Ok, this got really long when I started typing it, but the "these power zone rides feel too easy, why am I not seeing PRs?" question is pretty common on the power zone pack facebook pages, so I figured I would give the long explanation for anybody who really wants to know the "why".

There is a good chance your zones are too low if you have only done one FTP test. Most people undershoot their first test by a bit because they are uncertain of what to expect out of a 20 min all out effort. If you have only tested once or it has been at least 6 weeks since your last test and you have been riding quite a bit, it would be a good idea to test again. On the other hand, if the live class was a power zone endurance class, it should feel easier than most classes and I would be pretty surprised if you managed to get a PR in one. One of the most misunderstood things about fitness training is that you don't have to kill yourself on every workout to improve, and in fact, doing so probably hinders your improvement if you are doing it more than 2-3 times per week.

Power zone classes are meant to be used as part of a broader training program (like the 8 week PZP challenges) designed to increase your overall aerobic base and lift your FTP. Sure, you could go out and do a Kendall Toole Metal ride 6 days a week and probably PR once per week by a few pelotons or whatever the units are called (kJ), but your legs are going to be trashed by day 3, and your subsequent efforts are going to be sub-optimal for training purposes because you will not have sufficient recovery to be ready to go again day after day. Professional endurance athletes use different kinds of rides for different purposes as part of their overall training program. What they are trying to accomplish overall is to get as much training in as they can, without overtraining in a way that is detrimental to their performance or risks getting them sick or injured. Recovery and lower intensity efforts are hugely important in almost every training program, and actual "race pace" efforts are fairly rare in most training programs. They will use different kinds of rides within their periods of training to work on different parts of their fitness.

For cyclist training, the first type of ride uses what are called LSD or long slow distance rides below your FTP as a large part of the training work to make the body as efficient as possible under aerobic conditions, where you are burning fat and oxygen for fuel. You want to be able to do long durations using purely aerobic energy pathways so that you save the other energy pathways for the harder efforts. The benefit of these kinds of rides is that you can do them almost every day if you want to without risking overtraining. These are equivalent to the Power Zone Endurance Rides where your entire ride is in Zones 2 and 3, with only a few brief efforts in lower zone 4, which is all below your FTP (middle of zone 4).

The second type of ride in most training plans is working on increasing FTP, and that typically involves riding above and below the FTP for moderate durations. Cyclists and triathletes will often do what are called 3x9 over/under sets. Where you ride a 9 minute interval 3 times, with 3 min recovery between intervals. Within each 9 minute interval, you go back and forth over and under your FTP. One of the most common is 2 mins at 105% FTP and 1 minute at 95% of FTP three times. Doing that work over time will push your FTP upward as your body gets used to it. These are equivalent to the Power Zone (not endurance or max, just power zone) rides, where you are doing work mainly in zones 3, 4, and 5.

The last type are various high intensity intervals. You might hear these called VO2Max intervals, sprints, Tabatas, etc. These are the short duration efforts that are almost purely anaerobic and use energy from very short acting pathways. In PZ Max classes, you may see these as efforts where you may do repeated 1 min intervals in Z5, with the last 15 secs of each interval in Zone 7 or Tabata intervals (20 sec max/10 secs recovery for 4 mins). These are going to increase your short duration peak power for hard efforts, like short climbs, finish sprints, etc. The max efforts within a ride are typically spread out with longer than normal recovery in between because you want to make each one as effective as possible and don't want lingering effects from the previous effort to hamper how hard you go on the next one. These kinds of rides will be fairly rare in most training programs, maybe 1-2 a week at most, although there may be one or two weeks here and there where you do more, followed usually by a week or two of easier recovery efforts.

For sprinters or other types of athletes, the mix of workouts will be quite a bit different, but for endurance athletes, they will spend a lot of their time doing workouts well below their personal best. So when people ask why they are not seeing PRs in their power zone classes, the simple answer (that I just blathered on for 6 paragraphs about) is that the classes are not designed to achieve PRs and your fitness is better served by not trying to go for a PR on every workout. What is really fun though is to do a Kendall Metal ride, then do an 8 week power zone challenge, then do that Kendall Metal ride again and watch how much higher the PR you set will be.

TL;DR If you are new to PZ, your zones may be too low, but power zone classes should feel easier in most cases and you shouldn't expect to PR in them.

I should have tested sooner, but did my ftp re-test tonight after 2 months of pz training. 20% increase. I'm going to hate myself for that for a while. My first ftp was 129 on 11/12/2020, then 147 on 12/10/2020, and 176 tonight. I love pz training.

txags92 said:

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Like being tortured by one of the spice girls...

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Took two days off then set a PR being tortured by the Spice Girl by 35 Pelotons

Nice job

The Milkman said:

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Just finished Leanne's 30 minute rock ride from this morning and heard a shout-out for a "Texas AM Aggie Amy" or something similar. Cheers if that's one of y'all!

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Completing a ride right now in Texas is a bit of a humble brag.