If you’re any kind of competitive athlete, you will most likely have heard about the benefits of zone 2 training.
However, how many of you have just used your Garmin or some other fitness device to determine your zone 2? I’d bet most people have, the problem is these devices are really vague. It is really important to know your own zones, and I explain why later.
You work out your zone 2 either with an FTP (functional threshold power) test, max heart rate test; or better still getting a proper lactate fitness test performed by a professional.
Take myself, as an example. I worked out my zones from the Midleton 5 mile run. I completed it in just under 31 minutes. I worked out that my zone 2 was 150-170 bpm. So many people thought that was too high, so I decided to go to Trevor Woods at UCC and be tested. Believe it or not, after an extensive and tough test, Trevor told me my zone 2 was 151 to 171, that’s how close I was using my max Heart rate and average HR for 30 minutes.
So that is what I used for my run training. However, unfortunately, this is not my zone 2 for everything. So now that I knew how it felt when I’m in zone 2 running I realised it was lower on the bike. So I tested again. This time I used the FTP test (functional threshold power) on the turbo trainer. I found my zone 2 on the bike to be 132-161 bpm.
The Benefits!
As an athlete, the primary benefit of Zone 2 training is that it builds an aerobic base and endurance. Increased aerobic capacity enhances your ability to sustain a sub-threshold pace for a longer period of time.
But what if you’re not an athlete? Does any of this matter?
Short answer, YES!! absolutely.
Not only will Zone 2 training boost your performance, but it might also save your life. After all, your heart is a muscle. Humans die of very predictable causes. Most of the chronic diseases which will lead to our demise have a common root cause – poor metabolic health due to poor mitochondrial function.
Exercising in zone 1 and 2 will improve your mitochondrial number, function, efficiency and fitness (ref: Howard J. Luks, MD).
This subject is now so important that there are many physicians now specializing in longevity. One such physician I follow and who has great content on the many benefits of zone 2 training is Dr Peter Attia. He has a very informative podcast that I recommend is well worth checking out called “The Peter Attia Drive“.
How to get to know your Zone 2?
If you’re wondering how you can get started but don’t want to test, there is a very simple way to start. Using the RPE (rate of perceived exertion) scale, start with 30 – 45 minutes 2 to 3 times per week, with an aim of eventually doing a total of 2 to 3 hours over the week.
What this means is on a scale of 1-10; 1 is walking slowly and 10 is sprinting to max effort, you should aim for 3 – 4 out of 10. When performing zone 2, you should be comfortably able to hold a full conversation, not just sentences. You can do it any way you like, Jogging, power walking, cycling etc.
So why not get started and soon you will be feeling the benefits both in your cardio-respiratory health, but also your waistline as zone 2 is also your fat-burning zone. Win, win!!
As always, if you need any help or further advice, I’m here to help.
Yours in fitness.
Des.
