The Coggan Power Zones: All 7 Levels Explained (% of FTP)
The Coggan power zones are a system of seven training levels — built by exercise physiologist Dr. Andrew Coggan and coach Hunter Allen — that turn your FTP (functional threshold power) into the watts ranges you train in, from easy recovery spins up to all-out sprints. They're the de facto standard for cyclists training with a power meter, and almost every platform (TrainingPeaks, Zwift, Garmin, Wahoo) uses them or a close variant. Here's all seven, what each one trains, and how to set yours.
Where the zones come from
The model appears in Training and Racing with a Power Meter by Hunter Allen and Andrew Coggan, the foundational text for power-based cycling. Coggan landed on seven levels because that was the minimum needed to describe the full range of physiological responses a competitive cyclist trains — fewer would blur distinct adaptations together; more would split hairs.
Every zone is defined as a percentage of your FTP — the highest power you can hold in a quasi-steady state for roughly an hour. Get that one number right and all seven zones fall out of it. (Don't have it yet? Our FTP calculator estimates it from a short test.)
The 7 Coggan power zones
Each level below is shown as its percentage of FTP, what it develops, and how it feels. The numbering runs 1 through 7, easiest to hardest:
- Active Recovery — under 55% of FTP. Recovery between hard days. Very easy, almost soft-pedaling.
- Endurance — 56–75%. Your aerobic base and fat metabolism. All-day, conversational pace — and where most of your hours should go.
- Tempo — 76–90%. Aerobic efficiency and muscular endurance. "Comfortably hard," still just about talkable.
- Lactate Threshold — 91–105%. The zone that raises FTP itself. Hard, sustainable for roughly an hour.
- VO₂max — 106–120%. Maximal aerobic power, trained in 3–8 minute repeats. Very hard.
- Anaerobic Capacity — 121–150%. Short, high-power efforts of 30 seconds to 2 minutes. Brutal.
- Neuromuscular Power — maximal. Sprint power and neuromuscular force, lasting only seconds. All-out.
A few things worth knowing:
- Zone 4 is the goal of most structured training. Lactate threshold power is the single best predictor of endurance cycling performance, so raising it raises everything.
- Zone 7 isn't tied to FTP. Neuromuscular sprints are so brief and so far above threshold that a percentage of FTP is meaningless; it's effectively "as hard as you can." Some setups don't even show a Zone 7 boundary unless you add it from a short sprint test.
- The boundaries are guidelines, not walls. Coggan himself stresses the levels are approximate and overlap — a Zone 3 ride and a low Zone 4 ride blend into each other.
How to train with them
You don't spend equal time in each zone — not even close. A well-structured plan is heavily weighted to the bottom:
- Most of your hours sit in Zone 2 (Endurance) — this is the aerobic base that everything else is built on.
- A focused block goes to Zone 3–4 (Tempo / Threshold) to lift your FTP.
- A small, sharp dose of Zone 5–7 adds top-end power and VO₂max — potent but costly, so you sprinkle it.
That "mostly easy, a little very hard" shape is the same lesson the polarized model teaches with heart rate and pace. The zones are just the cycling-power expression of it. For the full cross-sport picture, see our training zones reference.
FTP
250W
Sweet Spot
220–235W
88–94% FTP
| Zone | Range | What it trains |
|---|---|---|
| Z1 | Active Recovery ≤ 138 W | Recovery; spins the legs without adding load. RPE 1–2, very easy. |
| Z2 | Endurance 140–188 W | Aerobic base, fat oxidation, all-day pace. RPE 3–4, conversational. |
| Z3 | Tempo 190–225 W | Aerobic endurance and muscular efficiency. RPE 5–6, comfortably hard. |
| Z4 | Threshold 228–263 W | Lactate threshold, FTP work, the sustainable ceiling. RPE 7–8, 10–30 min reps. |
| Z5 | VO₂max 265–300 W | Maximal aerobic power; 3–8 min intervals. RPE 9, very hard. |
| Z6 | Anaerobic Capacity 303–375 W | Anaerobic capacity; 30s–3min efforts. RPE 9–10, near maximal. |
| Z7 | Neuromuscular Power ≥ 378 W | Sprint and neuromuscular power. RPE 10, all-out sprints. |
Z1 · Active Recovery. Recovery; spins the legs without adding load. RPE 1–2, very easy.
Z2 · Endurance. Aerobic base, fat oxidation, all-day pace. RPE 3–4, conversational.
Z3 · Tempo. Aerobic endurance and muscular efficiency. RPE 5–6, comfortably hard.
Z4 · Threshold. Lactate threshold, FTP work, the sustainable ceiling. RPE 7–8, 10–30 min reps.
Z5 · VO₂max. Maximal aerobic power; 3–8 min intervals. RPE 9, very hard.
Z6 · Anaerobic Capacity. Anaerobic capacity; 30s–3min efforts. RPE 9–10, near maximal.
Z7 · Neuromuscular Power. Sprint and neuromuscular power. RPE 10, all-out sprints.
- Andrew Coggan's seven-zone model expresses every zone as a percentage of Functional Threshold Power. Sweet Spot (220–235 W, 88–94% FTP) sits between Tempo and Threshold and gives a high training stimulus for moderate fatigue.
- FTP is the power you could theoretically hold for about an hour. Re-test every 4–6 weeks; a stale FTP makes every zone wrong.
A PDF with your personalized results, plus a QR code to reopen them anytime.
Coggan power zones vs. heart-rate zones
Power and heart rate answer different questions. Power is what you produce — instant, objective, unaffected by heat, sleep, or caffeine. Heart rate is how your body responds — it lags by seconds to minutes and drifts upward over a long effort even at steady watts. That's why a 5-second Zone 7 sprint barely moves your heart rate: HR simply can't react fast enough.
For cyclists, power is the more precise tool, which is why the Coggan levels are power-based. But the two are complementary — many riders watch power for the effort and heart rate for fatigue and recovery. If you train by pulse, our heart-rate zones are the place to start; for a model that adapts the top end to your individual physiology, look at Critical Power.
Setting your zones accurately
The whole system rests on one number, so the FTP test matters:
- Test honestly. A 20-minute test (take 95% of your average power) or a ramp test are the common methods. A guessed or stale FTP gives you confident but wrong zones.
- Let the calculator do the math. Plug your FTP into the FTP calculator and it lays out all seven Coggan ranges in watts.
- Re-test every 4–8 weeks of focused training. As your FTP climbs, every zone shifts up with it — training off last season's number quietly under-loads you.
Every formula on this site is implemented from its primary source and unit-tested against reference values — see our methodology.
FAQ
How many power zones are there? Coggan's classic model uses seven. Some systems collapse them to five or six, and Coggan's later WKO software adds finer, individualized "iLevels," but seven is the standard most platforms ship with.
What FTP percentage is Zone 2? 56–75% of FTP. It's your endurance / aerobic-base zone — the one you'll spend the most total time in.
Are Coggan zones the same as Zwift or Garmin zones? They're the basis for them. Most platforms default to the Coggan percentages, though some rename the levels or merge the top zones. Always check that the % boundaries match the table above.
Do I need a power meter to use them? To train by them, yes — they're watts-based. Without one, train by heart rate or pace instead, which use the same easy-to-hard logic anchored to a different number.
The bottom line
The Coggan power zones turn a single tested number — your FTP — into seven precise, watts-based training targets, each developing a specific physiological system. Test your FTP honestly, build most of your volume in Zone 2, push Zone 4 to raise the whole ceiling, and re-test as you improve. Start by finding your FTP, or browse every calculator to set zones for your sport.
Sources. Allen, H. & Coggan, A. Training and Racing with a Power Meter (2nd ed., VeloPress, 2010). Coggan, A. Cycling Power Zones Explained (power training levels), TrainingPeaks.