Zone 2 for six weeks: How much fitness did Manon Lloyd gain?

No pain, no gain, right? For many years, this has been the philosophy followed by cyclists, leading to many exhausting hours on the bike.

Recent research has begun to alter this perception, leading to the popularity of low-intensity training methods, such as polarized training, where riders spend most of their time riding at lower intensities, specifically at zone 2. The concept is simple: easier training means smarter training.

We’ve previously spoken in-depth about the virtues of Zone 2 training with Tadej Pogaars’ coach Iigo San Milln, and while we weren’t in a position to question a man who has sculpted a two-time Tour de France, we wanted to find out what effective zone 2 training really looks like.

So we recruited Manon Lloyd for an experiment, tasking her to only train in Zone 2 for six weeks.

These six weeks are now over, so it was time to find out what effect the training has had. Find out the results by watching the video at the top of this page, or read on to learn more about the challenge.

Read more: How effective is low-intensity training: riding in zone 2 for six weeks

How does zone 2 training make you faster?

Training zones are intensity levels that can be calculated using the runners’ FTP or heart rate. There are different training models available, but most include the same zone 2, which is often referred to as the resistance zone.

This is because zone 2 is a lower intensity level that can be sustained for long periods of time. It is for this reason that it is often shunned by cyclists as people fall into the no pain, no gain philosophy. As a result, many cyclists will only ride in zone 2 at limited times of the year, usually in winter, when they want to increase their endurance, but neglect it the rest of the time.

As Iigo San Milln explained when we interviewed him, however, the benefits of Zone 2 go far beyond building stamina.

It is a concept that has existed for many years. People win races while driving at a high intensity, so they intuitively train at that intensity, he said.

The problem with cycling and sports in general is that muscle bioenergetics don’t work like that. Of course, you win races at high intensity, but for that you need to have a very good aerobic base.

At high intensity, a lot of glucose is used during exercise, for energy purposes. Every time you use glucose, you also produce lactate. Lactate is produced in the fast-twitch muscle fibers that you deploy when you do high-intensity exercise. This lactate needs to be removed and the way to do that is by developing the slow twitch muscle fibers. This lactate then moves from the fast-twitch muscle fibers to the adjacent slow-twitch fibers, where it will be used for energy purposes.

And the best way to develop slow-twitch muscle fibers is to specifically stimulate them through training.

Read more: Resistance Training: Zone 2 Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

How did we measure Manons’ improvements in zone 2?

So there are many rewards to be gained from Zone 2 training, but we needed a specific way to measure them.

To do this, Manon completed three tests before embarking on the challenge, all of which we tested again at the end of the six weeks.

The first was aerobic fitness, which should be an obvious benefit of Zone 2 training. Aerobic is one of the ways the body recruits energy, and the other is anaerobic. When you do aerobic exercise, your body recruits its energy through oxygen and this is the process used for lower intensity levels, such as zone 2.

Next is Functional Threshold Power (FTP), which is the maximum power a rider can maintain for one hour, in watts. It’s the figure most cyclists obsess over and is widely regarded as one of the best benchmarks of cyclist fitness.

Finally, we wanted to find out if the anaerobic capacity of Manons improves. At this level of high-intensity exercise, the body breaks down the body’s glucose for energy, as it exceeds the body’s ability to use oxygen.

Would Manon champion zone 2 by posting better numbers in the final tests, or would zone 2 training be debunked as a myth? Watch the full video at the top of this page to find out.

For more cycling challenges, go to the Lifestyle section of the GCN website.