Zonas de Treino (5 zonas)

Five training zones: %HRmax and %HRR (Karvonen)

The 5-zone model grades effort by either %HRmax or %HRR (Karvonen). The bands run Z1 recovery 50-60%, Z2 aerobic base 60-70%, Z3 tempo 70-80%, Z4 threshold 80-90%, and Z5 VO2max 90-100%. As an example, an HRmax of 190 puts Z2 by %HRmax at 114-133 bpm. Seiler's polarized training idea prescribes the 80/20 split: 80% of your time in Z1-Z2, 20% in Z4-Z5, and barely any Z3. A pyramidal distribution does it differently, loading more volume into Z2-Z3 and less into Z5. What elite endurance athletes share is the mix of long slow distance (Z1-Z2) with hard intervals (Z4-Z5); the middle zones rarely get much attention.

Applications: running, cycling, triathlon

It's the standard way to program running, cycling, swimming and triathlon, and you can set it up on Garmin Connect, Polar Flow, Strava, Suunto or TrainingPeaks. From there you can track time-in-zone per session and see how intensity is spread across the week.

FAQ

%HRmax or %HRR? %HRR (Karvonen) fits you better because it factors in your resting HR. %HRmax is the simpler one, and it's what most watches default to.

Why avoid Z3? The tempo band is the so-called "gray zone": it tires you out without giving enough of an aerobic or VO2max stimulus, which is exactly why polarized training keeps it to a minimum.

How long can I hold each zone? Z1-Z2 you can sustain for hours. Z3 runs 30-60 min, Z4 about 20-40 min at lactate threshold, and Z5 only 3-8 min in intervals.