Reference · the five zones
Training Zones Explained: One Chart Across Every Sport
Training zones split your effort into bands that each drive a different adaptation. Most coaches use five: recovery, endurance, tempo, threshold and VO2max. The table below lines those five up against heart rate, power, perceived effort, breathing, the energy system you burn, how long you can hold each, and what each one builds. The numbers are guides, not laws, but they line up closely across running, cycling, swimming and rowing.
| Zone | % HRmax | % FTP | RPE (1 to 10) | Breathing / talk test | Energy system | Sustainable for | What it develops |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Z1Recovery | 50 to 60 | below 55 | 1 to 2 | Easy, full conversation | Fat, fully aerobic | Hours | Active recovery, blood flow, capillary density |
| Z2Endurance | 60 to 70 | 56 to 75 | 3 to 4 | Comfortable, can talk in sentences | Fat plus aerobic | 1.5 to 5 hours | Aerobic base, fat oxidation, mitochondria |
| Z3Tempo | 70 to 80 | 76 to 90 | 5 to 6 | Working, short sentences only | Glycogen plus aerobic | 40 to 90 minutes | Aerobic power, lactate clearance, efficiency |
| Z4Threshold | 80 to 90 | 91 to 105 | 7 to 8 | Hard, a few words at a time | Glycolytic, near the limit | 10 to 60 minutes | Lactate threshold, FTP, race pace |
| Z5VO2max | 90 to 100 | above 106 | 9 to 10 | Maximal, no talking | Anaerobic and VO2max | 30 seconds to 8 minutes | VO2max, top-end power, anaerobic capacity |
Swipe sideways to see every column. Percentages are guides; set them from a real test, not a guess.
How to set your own zones
The table is only as good as the number you anchor it to. Set heart-rate zones from your maximum heart rate or, better, your lactate-threshold heart rate. Set power zones from your FTP, and running paces from a recent race with VDOT.
Then decide how to spread your week. Most endurance athletes do best with a large base of Zone 2 and a small, sharp dose of Zone 4 to 5, the idea behind polarized training and the 80/20 rule.
Common questions
How many training zones are there?
It depends on the model. The most common is a five-zone system (recovery, endurance, tempo, threshold and VO2max). Coggan and Friel split the top into a seven-zone system, and Seiler's polarized model collapses everything into three. The five-zone table here maps cleanly onto all of them.
Should I use heart rate or power to set my zones?
Use power or pace for short, hard efforts and heart rate for long aerobic work. Heart rate lags and drifts, so it is a poor steer for 30-second intervals but a great anchor for Zone 2. Many athletes set zones from both and cross-check them.
What is the most important training zone?
For most endurance athletes it is Zone 2, the aerobic endurance band. It builds the aerobic engine that everything else sits on, and you can absorb a lot of it without deep fatigue. Polarized training pairs a large base of Zone 2 with a small dose of Zone 4 to 5.
Why do my zones differ between apps?
Because apps anchor zones to different markers (max heart rate, threshold heart rate, FTP, or critical power) and number them differently. The bands themselves are similar; the labels and the anchor are what move. Set the anchor correctly and the zones line up.