Originally Posted by
Dreww10
I know this sounds like a real noob question, but it's rarely ever explained by coaches or in articles: is spiking outside the zone you're intending to train for negating your ride/results, or is the goal simply to average/spend most of your time in that given zone? No matter how easy I take it, with hills, with wind, my HR spikes up to zones 3-5 regularly. My only option to actually STAY in Z2 for 2-3 hours would be to ride laps in a flat parking lot for 2-3 hours.
I can only say what worked for me, and that was consistent efforts in zone 2. They were not impressive speeds to start, and sometimes felt like I was barely moving, but stay consistent and it changes rapidly. Maybe a trainer or spin bike to start? Zone 2 is now an easy 20mph. My buddy, a former pro (48 years old) rides 330 watts in zone 2. That is an all day effort for him. Zone 2 works, but you still have to work on it.