Im seeing a lot of cyclists claiming that zone 1 training somehow magically removes the need for nutrition, hydration, and sleep. Id like to know, what exactly is the scientific basis for this claim? Is it simply a matter of mental toughness, where if you just will yourself to believe you dont need these things, youll be fine? Or is there some actual physiological mechanism at play that Im not aware of?
I mean, Ive seen road cyclists in particular who seem to think that as long as theyre riding at a low enough intensity, they can just ignore all the usual principles of endurance training and get away with it. But how does that work, exactly? Do they have some special adaptation that allows them to generate energy from thin air, or something?
Im also curious to know, what exactly constitutes zone 1 anyway? Is it a specific heart rate range, a particular power output, or just a vague sense of feeling easy? And how do you know when youve crossed the line into zone 2, at which point presumably you need to start paying attention to nutrition, hydration, and sleep again?
It seems to me that if zone 1 training really did remove the need for these things, wed be seeing a lot more super-endurance athletes who can just ride forever without stopping to eat, drink, or sleep. But instead, we see the same old usual suspects dominating the endurance events, and theyre all still eating, drinking, and sleeping just like everyone else.
So, Id love to hear from the experts on this one. Is there really something special about zone 1 training that makes it possible to ignore the usual rules of endurance training, or is this just another example of roadies trying to sound cool on the internet?