Coach Jesse Kieffer hosted a group training session on Saturday, January 5, 2013 to help members estimate heart rate zones (Zones 1-5c) for the bike based on the test (20 min warm up, 30 min focused training, 10 min cool down.

Why?: When you have your heart rate zones for the bike you can utilize them for various benefits when training specific to bike workouts. One benefit is that you will be aware of when you are training harder than a documented workout recommends or on the other hand that you are slacking when you should be pushing harder. Understanding your heart rate zones will help you know a little bit more about your training as it relates to periodization (training model most often used to build training schedules) and will raise a new awareness about your body during training. An example of how the knowledge will change your training is that instead of training on the bike at RPE 3-4 you will know what your heart rate range is for Zone 2. Another example is that you may notice you are training really easy but your heart rate is quite high; which may be a sign of needing more rest or over-training.

The training session was a rave success and all attendees came away with a better understanding of their optimal training zones.