Can you improve your FTP by training in Zone 2 without completely sacrificing your social life, or is the conventional wisdom that you must choose between being a hermit and actually seeing some decent gains still the only way to go? I mean, seriously, who needs friends or family when you can spend hours every day staring at your power meter and wondering if the 5 watts you gained are actually worth the crushing loneliness that comes with it?
And while were at it, whats the deal with all the coaches and gurus out there insisting that Zone 2 is only for recovery and that you need to be doing at least 80% of your training in Zones 4-6 if you want to actually see any significant improvements in your FTP? Are they just trying to sell us all on the idea that we need to be masochists in order to be good cyclists, or is there actually some science behind it?
And dont even get me started on the whole its all about consistency and patience thing. I mean, come on, who has the time or the mental fortitude to just keep plugging away day after day, week after week, month after month, without ever seeing any real progress? Its like, yeah, I get it, Rome wasnt built in a day, but cant we at least get a hint of a glimpse of the Colosseum every once in a while?
So, to all the FTP experts out there, I ask you: can you really improve your FTP by training in Zone 2, or is it all just a myth perpetuated by sadistic coaches and nutritionally-deprived cyclists?