Power Zones are used all over bike training: you’ll see them on head units, training software (like Zwift) and analysis software (like TrainingPeaks, Strava, etc). Typically these zones are colored, giving you an easy visual indication of your effort: beginning at grey or blue for easier efforts and progressing up through green, yellow, orange, and red.
Power zones are calculated as a percentage of your FTP. Here are Zwift’s zones:
- Zone 1 (Grey, Recovery): below 60%
- Zone 2 (Blue, Endurance): 60-75%
- Zone 3 (Green, Tempo): 76-89%
- Zone 4 (Yellow, Threshold): 90-104%
- Zone 5 (Orange, VO2 Max): 105-118%
- Zone 6 (Red, Anaerobic): above 118%
Watch Shane’s video for a review of these zones, and an explanation of where they show up in game:
Comparison to Coggan Zones
Dr. Andrew Coggan has done so much pioneering work when it comes to training with power on a bike, and his power zones are sort of the “industry standard”. How do Coggan’s zones compare to Zwift’s?
Side note: Coggan prefers to refer to the zones as “levels” since there are not clear breakpoints or switches which move a rider from training at threshold to training at VO2 max, etc. Our bodies operate on a continuum, with different energy systems contributing differing amounts at differing levels.
Here are Coggan’s levels:
- Zone 1 (Active Recovery): below 55%
- Zone 2 (Endurance): 56-75%
- Zone 3 (Tempo): 76-90%
- Zone 4 (Lactate Threshold): 91-105%
- Zone 5 (VO2 Max): 106-120%
- Zone 6 (Anaerobic Capacity): 121-150%
- Zone 6 (Neuromuscular): n/a
You can see Zwift’s levels are close to Coggan’s, but not quite the same.
If you’re looking to really dig into training with power, we highly recommend the Training and Racing with a Power Meter book by Hunter Allen, Andrew Coggan, and Stephen McGregor.
Typo! Hunter Allen, not Hunger Allen.
Ha! Fixed.
The zones don’t seem to be accurate. I did an FTP test and it set my FTP at 288 watts, but a 2 hour ride between 230 and 250 comes out showing itself as about 98% in zone 6 (not humanly possible). It’s not using my FTP results to calculate zones. I don’t know where the button is to have it apply the test to set zones.
Before saying that something doesn’t work, perhaps it is useful to try to understand how it works. If this indicates (graph) that you are in zone 6 at 230-250w, it means that your FTP is set to, maximum, 193w (230: 1.19). Unless what you have just said is not very precise or rigorous, or it is a comment made “from memory” without much certainty as to the numbers. So, either you manually set your FTP to 288w or, the next time you do a test, press “yes” if zwift asks you to confirm the FTP measured during the ride/test. P.S.… Read more »
Mathew, the MyZwift website ranges are garbage. Look at the Companion app ranges and you’ll see you spend all your time in green and yellow.
There is a problem, but it’s on the website, not in game.
You can confirm this next ride by typing G to see your power histogram.
So I believe Zwift run zones are based on these cycling zones. Which is a problem and a good reason for letting the user select their own zones.
But what is considered FTP for running? Is it one of the paces?
Love your site guys !!! Super useful !! I’m just getting a stack of people on Zwift group rides to replace the outside world sessions we’d normally be doing. Your sites been great and I will put some links on my website (www.speedlab.uk) so riders can read your articles and tips. Thanks again! Pat
Ride on, Pat!
very helpful thanks
I’m a newbie so don’t know what all of this really means but enjoying the rides big time. Based on my rides (typically 45 min to 1.5 hr) I spend about 90 % of my time in Zone 4 unless warming up or cooling down? Is that normal? Thanks
No, that’s not normal – that much time in zone 4 isn’t realistic. Too high. (To give you perspective – I raced and won in Crit City yesterday. 33 minutes long, and I spent 37% of the race in Z4 or higher.)
My guess is your FTP is set too low in Zwift. You should take a quick ramp test to set it correctly! Learn more at https://zwiftinsider.com/zwift-ftp-tests/
In the ride report, why do all of the colors shift down in their zone assignment. That is, Zone 1 is color coded blue when blue should be used for Zone 2.
The colours are based on the FTP 20 min. What about using the zFTP (March 2023)?
The colors are based on whatever you have your FTP set to in game. This may or may not be what Zwift has detected (based on 20-minute power).
I agree, though – Zwift needs to unify their metrics.