Low-intensity cardiosometimes called LISS or zone 2is a previously-underrated form of exercise.
Its finally coming back into fashion after spending years on the sidelines whileHIITand lifting-only routines ran the field.
But whatiszone 2 cardio, exactly?
How can you check that you’re doing it right?
And is itreallyso bad if your heart rate drifts into zone 3?
What is zone 2 training?
Zone 2 training is cardio done at a steady, low intensity.
To runners, it is easy pace or long slow distance pace.
To cyclists, it corresponds to zones 2 and 3 of aseven-zone system of mechanical power.
In other sports, like swimming and rowing, its often just called easy or low-intensity exercise.
So just take the following with a grain of salt.
The hallmark of zone 2 training is that its relatively slow and that its done at a steady pace.
It means holding that 70% level the whole time youre exercising.
you might do zone 2 cardio with any steady, repetitive movement.
How do I find my zone 2?
(Sometimes people assume this is a guideline, that you should keep your heart rate under this number.
The number you see at the end is a good estimate of your max.
Obviously, don’t do thisif you’ve been told you shouldn’t exercise at high intensity.
Idon’trecommend using a formula if you have the option of using either of the first two real-world options above.
Using a formula to get your max heart rate is like asking ChatGPT for your shoe size.
It will give a plausible guess, but it could easily be very, very wrong.
Anyway, the easiest formula is to subtract your age from 220.
(There are other formulas, but honestly they all have serious inaccuracies.
I wouldn’t worry about whether any one of them is “better” than the others.
They all suck.)
Well, there’s more than one opinion out there about what zone 2 should be.
The zones will usually populate automatically.
As I’ve written before,every rig has a different idea of what should count as zone 2.
If your max heart rate is 175, your zone 2 would be 105 to 132.
What are the benefits of zone 2 cardio?
Zone 2 work builds your aerobic base.
It increases our work capacity, letting us get more work done in total.
(And no,cardio does not kill your gains.)
(Ask your doctor to be sure, of course.)
Importantly, zone 2 training isvery low fatigue.
Theyre great in small doses, but they kind ofhaveto be in small doses.
By contrast, easy pace work is basically free.
As long as you have the time for it, its like a cheat code for aerobic gains.
How do you know when youre in zone 2?
Instead, lets talk about what it shouldfeel like.
Youre working, but not very hard.
A zone 2 pace isconversational, and its sometimes described with a talk test.
If you could tell your friend about your day while youre exercising, youre probably around the right level.
If you stop, you should feel like you took a break from something.
It should take a little work and focus to keep up the pace.
For some people, a brisk walk for the whole session is a perfect zone 2 workout.
As you get more fit, easy jogging will become possible.
These are calledCoggan power zones, and bike training systems likeZwiftandPelotonuse the same basic idea.
From there, you (or your training app) calculates wattage numbers for your zones.
Zones 2 and 3 in this system usually correspond to our zone 2 cardio.
