Zone calculator

Is there a power and HR zone calculator based on FTP posted in the forum somewhere??

I am not aware of a basic calculator from TR. They do provide the data in a way, when you view a completed workout. You can see the Power Zones that are derived from your FTP in that workout.

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And since they place HR down in the priorities, they don’t cover HR Zones

I share my Google Sheet that has two tabs of info for the main Coggan Zones and 3-zone for POL training, that includes Max HR & Threshold HR data in either modality.

Outside of that, there are numerous other options to be found on the web via search if those don’t suit your needs.

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Here is another great resource for setting HR zones.

I’d recommend using lactate threshold HR as your driving factor as described here.

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Thanks!!

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Be aware, if you use the Friel HR zones (i.e. his % of LTHR table in Eddie Grinwald’s link), the zone 2 heart rate range is markedly higher (my* LT1 HR is in the lower half of the range) than using the Coggan HR zones (that same LT1 HR is at the top of the zone 2 HR range). I had used Friel HR zones for several years before I had power, and when I started using power, it was confusing because bottom of zone 2 power wouldn’t jive with bottom of HR power. It seemed to be far more consistent when I switched to using Coggan zones for both HR and power.

  • everyone is going to be different, and I could be an anomaly, I suppose

Yeah, almost all of these “zones” be it power or HR are estimations unless you can get into a lab and test lactate at LT1, LT2, and VO2 Max. One person’s LT2 can be a different percent of VO2 Max than another’s, and the same goes for LT1.

Threshold power and Threshold HR are, of course, the easiest to estimate, but they aren’t always 100% accurate day after day, and applying all other zones off of one estimation does have its drawbacks…

I tend to usually follow HR when working in zone 2 and power (when I have it) for zones 3 and up.

You said it best though, “everyone is going to be different.”

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I did my 1st Friel 20 min LTHR test (well, it’s 30 min, I guess) 8 years ago, and use HR all the time since, and using the Coggan zone percentages for determining HR zones has been right on the money for me ever since (as far as I can tell based on RPE and power zones). I catch myself replying to people, and having to remember that doesn’t work out so conveniently for lots of people. :grin:

In fact, I had been thinking I had brought my zone 2 up significantly without raising my ceiling also (or at least not to scale), since the beginning of the year, (175w up to 220w now) but I hadn’t spent more than 10 min in zone 5 (hr) this year, but I’ve been setting PRs like crazy. I do almost all intensity outside with no power. Wasn’t sure what my ftp is, and tried to do a ramp test indoors, and realized I need to work on some threshold for a few weeks first (just rusty). It worked, and my test this morning showed I’ve shot past 300w ftp and didn’t even know it :tada: :tada: :tada:. Now I just need to lose 35 lbs.

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Wow! Impressive improvements. I would love to drop some lbs myself and keep my ftp. Tough at 55 yrs old.

Yeah, I’m 55, too. Would like to make climbing a little easier. :grin: