Is there any benefit to riding in zone 3 (tempo)?
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There are benefits to training in ANY zone.
Looking at the chart in this link, you can see the general benefits of training time in each training zone.
Your question alludes the the considerations of the time spent in any zone and the impact on the body, that leads to fatigue and potential impact on subsequent training.
The whole āgray zoneā avoidance is more about spending time more wisely vs something that is detrimental or not rewarding. The āmake hard ridsr hard, easy rides easyā idea of what is rewarding and not overly demanding.
Itās quite a can of worms, and the above is not the most complete or final word, but it gets to the basic point that all training can be beneficial. The challenge is blending the options to best suit a rider and their needs.
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Kind of related but maybe notā¦as far as I know, TR is the only group that gives Sweet Spot itās own zone. A bunch of the other coaches Iāve seen/heard discuss the Sweet Spot zone say it is a mix of zone 3 and 4 within the Cogganās levels/zones. Depends on who you ask I suppose. I donāt recall a lot of tempo work in the TR plans Iāve done based on their definition of it.
Edit: I forgot the term āCogganās levels/zonesā in my original post of the mix between zone 3 and 4.
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Well, Frank Overton (of FasCat coaching and the linked info above) is a very active user of Sweet Spot in his training prescriptions. He was one of the pioneers of SST in the first place, and still uses it heavily. So they are true SS Zone users as well.
The specific percentages tend to vary from coach to coach, but SS is usually the blurred line between Z3 (Tempo) and Z4 (Threshold) in the 7 Zone Coggan model (actually Levelsā¦ but thatās a different semantics discussion 
).
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Yes.
Read this article:
or this one What is a Tempo Bike Ride: Cycling Tempo Workout Plans | EVOQ.BIKE for tips on when and how often, or this one 3 Indoor Cycling Workouts for the Winter | TrainingPeaks
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I thought this topic was a joke when I first saw it. 
It does get confusing that tempo, SS, and Z3 are all very similar and overlapping.
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Kinda like the phenomenon that isā¦ junk miles
Thanks all for the help! Hope you all had a good new year!
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very beneficial for aerobic fitness, just donāt sit and do it all the time. Itās more fatiguing than endurance (obviously) but can get you stuck in a rut where youāre good at going kind of fast, but not fast enough down the road.
build with tempo, then progress and move on. Definitely has itās place.
Frank is OG Sweet Spot creator, not TR, to the comment below that. Itās just high tempo / low threshold and great marketing.
Brendan
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I love that description of riding at 90% of FTP 
The idea of telling a story while riding at 90% of FTP sounds completely foreign to me.
The only story Iām telling when Iām sitting at that intensity for anything past a few minutes is a quiet muttering under my breath: āIām not dead yetā¦ Notā¦ deadā¦ yetā¦ā 
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In a podcast (it might have been this) Frank Overton and Andrew Coggan discuss Sweet spot training and clearly state that it is a concept, not a zone.
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Copy that. Been a long time since listening to those.
Not at all as entertaining as TRās podcastsā¦
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No kidding 
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It is now a level in WKO5 and in the newest edition of 'Training with a Power Meter"
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I didnāt take the time to find it, but that sounds familiar from a FastTalk podcast one zones/levels from quite a while ago. Something about Hunter Allen requesting a SS āareaā in the app.
Call it what you want, but there are many people and programs that prescribe and track work in the SS range.
Yeah itās definitely at coaching concept and not a physiology concept, which is why Hunter Allen and Andy Coggan disagree about it (not unlike the ā60min power as FTPā thing from the first edition).
Oh well, I think most ppl who dig just a bit deeper understand this.
Hm I think then you are already over your thresholdā¦at 90% FTP a simple story should be possible to tell IMO
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Believe I heard it in the WKO webinar featuring Coggan introducing iLevels, its on YouTube.
Also in a TP article by Coggan:
āBased on the logic behind the original approach, levels 1-4 remain anchored to FTP, with the addition of a new level 4a (SweetSpot) at 88-94 percent of FTP to satisfy the requests of numerous coaches who have found value in prescribing workouts at this intensity.ā
And a pic showing classic levels vs iLevel
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Diplomatic, isnāt he?
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