Zone 3 (Tempo) is the ideal stamina building training zone. Training at “tempo” can be beneficial by inducing increases in O2 demand, cardiovascular stress, lactate shuttling and H+ buffer capacity without being completely taxing. 

HOWEVER, Zone 3 can quickly become the deadly “grey zone” when you push the pace on your easy or aerobic sessions. When you push your zone 1 & 2 sessions too hard, you move beyond the maximal fat utilisation intensity (65% VO2max) and begin to rely on carbohydrates. In which case, you’re not training for maximal aerobic development. You’re training in the ‘grey zone’. 

When you train in the ‘grey zone’ day after day, week after week, you’ll find yourself chronically tired and smack in the middle of a training plateau. Worse yet, you could end up overtrained, burnt out, or injured.

In this episode, we talk through the science of grey zone training and how you can avoid the grey zone trap. Trust us, we've been there!

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