Adding intensity to zone 2: my weekly Zwift training plan
How I structured my week to improve fitness and build endurance
Over the last 15 months, my Zwift training consisted mostly of high-volume Zone 2 rides. It was great for maintaining fitness and building consistency, but eventually I realised I wasn’t truly progressing. I wasn’t training to improve. So I decided it was time for a change.
Since I’m a dad, my weekly training time is limited, so I wanted an effective schedule that didn’t require hours on the bike at a stretch. After some research, I decided an 80/20 schedule would be ideal for me.
An 80/20 workout schedule means doing 80% of your training at low intensity and 20% at high intensity, maximising fitness while minimising fatigue.
The schedule I made contains three structured workouts designed to be used together as a simple, repeatable training program. The focus is on aerobic development with targeted intensity.
The plan works well for me and other riders training 4 or 5 days per week, where the zone 2 ride is repeated multiple times.
Workout one — 30/30 VO₂max
- Purpose: Improve aerobic ceiling and repeatability.
- Intensity: Very high (120–130% FTP during work intervals)
This is the hardest workout of the week. Short, sharp intervals at 120–130% of FTP push your VO₂max, train your body to handle surges, and develop fast power.
Workout two — Over under threshold
- Purpose: This workout is designed to build sustainable power just below your FTP.
- Intensity: Ride in the high Zone 3 to low Zone 5range (roughly 85–110% of FTP).
The session focuses on the “comfortably hard” intensity, helping you improve lactate clearance, muscular endurance, and your ability to maintain steady power over longer efforts. For best results, it should be done when you’re relatively fresh.
Workout three — Zone 2
- Purpose: Aerobic base & endurance
- Intensity: Zone 2 (60–70% FTP)
This workout forms the foundation of the program. Riding in Zone 2 improves mitochondrial density, builds fatigue resistance, and supports recovery between harder sessions. It’s intentionally repeatable and should feel easy enough to complete while still leaving you feeling good.
Weekly structure
I run this program 4 or 5 days per week depending on time and recovery.
Option A — 4 days / week
When I train four days per week, I limit my zone 2 rides to 1h45–2h. That usually adds up to roughly four hours of easy riding (about 66%) and around two hours of intensive workouts (34%).
It’s not a perfect 80/20 split, but for me a four-day training week is relatively rare, so I’m comfortable with the deviation. If you want to stay closer to an 80/20 split, you can simply extend your zone 2 rides a bit.
Option B — 5 days / week
When I train five days per week, I limit my zone 2 rides to 1h30–1h45. That usually adds up to roughly five hours of easy riding (about 72%) and around two hours of intensive workouts (28%).
Since those harder sessions also include plenty of Zone 1 and Zone 2 recovery blocks, I consider this close enough to an 80/20 split.
This plan is simple and realistic for me. The easy rides build my base, the “comfortably hard” sessions push my sustainable power, and the high-intensity efforts challenge me when I’m fresh. I just need to stay consistent, respect the hard days, and trust the process.
You can find all the Zwift workout files from this plan on my GitHub. Let me know what you think!
