Zone 4 – Threshold

In a training context, threshold rides are designed to accomplish three things.

1. Progressively increase the total time you can spend riding near your threshold.

2. Progressively increase the power you can produce while riding at your threshold. 

3. Progressively lower your RPE while riding at the same or higher power output.

The threshold range of cycling intensity receives extra attention because sustained, high-intensity riding often defines the most crucial aspects of competitive cycling events (like long climbs and time trials).

Generally speaking, the more power you can produce while riding near your lactate threshold, the more competitive you’ll be across the spectrum of cycling performance [2].

Threshold workouts are where you’ll notice your body’s higher usage of carbohydrates to power your ride. If you’re aiming to execute a high-quality threshold ride in the afternoon, it will be helpful to begin thinking about fueling adequately with carbohydrates as early as your breakfast [5].

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You don’t need to overdo your carb fueling, but skipping meals or avoiding carbs throughout the day will almost certainly crater any chance of executing a high-quality threshold ride in the afternoon or evening. 

So what do you do if you’re trying to restrict carbohydrates or find yourself near the end of the day having not eaten very much? In this case, you have two options. 

1. Forget about your power targets and switch your mind to RPE exclusively, give the ride your best effort, and call it a day.

2. Adust your power targets and shift the intensity toward the tempo range; an intensity that should require less carbohydrate to fuel effort.

The takeaway is that the higher the intensity of your workout, the more strategic it pays to be with your carbohydrate fueling.

With training zones one through three, we don’t pay much attention to warming up before our workouts. In general, I recommend athletes get in whatever type of warmup (long, short, easy, or hard) that feels right. Once we cross over into threshold territory, the specificity of our warmup becomes more important.

For higher intensity (≥zone 4) workouts, research suggests that utilizing a short, higher intensity effort before your primary efforts can help to “prime the aerobic pump” of exercise, resulting in improved performance for subsequent hard riding. To read more about the science and theory behind a great warmup, check out our Cycling Warmup Guide.

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Now that we’ve covered a good warmup to use before your threshold rides, let’s take a look at the two primary methods we use to target your threshold range of training. The first and most popular is a continuous threshold ride.

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The second type of workout designed to target your threshold uses intermittent intervals. These are usually a series of shorter intervals broken up with short periods of rest.

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Which method is better? I think the best threshold workout is the one that produces the greatest improvement in performance alongside the lowest increase in RPE.

Do continuous threshold intervals make you want to quit riding the bike? Then an intermittent approach might make more sense, even if it results in a slower rate of improvement. 

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One final thought. Threshold workouts often fall victim to over-precision. While power meters have introduced an incredible ability to be hyper-specific with our interval targets, they’ve also introduced an unhelpful emphasis on precision. Does it matter if you execute a threshold workout at 300w as opposed to 295w? 

Probably not. Give yourself the flexibility to utilize a range in your threshold intervals. On days when you feel great, commit to maximizing your threshold rides and pushing the upper end of your range. On more challenging days, allow yourself to do less, shifting your pacing strategy to prioritize RPE over the razor-sharpness of a power target. 

Threshold workouts are great training grounds for developing the mental flexibility to take advantage of the days when you feel great while staying in the game and being consistent on days you’re not at your best.

If you’re constantly expecting a best effort every time you saddle up for a threshold workout, you’re committing to a path of self-destruction on the bike. 

Threshold workouts are hard, and the subsequent cost in RPE can be significant. For this reason, it makes sense to develop your own strategy to actively reduce your RPE as much as possible for your threshold workouts. 

Here are four ways I’ve found to help lower RPE on threshold workouts.

1. Listen to music. Safely of course. Research has confirmed what anyone who has ridden hard on the bike already knows. Listening to music can take a significant sting out of riding hard [6]. For any intervals above a Tempo intensity, queuing up some hard-driving music is an absolute necessity. Some may argue that since you can’t listen to music during an event, you should practice riding hard without music. I think this advice is misguided. If you can turn down RPE, even a small degree, for the same power output when training, music is a worthy investment.

2. Lean on carbs. We already discussed some nutritional considerations, but they’re worth mentioning again in relation to RPE. Trying to nail a threshold workout without being properly fueled with adequate carbohydrates is a losing proposition. Not only will the quality of your workout suffer, but you’ll also needlessly make your workout feel harder. Restricting carbs blows up your RPE, don’t do it.

3. Utilize caffeine. This can get tricky if you’re primarily riding in the afternoon, where caffeine might crater your sleep, but if you’re lucky enough to ride in the morning, caffeine can provide a significant reduction to your ride RPE.

4. Be mindful of heat. If you’re trying to nail high-quality threshold intervals in the blazing heat, you’re going to be frustrated. If possible, opt instead for riding during the cooler temperatures of the morning. If you can’t ride when it’s cooler, commit to a systematic cooling strategy during your ride and adjust your expectations while shifting to RPE as your training target.