Everything You Need to Know About the Peloton Power Zone Pack

If you’ve done a few of the Peloton Power Zone rides you’ve probably heard the instructor mention Power Zone Pack or seen the hashtag #PowerZonePack on the leaderboard.

I’ve now been a member of the Power Zone Pack for a few years and absolutely love it!

In this post, I’ll share with you what the Power Zone Pack is, how to join, and everything you need to know about this amazing Peloton community!

What is Power Zone Pack?

The Power Zone Pack is a Peloton community that was first founded in 2017 that focuses on Power Zone training.

The group began with a small group of Power Zone enthusiasts and has now expanded into a community of over 120,000 members!

The group hosts seasonal challenges, where members join teams and compete together to complete rides together – and hopefully improve your output at the same time!

Joining the Power Zone Pack

I joined the Power Zone Pack when my friend Kieranne introduced me to a challenge one summer. I had just gotten my Peloton bike a few months before and was struggling to understand the regular spin classes.

I’m normally a runner, so I could never tell how much I really should be pushing, or even how to improve on a bike (then again – what even was a good goal to have on the bike?!!).

I had always heard that biking was a really good cross training activity but I needed a little more structure.

In came Power Zone training and the Power Zone Pack (or PZP).

After talking to Kieranne for a bit I decided to sign up for my first Power Zone Challenge. PZP organizes seasonal challenges that are open to all levels and are completely free.

The ultimate goal of the challenges is to complete the rides (your output and leaderboard positions don’t matter) and hopefully improve your output on the bike.

This sounded good to me so I signed up.

There were a few different options to choose from in the challenge – from 3 rides a week to 5. I decided to do the 3 a week because between that, running and the bonus point rides they add on, my schedule was becoming full.

To prepare for the challenge I took a few power zone classes, then jumped into an FTP test so I’d have a rough idea of my zones.

I liked doing this so I’d have custom zones for my first challenge, but I quickly learned in the classes that even if I didn’t have my zones, the instructors would help me guestimate what my zones would be (I should note this approach isn’t as accurate as an FTP test but it’s a good option to have if you’re unable to take an FTP test).

Joining the Power Pack Zone is super easy – all you need to do is add the hashtag to your profile (here’s my guide on how to do that)!

Once you do that you’re automatically in the Power Zone Pack. There are extra options to connect with other PZP members, like joining the free facebook group (this is also where you can request songs for Matt’s weekly 60-90 minute endurance rides).

How Much Does it Cost?

Membership to the Power Zone Pack is free, but there is a paid option for additional features on the website.

To access the library, see your results with zone graphs, as well as track your FTP test you do need to pay $7.99/month.

There’s no monthly contract and it can be cancelled at any time.

I’ve been a paid member for a few months now and really love the ability to filter classes.

I’m training for a running race so don’t really have time to participate in the challenges, but with the library I’m able to keep up with my Power Zone training.

I love being able to filter by TSS to find rides that fit my training schedule!

Related Post: How to Train for a Race with Peloton

Benefits of Power Zone Pack

There are a few benefits to being in the Power Zone Pack. I love being a member because the community is so supportive!

I can never seem to make live rides work, but when a challenge is happening I love being able to log into my bike at any hour and seeing 1,000s of members in the same on demand class.

It’s really amazing!

I’ve also found the other members of the Power Zone Pack extremely supportive. I get so many high fives on these rides

I also love how my output has improved – with the exception of when I returned to training after having my baby.

But generally after every challenge I’ve done my output on my FTP has slightly increased (which then increases my zones for the next time I do a ride).

Related Post: Tunde Arm Challenge Guide (Class List and Free Printable!)

Power Zone Pack Paid Membership Review

Another feature on PZP’s website is a paid member feature. You don’t need this to participate in challenges (the challenges are still free to participate!), but it’s a great tool to have for training.

Some of the big features are:

Power Zone Library

PZP’s site has every single Power Zone ride in the library uploaded and the ability to filter. Unlike on the bike, you can filter based on zones, ride types (Endurance, Max, regular Power Zone) as well as sort by TSS – or the class difficulty.

Being able to sort by TSS has been an amazing feature for me as I try to plan out my weeks around my other training.

I’m able to filter to a class that has lower TSS when I have a high running mileage week, or filter to a higher TSS when I need a little more from my cross training.

Graphs

After you complete a ride you can sync it to your PZP account and you’ll get a graph to see how your ride compared to what the instructor called out (these are often shared in the Facebook groups for challenges)

FTP Tracking

PZP provides a FTP test graph so you can easily see your progress as you take FTP tests.

Here’s a video I put together that walks through the extra features you get as a Power Zone Pack paid member, and how I use it to plan my training.

How to Create a Custom Training Plan

I’m now training for a race so I’ve focusing more on running than riding, but I’m still using my Peloton bike and Power Zone training 2-3 times a week for cross training. I’ve found the best way to create a schedule is to use PZP’s class library.

PZP has the entire Peloton Power Zone class library loaded on to their site where they analyze every single ride. It really is amazing!

Each ride is given a TSS – or Training Stress Score – which can tell you how hard a workout is. The higher the TSS the harder the workout is.

I like to use the PZP library to find rides based on the TSS that fits my needs for the week. If I know I have a high mileage week for running, I’ll try to keep my cross training easier and will filter to a lower TSS ride.

If I need a little extra boost, then I’ll opt for a higher TSS ride.

The TSS feature on PZP’s site alone has been worth the membership for me. I used to try to use the user rating system on Peloton, but found it wasn’t very consistent (and it was time consuming for me to have to scroll through every single class and look it up).

The PZP library has saved me so much time and with a few clicks of filters I’m able to find the perfect ride.

Final Thoughts

If you’re looking for an amazing and supportive community, I highly recommend checking out Power Zone Pack!

Being a member of the group is free but they do also have a paid membership that gives you access to extra features – like line graphs, Power Zone class library (and filters) and tracking your FTP tests and output.

I’ve been a member for a few years now and absolutely love the community!