fest, which was very definitely not zone 2 🙁
While I'm here, can I ask how many more intense - VO2 Max type sessions - people are doing a week? My last remaining hangover from long covid is a bit of a top-end deficit compared to before times. I don't know how much was down to missing 18 months of riding or whether I have some sort of physiological issue. I'm very definitely not recovering as well as I used to, but then again I am older than I was.
@joebristol Loads of those kind of workouts on TrainerDay (lots are lifted from TrainerRoad), if you have TrainingPeaks premium you can send them into your calendar and pick them up in Zwift if your accounts are linked...really easy.
Or create one in TP calendar then copy it to another date, edit etc.
Doesn't need to be complex, just interesting enough to hold your attention - you can try adding some cadence or standing drills or something every few minutes, just watch your HR doesn't drift somewhere where it's not supposed to be.
Download Zwift companion app to your phone. Lets you do a lot of stuff in ride easier than reaching for the laptop or tablet
Got that and it seems to just freeze...also then requires me to take a hand off my bars - even though I'm parked on a turbo I've terrible balance and when I do manage to look at the phone, my legs stop turning...I'm a bit thick with this turbo malarky!
requires me to take a hand off my bars
I use a cheap handle bar mount for my phone. Can keep one hand on the bars
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Grefay-Universal-Motorcycle-Handlebar-Smartphone-Black/dp/B08RD62QRX
That looks ok but does introduce something else for me to think about...I'm already fighting the boredom of indoor stuff...hahahaha.
I'm seeing benefits to doing this but I'm struggling to stick to the training plan sessions...I'm fine if the effort is <5 mins but there are several sessions with efforts of 10 or 15 minutes and I struggle to not switch off...
I think I need to spend more time in the saddle, so need to mix that up with turbo and outdoor.
Zwift has helped increase the time before utter boredom kicks in, but I need to find training sessions with a lot of variety so the changes keep me engaged - which I suspect isn't going to help improve things for me properly (however my vo2max has increased 6 points in last 4 weeks according to Garmin so that is good to see, but it is still a long way off where I'd like it to be!).
This is all still pretty new to me so I suspect things will improve with more time spent on it.
But Zwift is basing it’s zones on Power anyway isn’t it, so you need to be thinking about your FTP more than HR. I’m still trying to get my head around that, as on short rides it feels easy cf HR zones, but on longer rides it starts to feel harder cf HR zones
While I’m here, can I ask how many more intense – VO2 Max type sessions – people are doing a week? My last remaining hangover from long covid is a bit of a top-end deficit compared to before times. I don’t know how much was down to missing 18 months of riding or whether I have some sort of physiological issue. I’m very definitely not recovering as well as I used to, but then again I am older than I was.
Yeah I'm in a similar position, getting weaker and older and wanting to regain some power and recovery capacity for summer but struggling to Piece together a useful 'training plan' with Zwift. There are shed loads of workouts available but I'm not totally sure which ones suit my goals/needs and how to block out a plan using them through the next couple of months, and then I went and watched this:
Plus I'm not really keen to go down a Rabbit hole, I just want to click on a cookie cutter plan that fits my available time that just helps raise my FTP and endurance a wee bit. But I can't help thinking there's lots of "Junk workouts" in the Zwift library and I'm not really equipped to differentiate 'Junk' from a 'Goodun'.
Got that and it seems to just freeze…also then requires me to take a hand off my bars – even though I’m parked on a turbo I’ve terrible balance and when I do manage to look at the phone, my legs stop turning…I’m a bit thick with this turbo malarky!
Yeah I found the Companion app buggy (more down to WiFi connection in the Garage I think), here's my solution:
Popped it on last night and tried it briefly. It seems to work nicely, but you do have to remember all the Keyboard shortcuts, and to chuck a towel over it when I'm heaving on a big interval.
I don't bother with the workouts or training plans.
either bot rides at the Z2/3 pace I feel like, or races. quite liking the short lap crit races at the moment.
I spotted this from Andy Coggan (who has *some* knowledge of how training zones work) on the TR forum talking about Z2:
https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/t/lactate-and-lipolysis-zone-2-mania/88066/5?u=stevious
It's quite long but he does summarise:
TL, DR: It’s all good! In particular, training at a VERY wide range of intensities leads to an increase in mitochondrial respiratory capacity. There is absolutely nothing special about so-called “zone 2” in this regard, except perhaps the fact that you can do more of it, resulting in a greater overall “dose” of training (i.e., combination of volume and intensity).* Anybody touting the “magical” nature of zone 2 and mitochondria simply doesn’t know what they’re talking about (this includes folks like ISM and Attia).
I personally fnd this really reassuring when I'm sweating over whether I'm in the right zone or not.
I just want to click on a cookie cutter plan that fits my available time that just helps raise my FTP and endurance a wee bit.
Yes, i'm doing the GranFondo 8 week plan, and seeing how that goes, but not sure how well it adapts. Will watch that video later and see what that has to say. May just have to go and do reps on the Beacon to see how my fitness is improving....
My BiL used a Zwift plan synched from a TraiiingPeaks coahed plan - and that seemed to work for him, but he is a bit more committed than me. This year he is using Zwift in conjuntion with the JOIN ai coaching app. He says that is usfeul as it is adaptive to your sufferscore and if you miss a workout. It's yet another £10 a month so not sure if i can be bovvered.
Got a q so I thought I'd revive the great Z2 thread..
I'm limited to low intensity exercise for a while on Drs advice, maybe until December. I've already had 6 weeks off the bike so there's a drop in fitness from that plus from the issues I had (pulmonary embolisms, not rated or recommended..). I generally do ride a lot of Z2-ish pace, trad Z2 or talk-test Joe Friel / Inigo San Milan Z2. As far as I can tell my aerobic threshold trad Z2 upper limit is around 75-78% of (trained) LTHR, the point where I need to start breathing a bit more than just walking briskly along a flat road. If I'm at talk-test Z2 I might be 10-15bpm higher. To avoid strain on lungs at the mo I'm staying at trad Z2 and also time limited.
Q is - if HI riding is out for a while, aside from treating this as a Z2 base miles period and accepting the top-end fitness drop before getting on the turbo in winter once I have the all clear, is there anything I should be considering?
Weights were one thing I thought of but the HR raise and strain is probably not a good idea. I can ride up less steep hills in a big gear at really low cadence and stay in trad Z2 so that's probably all I can do for strength work, for now.
Do you do any flexibility exercises? My experience is that a bit of yoga each day does me just as much good in terms of functional strength as weightlifting but it’s easier to fit into my routine.
I do, basic stretches and a a couple of yoga type exercises almost every morning, only takes a few mins but it's been helping a lot in terms of how relaxed I feel on the bike. But still it's a good point that with less riding time, making more time for that would be beneficial.
