The Triathlon Hour Zone 2 Training is DUMB
Jan 19, 2026
In this lively discussion, Olympic medalist Vicky Holland and long-course triathlete Sam Appleton tackle the controversies surrounding Zone 2 training, arguing it's often misunderstood. Vicky promotes polarized high-volume training, sharing insights on nutrition and the essential run session of the week. Sam debates the merits of ERG mode for mental ease in structured training. They also provide quickfire nutrition tips, revealing their favorite race fuels, all while engaging with listener comments that add a fun twist to the conversation!
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Zone 2 Is Not A Magic Bullet
- Jack Harper argues Zone 2 is just easy training and not a magical shortcut to fitness.
- He warns obsessing over Zone 2 can reduce hard-session quality and overall adaptations.
Zones Are Coaching Tools, Not Science
- Coaches created the numeric zone labels; sport scientists prefer broad intensity ranges like easy, medium, hard.
- The adaptive differences inside the easy range (zone1 vs zone2) are minimal compared with high-intensity work.
Judge Easy Sessions By RPE And Recovery
- Use RPE and recovery impact to judge easy sessions instead of chasing precise Zone 2 numbers.
- Ask: 'Can I do lots of this without impacting my higher-intensity sessions?' and adjust accordingly.