A cycling desk / Zwifting with a split keyboard

Z2 sessions are supposed to be boring, they force you to endure the mental pain of not feeling physical pain when doing something dull. They also train you to listen to your body. Doing something else while in a Z2 session is going to kill those Z2 gains.

And overall, being bored is great for the mind, help with creativity, problem solving...

Once you embrace Z2 sessions, they became some sort of meditation, with the endorphins helping after a few hours.

Watching a video or typing stuff will remove all those potential benefits!

Sometimes it's nice to not overthink or try to optimize everything. Just enjoy the moment, enjoy the mental pain.

This is ludicrous. The point of Z2 is a specific physiologic adaptation. There isn’t really any mental pain. Anything you can do to make your training more consistent is positive for your long term performance. Save the mental gymnastics for the actual hard days.

Staying in a hard VO2 interval or pushing through on those long threshold efforts is an actual mental exercise. Don’t push the belief onto people that staring at a wall in Z2 is giving you some gains. If it works for you then go for it, but it’s a wild mentally that thinks a physically easy ride needs to be hardened up.

lol what? Vitaliy recommends watching movies during Z2 stairmaster sessions (2-4 hours long). No athlete/trainer says they have to be boring. If you have access to mountains, doing a long Z2 hike in a beautiful area is totally beneficial.

Personally I don't even start a 'ride' in Zwift for my Z2 rides for this very reason. I stare at the title screen and use my phone (connected via BT from an adjacent room so as not to be tempted to use it) to load the smart trainer. Finally I use fans, but as exhaust to create negative pressure that pulls as much O2 out of the room as possible.

Next week plan is to start riding without bibs or a saddle so as to maximize the anguish.

This sounds like bro science. Having boring sessions is not the point, Z2 training is designed to build endurance, improve cardiovascular efficiency, and increase your body's ability to burn fat as a fuel source at moderate intensities. It’s not about enduring boredom or embracing “mental pain” but rather about consistently training at a level that is sustainable for extended periods.

I just do the Z2 sessions to convert carbohydrates and fats into heat. I don't really need mental toughness for anything.

This is satire right?

Are you familiar with the Bike Spike Theft Deterrent?

I’d say it’s pretty much mainline “pain cave” zwift mythology.

lol, citation desperately needed

Sounds like a very effective Z2 protocol. I might also recommend making a phone call to Comcast, turning on speaker phone, and doing the ride while listening to hold music. Pro tip: if someone answers just ask to speak to a manager - that should get you an additional 3+ hours of uninterrupted Z2 time.

Ludicrous, deeply confused, and wrong bro science.

Of course.

You sound like a guy perfectly happy executing workouts directly in TrainerRoad! :D