Triathlon: Benefits of Zone 4 Cycling!
Can you hold your power when the pressure doesn’t let up?
Cycling plays a crucial role in triathlon performance, and training in different intensity zones helps build endurance, strength, and race-day speed. One of the most effective but often underutilized training zones is Zone 4 cycling, also known as threshold training. This intensity zone is key for improving sustained power, lactate clearance, and race-specific fitness.
What is Zone 4 Cycling?
Zone 4 is commonly referred to as the lactate threshold zone, where effort is hard but controlled—pushing you to the edge of your sustainable limit. Here’s how it’s defined:
• Effort Level: Hard but sustainable
• Heart Rate: Around 80–90% of max HR
• Power (FTP-based): 95–105% of Functional Threshold Power (FTP)
• Breathing: Deep and labored, but not max effort
• Duration: 10–30 minutes per interval, or longer in sustained efforts
This is the point where lactate begins to accumulate in the muscles, but the body is still able to clear it effectively, helping you sustain higher efforts for longer periods.
Benefits of Zone 4 Cycling for Triathletes!
1. Increases Lactate Threshold Power
The higher your lactate threshold, the harder you can ride before fatigue sets in. Training in Zone 4 teaches your body to buffer and clear lactate more efficiently, allowing you to sustain higher power outputs in races.
2. Improves Sustainable Power Output
Zone 4 training directly improves your ability to hold strong efforts over race distances, especially in Olympic and 70.3 races, where maintaining a steady, high-intensity pace is crucial.
3. Builds Strength and Fatigue Resistance
Riding at threshold intensity strengthens your legs, core, and cardiovascular system. Over time, this leads to better endurance and less fatigue, which is crucial for the bike-to-run transition.
4. Enhances Race Pacing and Control
Many triathletes unknowingly push too hard early in races, leading to burnout. Zone 4 training improves pacing awareness, helping you know exactly what effort is sustainable over the course of your triathlon bike leg.
5. Bridges the Gap Between Aerobic and Anaerobic Fitness
Zone 2 builds endurance, and Zone 5 develops sprint power, but Zone 4 is the sweet spot where endurance meets intensity. This zone is crucial for increasing your ability to sustain strong race efforts without completely exhausting yourself.
6. Improves Performance in Hilly or Windy Conditions
Many races include rolling hills, headwinds, or technical sections that require short bursts of high effort. Training in Zone 4 conditions your body to handle these surges efficiently without excessive fatigue.
7. Prepares You for Stronger Bike-to-Run Transitions
Pushing too hard on the bike can leave your legs drained for the run. Zone 4 training teaches your body to sustain effort without excessive leg fatigue, making your bike-to-run transition smoother and more effective.
How to Incorporate Zone 4 Cycling in Triathlon Training!
• Threshold Intervals: 3–5 x 10–20 min at 95–100% of FTP with 5 min recovery.
• Sustained Efforts: 20–30 min steady in Zone 4 to simulate race conditions.
• Over-Under Workouts: Alternate 2 min at 105% FTP with 3 min at 95% FTP for 20-30 min total.
• Brick Workouts: After a steady Zone 3 ride, finish with 10–15 min in Zone 4, then transition to a run.
• Race-Specific Training: Incorporate Zone 4 efforts into long rides, simulating race-day power and effort.
Final Thoughts
Zone 4 cycling is one of the most effective ways to increase power, endurance, and race-day performance. By strategically incorporating threshold training into your plan, you’ll build the strength and stamina needed to ride faster while preserving energy for the run.
Consult a healthcare professional before starting any fitness plan to ensure it is safe and appropriate for your individual needs.