Question: I keep reading about how zone 2 training is crucial in base building, but after reading Power Training Levels by Andrew Coggan,
and seeing how much more beneficial Zone 3 is to Zone 2, I am wondering
if I am wasting valuable training time. My goal is to maximize my
body’s ability to burn fat as a primary fuel, so my question is: Would
it be more beneficial to train primarily in Zone 3 as opposed to my
current plan of training primarily (70% of time) in Zone 2? Thanks!
Answer: If your goal is to maximize your body’s
ability to burn fat as a fuel, then I would give you a couple of
suggestions. Zone 2 is definitely the fat burning zone in which your
body relies most heavily on fat as its primary source of energy. That
being said, it doesn’t necessary mean that by spending more time in
Zone 2 you will increase that ability. I am not sure exactly why you
want to increase your ability to burn more fat, but I can think of two
major reasons and for each reason there is a different solution to the
problem.
Situation#1: If you are trying to lose weight and
burn off excess fat, then you actually need to train more in zone 4 and
5 in order to stimulate your fat burning metabolism. There is a myth
out there that staying in the fat burning zone helps you to lose
weight. Actually, it just makes sure that you don’t burn carbohydrates
as fuel and the intensity stays low. If you want to lose excess body
fat, then you have to ’stoke’ the fire so to speak and that means
exercising very intensely. By exercising in Zone 4 and 5, then you
burn off all your carbohydrates and then in the 4 hours after your
workout, you burn a ton of fat as fuel. That’s the key to really losing
some excess weight.
Situation #2: If you want to burn fat in order to
extend your endurance range in a racing situation, then I would offer a
few different suggestions. Many pros that I coach always want to
improve their ability to burn fat in races and therefore spare
essential glycogen reserves for later in the race when they need them
most. This means teaching your body to use fat first and foremost in
every workout. One of the ways to do this is to start off every ride
early in the morning before breakfast and ride for at least 2 hours
before starting to feed. Ride at Zone 2 and 3 for those 2 hours and
then your body is forced to burn fat. At the end of 2 hours, start
eating some carbs and protein and then finish your ride with intensity
and intervals. This will help to teach your body to burn fat at a
higher level of exercise intensity, thereby sparing your carbohydrate
stores for later.
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