Zone Two

As a cyclist I spend a lot of time in Zone 2, usually between 60% and 80% of my weeks riding. I am sure I am not alone in this, as far as I can see most of us ride this way and yet there is exactly ZERO facilities in zwift for zone 2 training specifically. The only training programs are part of something else like the FTP builder or something, there are no pacer bots for zone 2 since they have been screwed up.

Whats the story? We spend MOST of our time in zone 2 and you simply don’t cater for it at all other than free rides and something hidden in another workout.

Is there any plan for zone 2 training at all?

Most of the Zwift plans are light on zone 2 work and base building, but if all you want is zone 2 training then why use a training plan? You can pick one of the available zone 2 workouts and do it as much as you want. Ideally, what do you imagine your training plan would include other than steadily marching on at zone 2?

… or create his own Z2 workouts and progress them as he sees fit either by duration, power or both.

Personally, I find I can do an endurance ride on a flat route with a RoboPacer and spend the vast majority of the ride in Z2. :man_shrugging:t2:

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You can either set up a workout (I put on erg mode, turned off my brain and did this one while watching Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid)…

With the range of pacers, you should be able to find one that puts you into Z2. If you’re not happy with the dynamic pacing on the hills, look to the flatter routes.

…or, if you find the pacers aren’t at quite the right pace for you to be kept in Z2, you can tweak the effort that you need to put in by, for example, riding with a slow pacer on a MTB or gravel bike. This might take a bit of trial and error!

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“Riders choice” workouts turn off erg and trainer difficulty, so you can pick a gear for the power you want, found in the “x-y minutes” workout folders.

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Guess there’s no plan for zone2 riding because you don’t really need one. Just ride and stay in the zone 2 range.

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Just remembered that there’s some zone 2 workouts early on in the “TT Tune Up” plan, it’s one of a limited number of plans that has some decent structure to the workouts, rather than randomly working different zones through individual workouts.

Do not, I repeat do not, increase your FTP setting through the plan… Week 5+ after doing so in early '20 was a nightmare!

Got me in great shape at ~76Kg, before the health rollercoaster that the pandemic dealt me.

You’re missing the point entirely. There should literally be a "zone 2 " section with various things to do in it on the main page for the number of us that use it and the amount of time we spend there. One click, with erg mode options. Not have to dig into another workout or custom make something every time just to find something suitable. Also with no favorites anywhere its a mission just to find something fresh to do. Its NOT user friendly.

Why would there need to be ‘various things’? What sort of different Zone 2 things would you be looking for? I have one Zone 2 workout (based on the Inigo San Millan definition of Zone 2), and am not sure why I would need anything else.

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We’re not. We just think the point is nonsense.

Hope this helps.

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I don’t have this often, but this is why I just have a long workout “Zone” file I made.

Which is literally just Zone (whatever), and then you adjust the bias on the fly, during the “workout” depending on how I feel.

Workout bias is the solution to a lot of things; people just forget of its existence; but it’s a genuinely powerful tool when used correctly.

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