The peloton now has its own ‘Zone 2’ classes

A million years ago (sometime before 2020), the peloton had bikes designed around a series of classes. Heart rate zone training. Christine D’Ercole will tell you what zone your heart rate should be in for each part of the workout, and you’ll adjust your effort accordingly. Those classes are long gone, but Peloton is dipping a toe back into the world of heart rate training with its new “Zone 2” collection.

Peloton’s collections are just groups of existing classes, so there are (yet?) no classes that designed Around the heart rate zone. Instead, if you “Zone 2” collection on your bike, walk or row or Phone appYou’ll see 16 zone 2-ish classes, including:

• Four cycle classesThis includes two 60-minute Power Zone Endurance Rides and two shorter Power Zone Recovery Rides.

• Eight “Trade + Outdoor” classesHalf of which are walks and half are runs. You can do this either on the treadmill or with your phone in your pocket.

• Four row classesAll are labeled Endurance Rows and range from 20 to 45 minutes.

What it’s like to take one of Peloton’s Zone 2 classes

Credit: Beth Skwerki

I tested one cycling class – a 45-minute Power Zone Recovery Ride with pro cyclist Christian Vande Velde. Power Zone Training No correlation with heart rate zones. Instead of watching your heart rate, the instructor prompts you to pedal hard enough to match one of seven power zones based on how much mechanical power you put into the pedals.

Typically, Power Zone workouts range from Zones 1 to 5, with Power Zone Max classes topping the higher zones. Power Zone Endurance Rides (PZE) are at the other end of the spectrum, with most of the class spent in Zones 2 and 3.

The two Power Zone endurance rides in the Zone 2 collection are notable for their lower intensity than other PZEs. Instead of bouncing between power zones 2 and 3, you’re in power zone 2 the whole time. Power Zone Recovery Rides are even easier: you bounce between Power Zones 1 and 2.

I attached my trusty heart rate chest strap to both my Peloton bike and my Koros watch and took the class. We spent the first 15 minutes in Zone 1, then a few short segments in Zone 2 (standing out of the saddle!) with longer Zone 1 sections in between. If this doesn’t sound like a workout, you’re right—Christi emphasized that “this isn’t training. This is recovery from your training.”

What is the purpose of Zone 2 classes on Peloton?

Christian’s statements during the class made me wonder if people find this type of workout bait-and-switch. If you listen to fitness influencers, we should all be doing more — maybe all — of our cardio. Heart rate zone 2. So what do you mean these classes are not training?

To be honest, I get it: heart rate zone 2 is Very low intensity of exercise. It’s a great low-stress addition to your training routine, especially if you’re trying to increase the number of miles you run or the hours you train. But if you’re training to get fitter, you need intensity! Heart rate zone 3 has plenty of benefitsand VO2max-boosting Norwegian 4×4 workout Heart rate does its magic in zone 4.

I can definitely see myself reaching for the Zone 2 collection when I want a recovery day or an easier version of an endurance day. But I would still stick with regular PZE classes for a more standard endurance workout.

Do Peloton’s Zone 2 Classes Really Put You In Zone 2?

From left to right: Peloton, Corros, Garmin. All using data from the same ride. (Coros recorded my stretching session a bit later, which is why the average HR is different on it.)
Credit: Beth Skwerki

Besides checking the class design and intensity level, my other reason for trying one of these classes was to see if my heart rate actually reached and stayed in zone 2 while taking it.

Coospo H6M Bluetooth/ANT+ Heart Rate Monitor

Whether it succeeds depends on whose definition of Zone 2 you’re using—because Apps are incompatible. If you connect a heart rate monitor to your Peloton equipment or app, you’ll get Peloton’s five heart rate zones, which defines Zone 2 as 65% to 75% of your maximum heart rate. On the other hand, my Coros watch has six zones, with zone 2 being 50% to 60% of my maximum heart rate.

For what it’s worth, my average heart rate was 122, which is about 60% of my max.

• Koros tells me that I spend 39% of my time in the “warm up” zone (zone 2) and 43% in the “fat burn” zone (zone 3).

• Peloton says I spent 65% of my time in zone 1 and 31% in zone 2.

• If I were using a device like a Fitbit or Pixel Watch, I’d be evenly split between “moderate” and “vigorous” (low and medium, in a three-zone scale).

• If I were using an Apple Watch, I would be split between Zone 1 and Zone 2.

• The Garmin is the “winner” here, in a sense—it’s the only system that kept me in zone 2 for the majority (57%), with 23% in zone 1 and 15% in zone 3. (To get those numbers, I Peloton-to-Garmin sync.)

Watching my heart rate on the Peloton screen (with a paired chest strap), I noticed that most of the time when I was asked to pedal in power zone 1, my heart rate was near the top end of heart rate zone 1. On the intervals, I noticed that standing up would get my heart rate into zone 3 very quickly, but if I did the intervals my heart rate would be above zone 2. That’s because standing is less efficient (so you work harder for the same output), but I don’t think that’s the only reason.

Heart rate reflects more than just your effort during exercise; It can also vary with body position (standing vs. sitting) and other factors, such as how hot you are, the temperature of your room, and more. That’s why cyclists prefer power zones over heart rate zones, in general—power is a more direct measure of what you’re doing on the bike.