Fitness
Zone 3 Cycling Tempo
Zone 3 cycling tempo is moderate-hard riding—often roughly 76–90% of FTP—that builds endurance without full threshold stress if dosed carefully.
Zone 3 cycling tempo sits between aerobic base and threshold—often roughly 76–90% of functional threshold power—where breathing deepens but you can still speak in short phrases. It raises muscular endurance and lactate handling without full race-day cost.
Too much weekly tempo creates gray-zone fatigue; polarized plans limit it in favor of true easy and true hard days.
Common questions
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Is zone 3 the same as sweet spot?
Sweet spot is often the upper portion of zone 3—hard tempo—not identical to every chart, but both sit below true threshold work.
Related terms
Put Zone 3 Cycling Tempo into practice
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