30 Days Ago, Needed Oxygen, a Walker, and a Home Health Aid to Leave The House. Today...

[Jeremy McCreary]

The real danger is that the Lizard People hack the app and gain access to my heart and soul, transforming me into some kind of zombie cannibal. (Okay, it's possible that I'm only 99.6% cognitively intact. I may have acquired some very low-level delusions, though that is speculative.)

I used to worry about the Reptilians. But after 20 years of living near the huge colony in the vast underground beneath Denver International Airport, I think they're harmless.

The ones I worry about now are the Zargonians — those pesky alien pranksters in the mothership hiding behind the moon. Wouldn't put it past them to hack our HRMs and power meters just to make us think we're drifting out of Zone 2.

And sit there at the viewer laughing at us the whole time. But what do you expect when you put a master class in pranking Earthlings like the Allen Funt Show out there for all the aliens to see?
;^}

 

[Jeremy McCreary]

Actually, I do not have a cardiologist, though my GP consults with one regarding my case. I meet with my GP in a couple of weeks, and I'll ask her what HR she might recommend or if she has any thoughts on the situation. She may either give me numbers to hit for each zone, or refer me to cardiology or something else. No, I have not been given any heart rate or any other restrictions by any specialist, incredibly, though I asked whether I had any on multiple occasions.

If you've asked several times, and no one taking care of you is offering restrictions, I'd put a lot of weight on not needing restrictions at this point. Maybe ask one more time, but docs tend to err on the side of caution.

Problem is, few docs have had the training or experience to fully understand a patient like you. And fewer still understand zone training.

So you're on your own with zones, just like the rest of us. Before commiting to strict zone-based training, though, look at the 2 GCN videos below. Well-researched and clear-eyed about the established benefits and open questions as of 2026.

Look especially at the sections at 10:45 and 13:40. These outline the zone guidance you can get just by paying attention to your breathing. Might be all you need for a casual training program.

Answer to the title question: Yes, strict zone training works for elite cyclists. For the rest of us, not so clear.