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Guide to Using Training Zones

Adam Hodges | November 15, 2022

Runner in mountain landscape with title over image, "Guide to Using Training Zones"

Learn how to use training zones to add precision to your training!

Using training zones allows you to add precision to your workouts. If you’re targeting an upcoming event or performance objective, you need a systematic plan to structure your training around those goals. A key element of any training plan is the use of training zones to help you achieve the right training effects as you progress through your program.

This course provides trail runners and endurance athletes an introduction to training zones. Whether you are a runner, triathlete, cross-country skier, or mountain endurance athlete, learn what training zones are and how to use them to target desired training effects.

If you are currently using — or considering using — an Alp Fitness training plan and are curious about the training zones used in the plan, this course provides you with additional background to help you make the most of the plan.

If you are an endurance athlete interested in designing your own custom training plan, this course provides you with the starting point to coach yourself by introducing key concepts and practical applications to help you set up and use training zones.

The course consists of a series of short readings with optional quizzes to check your knowledge along the way, showing you how to measure and monitor your training based on perceived exertion — namely, breathing and talking cues — while also showing you how to use pace, heart rate, and running power for those who train with GPS watches, heart rate monitors, and/or running power meters.

By the end of this course, you will be able to:

  • Explain what it means to take a systematic approach to training
  • Distinguish between training volume and training intensity
  • Identify three key physiological points of interest for training
  • Summarize the Alp Fitness training zone system
  • Identify the training effects targeted in the different zones
  • Use breathing and talking as perceived exertion cues to gauge your training intensity
  • Use pace, heart rate, and/or power as additional tools to gauge your training intensity

No prior background in the use of training zones is needed, just a curiosity about how to add precision to your training.

Course length is about an hour. You can move through the content at your own pace, returning to topics for further study or skipping around based on your interests. When logged in, your progress will be kept so you can pick up where you left off after returning from a break.

Course Content

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Introduction to Training Intensity
What is Training Intensity? 1 Quiz
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Lesson Content
Knowledge Check: What Is Training Intensity?
Three Physiological Points of Interest 3 Topics | 1 Quiz
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Lesson Content
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Aerobic Threshold (AeT)
Lactate Threshold (LT)
Aerobic Capacity (VO2max)
Knowledge Check: Physiological Points of Interest
Training Zones
Alp Fitness Training Zones 1 Quiz
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Lesson Content
Knowledge Check: Alp Fitness Training Zones
Tools for Measuring & Monitoring Training Intensity
Training with Pace 3 Topics | 1 Quiz
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Lesson Content
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Finding Your Running Pace at Lactate Threshold
Extra Credit: The Underlying Premise of FTP
Extra Credit: What about NGP on TrainingPeaks and GAP on Strava?
Knowledge Check: Training by Pace
Training with a Heart Rate Monitor 1 Topic | 1 Quiz
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Lesson Content
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Finding Your Lactate Threshold Heart Rate for Running
Knowledge Check: Training with a Heart Rate Monitor
Training with a Power Meter 1 Topic | 1 Quiz
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Lesson Content
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Finding Your Running Functional Threshold Power
Knowledge Check: Training with a Power Meter
Conclusion
Putting It All Together 1 Quiz
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Lesson Content
Final Quiz
Next Steps

Filed Under: Training Tips Tagged With: Bike, Run, Skimo, Swim, XC Ski

About Adam Hodges

Adam Hodges, PhD, is a trail runner, mountain endurance athlete, and coach with credentials from the United Endurance Sports Coaching Academy (UESCA), USA Triathlon (USAT), and the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM). In addition to coaching multisport athletes, he has coached high school cross country and track runners in California and masters swimmers in Colorado and California. As a USAT All-American triathlete, he has competed in the ITU World Triathlon Championships, the ITU World Duathlon Championships, and the Ironman World Championships in Hawaii. As a masters runner, he has won a series title in the XTERRA SoCal Trail Series. His current pursuits include trail running, climbing, mountaineering, skimo, and cross-country skiing. Check out his training plans and courses to help you prepare for you next adventure.

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