Basic Training Zone Guide

Athletes training for endurance sports spend a lot of time developing different different energy systems according to the demands of their particular event. To do this, athletes will work according to different Training Zones.

For these Training Zones I use the Triathlon Australia standard of “T” Zones. These zones relate directly to the Zone 1, Zone 2 etc. that you may be used to.

Training Zones are set using time trials / previous race data by getting heart rates, power and paces from them. You can see below they are worked out from AT - this is anaerobic threshold.

The way I work as a coach is I want the athlete to always work off the perceived exertion method within their training sessions. So a T2 run would be “comfortable” based on the table below. Once we start getting some training files through I can then check in on them and make sure that your HR is reflecting the perception you have. I do this so as to develop the intuition within the athlete and to allow them to tap into the right zone and pace for what they are trying to do without the need for gadgets.

Uses of the Training Zones:

T1 is used for recovery work / warmups and cool downs

T2 is used for developing aerobic endurance

T3 is used for developing aerobic threshold

T4 is used for developing speed endurance / anaerobic threshold

T5 is used for developing maximum aerobic power and lactate tolerance