Guides & how-tos
Beginner guide
From Couch to Endurance: A Beginner's Guide to Zone 2
Everything you need to start Zone 2 training — from calculating your heart rate to your first 6-week plan.
Fundamentals
What is Zone 2 Training? The Science Explained
Heart rate zones, mitochondria, fat metabolism, and the 80/20 rule — the complete guide to how Zone 2 works.
Free tool
Zone 2 Heart Rate Calculator
Enter your age or measured max HR to get your personal Zone 2 range across four different calculation methods.
Testing & data
Lab testing
VO2Max Test & DEXA Scan: 6-Month Results
Anaerobic threshold up from 135 to 151 bpm. Fat oxidation dramatically improved. What six months of Zone 2 training showed in the data.
Heart rate testing
How I Did a Max Heart Rate Test
Hill repeats in the Scottish Highlands, and why knowing your actual max HR matters more than the 220-minus-age formula.
Race reports
1,200km · 88 hours
Conquering Paris-Brest-Paris
The 8:15pm start, 15 hours of sleeping and eating, a broken spoke, and the finish line at Rambouillet. The race that 18 months of training was for.
600km · PBP qualifier
Wander Wye 600km: What I Learned
The qualifying ride that earned a Paris-Brest-Paris start. Fuelling lessons, night riding in the Brecon Beacons, and averaging 150 watts for 600km.
300km · Adventure
The Fifth Continent 300km: An Unexpected Adventure
Getting lost in East Sussex, a 12-inch pizza at a rain-soaked checkpoint, and the final push back to London.
Training logs: the road to Paris-Brest-Paris
May 2023
May: A Step Up in Volume
1,248km — more than double April. A 400km event, improved Zone 2 power output, and preparing for a 600km qualifier in June.
June 2023
June: Improved Fat Oxidation
1,049km, the 600km Wander Wye completed, and lab tests confirming dramatically improved fat oxidation. The Zone 2 work is showing up in the data.
July 2023
July: A Change is as Good as a Rest
Volume drops to 557km as the taper begins. Two weeks to Paris-Brest-Paris. An honest look at the VO2Max trade-off from months of Zone 2 focus.