17/08/2020

PNOĒ
CERTIFICATION
PROGRAM
Lesson Five – Zoning
MODULE 1I

TESTING AND
ANALYSIS

ZONING USING MATH

• MHR x %
• Predicted VO2max/VO2max x %
• Anaerobic/Lactate Threshold x %
• Functional Threshold Power x % (cycling)
• etc, etc.

• Anything x a % is math…

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ZONING USING
SCIENCE

• VO2/CO2
• Ventilatory Thresholds
• VT1 and VT2
• RER values
• Fuel Switches (aerobic zones only)
• Fat/CHO
• BFs
• VE
• Other devices
• NIRS (Moxy)

All related to HR and load (speed or

wattage)

WHAT DO WE
REALLY WANT
TO KNOW…

• At what exercise intensity you switch fuel

sources
• Exercise intensity DRIVES the fuel switch
• Zones are athlete specific
• Each person switches fuel sources at
different heart rates or loads
(speed/wattage) based upon their systems
ability to provide energy at each intensity
level
• Zones (and limitations) are modality specific
• Cycling zones are different than running
zones
• Zones change SIGNIFICANTLY with the right
training protocols

Therefore modality specific testing and regular retesting

are very important

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FUEL SOURCES
BY ZONE AND TRAINING TYPE

• Free Fatty Acid – Z1 - Recovery

• Aerobic Glycolysis – Z2 – LSD/Cardio
• Anaerobic Glycolysis – Z3 – Tempo/Long Intervals
• Lactate/Phosphorylation – Z4 – Medium Intervals
• ATP-PC/CrP – Z5 – Short Intervals

STRUCTURAL TRAINING

Structural (S) - training focused on changing limitation specific structures

Should be primary mode of training to minimize or eliminate structural limitations especially at the beginning
of the season

Delivery (examples)
• Increase Cardiac Strength
• Increase Respiratory Volumes
Utilization (examples)
• Increase Mitochondrial Density
• Increase Capillarization
Resistance
• Muscle Hypertrophy

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FUNCTIONAL TRAINING

Functional (F) – training focused on making specific functional improvements

Should be primary training focus IF no major structural limitations are identified OR can be employed in
conjunction with limitation specific structural training

Intervals
• Improve speed, coordination, modality specific strength, hill climbing etc.

Resistance
• Improve max strength, strength, power, strength/endurance

STRUCTURAL VS.
FUNCTIONAL
TRAINING
• Lowest hanging fruit
• Testing identifies which structures are
leading to performance limitations
• Train them at the exercise intensity
(zones) and frequency, type and time
required to AFFECT THEIR LIMITING
STRUCTURES and thereby minimize or
eliminate their limitation
• IF there is no limiting structure – TRAIN
FUNCTION

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STRUCTURAL AND • Recovery (S)

FUNCTIONAL • Stimulates O2 delivery beyond utilization requirements
thereby increasing O2 delivery to the limbs
TRAINING BENEFITS
– ZONE 1 • Stimulates elevated breathing pattern to promote metabolic
waste and CO2 clearance thereby normalizing acid/base
RECOVERY balance (pH) and recovery

STRUCTURAL AND • Increased mitochondrial density (S)

FUNCTIONAL • Increased capillarization (S)
TRAINING BENEFITS • Tissue Adaptation (S)
– ZONE 2
CONTINUOUS • Endurance (F)
C ARDIO (LSD)

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STRUCTURAL AND • Lactate Shuttle (S)

FUNCTIONAL • Protein Stimulation (S)
TRAINING BENEFITS • VO2/Cardiopulmonary Development (S)
– ZONE 3
TEMPO/LONG • Speed Endurance (F)
INTERVALS

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• Metabolic Buffering (S)

STRUCTURAL AND
FUNCTIONAL • Coordination (F)
TRAINING BENEFITS • Speed (F)
– ZONE 4 • Strength (F)
MEDIUM INTERVALS

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• Mitochondrial Density (S)

STRUCTURAL AND
FUNCTIONAL • Capillarization (S)
TRAINING BENEFITS • Coordination (F)
– ZONE 5 • Strength (F)
SHORT INTERVALS

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Adjusted Fat Max

– 15 beats Adjusted Fat Max
130bpm 144bpm

HOW WE ZONE
ZONE 1

• Zone 1 is from 10-15 beats below adjusted fat max to adjusted fax max
• Adjusted Fat Max represents the intensity that stimulates the highest fat utilization with the lowest CHO use and is used
to accurately identity the intensity that will best promote recovery

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CHO/Fat Crossover
Adjusted Fat Max 159bpm
144bpm

HOW WE ZONE
ZONE 2

• Zone 2 is from adjusted fat max to Fat/CHO crossover point

• Represents the zone where aerobic glycolysis is the main fuel source before CHO utilization exceeds fat
utilization marking the switch to anaerobic glycolysis

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VT2 (178) – 10
168bpm
CHO/Fat Crossover
159bpm

HOW WE ZONE
ZONE 3

• Zone 3 is from Fat/CHO crossover to VT2 minus ~ 10 beats cross referenced with a significant increase in BF moving from mid
20s to 30 breaths per minute and a significant rise in VE
• In this case, Zone 3 was identified from 160-172bpm by evaluating the three metrics together
• BF is driven up by chemoreceptors responding to the increase in CO2 production and pH changes that initiates in Zone 3
secondary to the fuel system in use (anaerobic glycolysis)

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VT2 (178) – 10
168bpm

Start of 2nd BF drive

184bpm

HOW WE ZONE
ZONE 4

• Zone 4 is from VT2 minus ~ 10 beats correlated with a significant increase in BF moving from 30 to 40 breaths per
minute and a significant rise in VE to the start of the second BF drive
• BF is driven up by chemoreceptors responding to the increase in CO2 production and pH changes that initiates in
Zone 4 secondary to the fuel system in use (lactate/phosphorylation)

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Start of 2nd BF drive MaxHR

184bpm 192bpm

HOW WE ZONE
ZONE 5

• Zone 5 is from the start of the second BF drive above 40 breaths per minute to MaxHR
• BF is driven up by chemoreceptors responding to the increase in CO2 production and pH changes that initiates in Zone 5
secondary to the major fuel system in use (ATP/PC or CrP)
• If MaxHR is not identified during the test (it should be VERY close if you are testing correctly), we can use the athletes reported
MaxHR specific to that modality

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ZONES ARE ACTIVITY SPECIFIC

• Cannot transfer zones across activities

• Test using the equipment on which they will train or
compete
• When possible, test cyclists on THEIR bike (use a Wahoo
Kickr or equivalent)
• Use Assault Bike (or equivalent) for testing sports involving
upper and lower body efforts (e.g. judo)

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• Use science - not math - to identify zones

• Metabolic analysis gives you the most accurate method of
identifying training zones
• Accurate intensity zones are vital to developing effective
training plans (FITT)
• We use multiple metrics to accurately identify your zones
• Ensure you help your customers employ our zones into
TAKE HOME their training plans
• e.g. Garmin and Polar allow users to set their own zones
manually
• Zones change significantly when effective exercise
programming is prescribed (and completed) and therefore
you must retest regularly to measure your customers
changes in limitation(s) and zoning so you can adjust your
customers training focus and their intensities appropriately

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