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Race day in Kona! 🌺🏊‍♂️🚴‍♂️🏃‍♂️
Wishing everyone taking on the IRONMAN World Championship in Hawaii the very best of luck today! There’s nothing quite like the energy on this island — the heat, the wind, the sound of the ocean, and the incredible spirit of the athletes.

Having stood on that start line in past years, today brings back so many memories — the early morning nerves, the magic of Ali‘i Drive, and that unforgettable feeling of crossing the finish line in Kona.

To all racing today: soak it all in. Every moment out there is part of something truly special. Go strong, race proud, and enjoy every second of this legendary day. 🤙🔥

Zone 3 training: a waste of time?

For a lot of triathletes, zone 3 training is the sweet spot, while others call it the grey zone. What’s the truth behind it?
Let’s see what zone 3 training is. It is training above your aerobic threshold (Fatmax) but below your anaerobic threshold.
So it feels comfortably hard but sustainable, and a lot of athletes like the feeling of being fast in training. Maybe that’s why it’s called tempo training;-).

The benefits are that you enhance Vo2max and build mitochondria, burn fat and carbohydrates, and you recruit more type II muscle fibers (fast-twitching ones) as in Zone 2. It’s great training when you want to combine volume and intensity.

What’s the benefit of zone 3 training?
The benefit is that you get more efficient at your race pace. You lower your VLamax and increase fat combustion. Due to the increase in fat combustion, you burn fewer carbs at these power / pace levels and can race faster without emptying your fuel tank.

But as always, this comes at a certain price. You need longer recovery from zone 3 rides than from zone 2 rides, so you just want to integrate them if you really need them. Most likely when you come closer to your planned A race.

A mistake often seen is that athletes do their zone 2 rides actually in zone 3 and are not recovered when they should do zone 4 or 5 training. This often results in the fact that the planned zone 4 or 5 training is actually done in zone 3 as well, and that’s why zone 3 is sometimes referred to as „grey zone“.

So how do you know if you need zone 3? Do a performance diagnostic like the INSCYD Power Performance Decoder, check your metabolic profile, then compare it to the profile you need for your A race, and then adjust your training to train as smart as possible.

Do you have questions or need help? Just reach out, we are happy to help.

Zone 2 training is very popular in triathlon and endurance sports in general.
It’s the training zone where you should spend 80% of your training, as this enhances your fat and lactate combustion and your VO2max as well.
Furthermore, it helps to clear lactate faster, so you can recover better from HIIT training, for example. Besides these performance gains, it also helps to prevent some chronic diseases like high blood pressure, for example.

So what is Zone 2?
Zone 2 is defined as the power or pace where you burn the most fat.

But how to find your Zone 2?
As the zone where you burn the most fat depends on several things, you can’t just do it by using a percentage of your FTP or heart rate.
There are two ways. The accurate one is to do a test, like the INSCYD Power Performance Decoder, where you get a full metabolic profile and find the exact data.
If accuracy is not that important, as you may just start training or focus on losing some weight, you could do the talk test. You should be near Zone 2 if you can call a friend during exercise, and your friend would notice that you are exercising. So it is not too easy.

Want to learn more about Zone 2 or find your correct Zone 2? Just reach out.
We help you to .

Welcome Coach Ben 😎🤙.

Chris got to know Ben as an athlete and rarely has anyone been as curious and eager to learn as Ben. Ben is not only a gifted athlete but has also become a close friend. Since the mutual start in Kona at the IRONMAN World Championships, Ben, supported by Chris, has taken his first steps in coaching and let's put it this way: Ben is not only a talented athlete 😉.

Welcome to the triworx collaboration Ben 🤗😎.