We updated the naming convention of our ventilatory thresholds that makes them easier to understand, intuitive to train with, and aligned with the science of ventilation that powers Tymewear.

There is no change to the detection of ventilation thresholds and guided training recommendations. We are only changing the naming convention and corresponding zone numbers.

The key changes in less than 10 seconds

We have worked with coaches, athletes, and our research partners to update and improve the clarity and precision of how we define our zones and threshold definitions.

• The term Balance Point (BP) has been removed.
• The Zone 1 - 2 transition is Endurance
• The Zone 2 - 3 transition is VT1
• The Zone 3 - 4 transition is VT2
• The Zone 4 - 5 transition is between VT2 - VO2max
• The ceiling of Zone 5 is VO2max

What you need to do

Please update your Tymewear App on iOS and Android

If you use Garmin, please update your Connect IQ Tymewear App and add your thresholds into the settings: Garmin Setup Guide

That’s it, the rest is automatic. 

What is changing and why

Ventilation exposes our thresholds as we transition from one metabolic state to another. These transitions identify the floor of our endurance zone, the top of our fat burning zone, the limit of our lactate combustion, and the ceiling of our aerobic system.  

Initially, we referred to the floor of the endurance zone as VT1, the ceiling of the fat burning zone as Balance Point, the limit of lactate combustion as VT2, and the aerobic ceiling as VO2max.

Now, the floor of the endurance zone is named Endurance, the ceiling of the fat burning zone is VT1, the limit of lactate combustion is VT2, and the aerobic ceiling is VO2max.

We are updating this naming convention to better align with common practice in sport science and provide clarity to coaches and athletes.

Your most recent Threshold Tests and subsequent activities will be updated to match the new naming convention.

Key benefits of this update

1. The naming adjustment now aligns more closely with conventional naming standards.
   

2. The previous zone convention meant that many base endurance workouts naturally crossed between zone 2 and 3. This caused confusion. These types of workouts will now fall within zone 2. 

New vs Old Zone transitions and Workout Types

How this impacts your training

Your threshold detections and training recommendations do not change. What you will notice, is that your base endurance workouts that were previously referred to as VT1 workouts will now be Endurance Workouts. Your higher intensity endurance workouts that were previously referred to as Balance Point will now be referred to as VT1 workouts.

Some athletes may recognise a shift and that the “time in zone” better matches expectations. 

The ventilation thresholds and training targets themselves have not changed, the performance value from previous and new training workouts is unchanged. This means that athletes and coaches should not expect any disruption to training.