POWER ZONES

The standard model divides everything from soft-pedalling to a flat-out sprint into seven bands, each expressed as a percentage of FTP.

Z1 — Active recovery (under 55%)

Spinning, not training. Use it between intervals and on the day after something brutal. It moves blood without adding fatigue. If it feels like exercise, it is too hard.

Z2 — Endurance (56-75%)

The foundation. Long rides here build mitochondrial density, capillary networks and fat oxidation. Conversational, sustainable for hours, and the zone most amateurs ride too hard.

Z3 — Tempo (76-90%)

Purposeful and firm. Efficient for time-crunched riders and useful for building the ability to hold a steady hard pace, but tiring enough that it can eat the recovery your hard days need.

Z4 — Threshold (91-105%)

Where FTP gets moved. Classic sessions are 2 x 20 minutes, 3 x 12 minutes or 4 x 10 minutes at 95-100% of FTP with a third of the work time as recovery. Uncomfortable but controlled.

Z5 — VO2 max (106-120%)

Three to five minute efforts that leave you gasping. This is how you raise your aerobic ceiling, and it is the fastest route to feeling sharp before an event. Two sessions a week is the practical maximum.

Z6 — Anaerobic capacity (121-150%)

Thirty seconds to two minutes. Attacks, bridging gaps, short savage hills. High fatigue per minute, so use it sparingly and close to race season.

Z7 — Neuromuscular (151%+)

Five to fifteen second maximal sprints for raw power and recruitment. Full recovery between reps — these are quality efforts, not a workout to grind through.

• Base: mostly Z2, with sweet spot or Z3 to add stimulus on limited hours.
• Build: Z4 threshold work becomes the centrepiece, Z2 fills the rest.
• Peak: add Z5 and some Z6, cut total volume, protect recovery.
• Always: at least one day genuinely in Z1 or off the bike.