Zone 2 Cardio Training: Why Going Slow Could Be The Key To Endurance And Fat Burning
Although I enjoy many forms of exercise, I absolutely hate cardio and try to avoid it at all costs. I’m well aware of the health benefits of aerobic fitness, but I’ve never felt like the payoff is worth it for me. Any sort of vigorous activity over a long period of time makes my lungs burn, my joints ache, and leaves me feeling incredibly overwhelmed and stressed. However, recently I learned about zone 2 training, a more gentle approach to heart health, and I’ve been giving cardio another chance.
Zone 2 cardio, which has been endorsed in recent years by the likes of Peter Attia and Andrew Huberman, is an effective way to improve your cardiovascular fitness without pushing your limits. Getting fit doesn’t always have to be a struggle. Low intensity training is a great way to transform your fitness level while still feeling comfortable enough to have a conversation. Read on to learn more about the benefits of zone 2 cardio and how it can help you burn fat and increase your endurance.
What is zone 2 cardio?
Zone 2 cardio refers to any low-intensity exercise that’s performed at a steady state and targets 60–70% of your maximum heart rate. Compared with the other heart rate zones, zone 2 is a bit of a “sweet spot”. Zone 1 doesn’t push your body enough to create change, and zone 3 is intense enough to tire you out without significantly improving your ability to produce energy without oxygen, like zone 4-5 does. Zone 2 is the perfect way to challenge your body enough to improve your fitness level, but not too much so that you can’t maintain an exercise or need extensive recovery.
Here’s a simple formula for figuring out your zone 2 range:
[Your Age] - 220 = [Your Maximum Heart Rate]
[Your Maximum Heart Rate] x 0.7 = [Zone 2 Upper Limit]
[Your Maximum Heart Rate] x 0.6 = [Zone 2 Lower Limit]
If all the math is a bit too much for you, another easy way to tell if you’re in zone 2 is to do a “talk test”. During an exercise, if can you manage to talk but not sing easily, then you are likely in zone 2.
If you’re serious about monitoring your heart rate, a more accurate way to figure out your zone 2 range is to invest in a fitness tracker. Wearables like the Fitbit Charge (my personal favorite), Garmin vívoactive, or Apple Watch, can automatically detect and alert you when you’re in zone 2 based on your personal stats. WHOOP is also one of the best trackers out there, but it has no watch face, so you’ll have to keep your phone nearby in order to see live heart rate data. If wearing a watch isn’t your thing, devices like Oura Ring or MYZONE work just as well at tracking your heart rate and zone minutes.
What are the benefits of zone 2 training?
Regularly performing zone 2 exercise has many benefits, including fewer injuries, faster recovery, stress relief, and improving your mental health. But two of the most important benefits are increasing your endurance and burning fat. When it comes to endurance, zone 2 cardio is very easy to sustain, meaning you can do it for longer periods of time than more vigorous types of exercise. This helps you gradually build up your aerobic capacity. When you consistently train in zone 2, your heart starts pumping more efficiently and your blood vessels let more oxygen and nutrients into your muscles. In addition, zone 2 cardio causes your body to create more mitochondria in your cells, which generate energy that allows you to exercising longer without getting tired.
Training in zone 2 can also help your body become more efficient at burning fat. During exercise, your body uses either carbohydrates or fat as fuel. With high-intensity exercises, your body needs energy fast, so it tends to rely on carbs for fuel since there usually isn’t enough oxygen available. On the other hand, when your heart rate is in zone 2, you have enough oxygen to break fat down into fuel. Over time, as you become more consistent with your zone 2 training, your body will get better at pulling from your fat stores, even when you’re not exercising!
Does zone 2 cardio increase cortisol?
One reason why I (and many others) avoid cardio and HIIT-like activities is because they can raise cortisol, a hormone that is produced whenever you feel stressed. Cortisol controls a number of your body’s functions, including blood sugar, inflammation, metabolism, immune system efficiency, and your sleep cycle. If your cortisol levels are too high, you can experience all sorts of negative side effects like weight gain, fatigue, headaches, and anxiety or depression.
Luckily, zone 2 does not typically raise cortisol levels. Because you’re operating at lower levels of intensity, your body does not experience high levels of stress. In fact, training in zone 2 can help you manage your stress by improving your cardiovascular health and helping you to relax, which actually lowers cortisol levels over time. Like most activities, however, overdoing it will cancel out any positive effects. Doing zone 2 cardio for super-long periods of time, when you’re sleep-deprived, or without proper recovery time in between sessions can cause cortisol to spike.
What are the best activities for zone 2 cardio training?
You can achieve zone 2 by doing a number of activities. If you have access to a gym, jumping on a treadmill, elliptical, or rowing machine is an easy way to get your heart rate into zone 2. Honestly, though, you don’t need any fancy equipment. Running, cycling, or swimming are also great ways to incorporate zone 2 training into your exercise routine. Personally, I enjoy taking a long, brisk walk around my neighborhood, or putting on my favorite tunes and dancing for a bit. A friendly game of basketball, a hike in the woods, or jumping rope are great options as well. Pretty much any activity can put you in zone 2, as long as you pace yourself, keep track of your heart rate, and limit the activity to 30-90 minutes.
If you’d like to incorporate zone 2 cardio into your training, there are a few things to keep in mind. If you’re coming straight from the couch, then it’s a good idea to pace yourself. Start with 2-3 cardio sessions per week and try to cap them at 30 minutes. Zone 2 training works best when paired with resistance training, so you might consider adding some of that in as well. If you’re already a well-trained athlete, then you can probably jump right into 5 sessions a week and go for 60-90 minutes.
Ultimately, Zone 2 cardio is a great tool for improving your endurance and burning fat without having to exercise for hours on end or push yourself to your limit. It’s an incredibly low-rist, high-reward tool for getting fit, whether you’re just starting out, or already have a strong base of athleticism.
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