Hardcore training is out. Easy workout is in. Zone 2 training offers an accessible and effective way to burn fat without the exhaustion often associated with intense workouts. While it’s often overlooked in favor of more strenuous workouts like High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT), Zone 2 training has been a trusted method among athletes for over four decades.
“You feel like you’re not working out,”Eliza Pierko, MD, an expert in Orthopedic Sports Medicine at Loyola Medicine, told Verywell.Unlike workouts that push your body to its maximum, Zone 2 training focuses on maintaining 60–70% of your maximum heart rate for an extended period. This can be challenging for competitive athletes who may find it difficult to slow down.
“They don’t feel like they’re working out like they’re actually sweating and putting all that energy into it, but it actually has so many more benefits than fast training,” Pierko said.
By staying at a comfortable pace within the 60–70% heart rate range, Zone 2 training efficiently burns fat, builds endurance, and improves heart health.
How to Use the Heart Rate Zone Method to Maximize Your Workouts
What Is Zone 2 Training?
Zone training is divided into five zones based on a person’s maximum heart rate, with each zone representing a 10% range. Zone 5, the highest, is 90–100% of maximum heart rate and includes workouts like HIIT.
As the zones decrease, the required intensity drops: Zone 4 is 80–90%, Zone 3 is 70–80%, Zone 2 is 60–70%, and Zone 1 is 50–60%. These zones vary individually and can be roughly estimated at home.“The idea of Zone 2 would be mainly to try to improve what a lot of people call your aerobic base,”Benjamin T. Gordon, PhD, an assistant professor at the University of Florida, told Verywell.
A strong aerobic base allows you to train longer and recover faster, he added. Zone 2 training involves steady, prolonged aerobic exercise that isn’t overly taxing. By maintaining 60–70% of your maximum heart rate, you can work out longer without feeling excessively fatigued.
“You should feel good. You shouldn’t feel like you’re exhausting yourself,” Gordon said. While it may be tempting to push yourself to the point of sweating heavily and gasping for breath, that’s not necessary with Zone 2 training. This lower intensity makes it easier to maintain the workout.
Common Zone 2 exercises include cycling, dancing, hiking, brisk walking, stair climbing, and swimming—activities where you can still hold a conversation without getting winded.
What Are the Benefits of Zone 2 Training?
By staying under the lactate threshold, Zone 2 training allows for longer, more comfortable workouts, he added. It’s not meant to be painful or overly challenging. Zone 2 training adapts to the individual’s level, making it easier to stick to a consistent exercise routine while reducing the risk of injury.
Pierko said training at a lower heart rate can also help lower blood pressure, improve metabolic health, and lower the risk of heart disease.
The musculoskeletal system consists of different types of muscle fibers, each relying on different fuel sources, Pierko explained. While some muscle fibers use fat, others depend on glucose orglycogenfor energy.
Type 1 muscle fibers, or slow-twitch fibers, are primarily engaged during Zone 2 training. These fibers burn fat as their main energy source, Pierko added. Even after several hours of aerobic exercise, the body can continue to oxidize fat, which supports prolonged energy output.Research indicates that continuous moderate-intensity training, like Zone 2 workouts, can be as effective as HIIT for weight loss, especially regarding improvements in body composition and overall fitness.But when combined with HIIT, Zone 2 training may further enhance fat metabolism.Gordon said that while lower-intensity exercise may not necessarily result in greater weight loss, the primary energy source during these workouts is fat, unlike higher-intensity exercises that rely more on carbohydrates.
When is a Heart Rate Considered Dangerous?
How Much Zone 2 Training Is Enough?
A minimum of five days a week of exercise with at least 30 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise is recommended to prevent heart disease, according to the American Heart Association.
For those wanting to reap the most benefits, according to Pierko, at least 80% of a weekly training should be done in Zone 2. However, it’s perfectly fine if you prefer to stay within Zone 2 for all of your weekly training.
Pierko said that while those with a more sedentary lifestyle may get their heart rate into Zone 2 through a brisk walk, more seasoned athletes can focus on slow, long runs or cycling.
What This Means For YouZone 2 training is an easy, adaptable training method that won’t exhaust or drain you. Whether you’re a professional athlete or someone starting out your fitness journey, Zone 2 training can improve your cardiovascular health and help build your endurance, making it easier to continue training and reach your fitness goals.
What This Means For You
Zone 2 training is an easy, adaptable training method that won’t exhaust or drain you. Whether you’re a professional athlete or someone starting out your fitness journey, Zone 2 training can improve your cardiovascular health and help build your endurance, making it easier to continue training and reach your fitness goals.
5 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Pinckard K, Baskin KK, Stanford KI.Effects of exercise to improve cardiovascular health.Front Cardiovasc Med. 2019;6:69. doi:10.3389/fcvm.2019.00069Casado A, Foster C, Bakken M, Tjelta LI.Does lactate-guided threshold interval training within a high-volume low-intensity approach represent the “next step” in the evolution of distance running training?.Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2023;20(5):3782. doi:10.3390/ijerph20053782Guo Z, Li M, Cai J, Gong W, Liu Y, Liu Z.Effect of high-intensity interval training vs. moderate-intensity continuous training on fat loss and cardiorespiratory fitness in the young and middle-aged a systematic review and meta-analysis.Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2023;20(6):4741. doi:10.3390/ijerph20064741Price M, Bottoms L, Hill M, Eston R.Maximal fat oxidation during incremental upper and lower body exercise in healthy young males.Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022;19(22):15311. Published 2022 Nov 19. doi:10.3390/ijerph192215311American Heart Association.American Heart Association recommendations for physical activity in adults and kids.
5 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Pinckard K, Baskin KK, Stanford KI.Effects of exercise to improve cardiovascular health.Front Cardiovasc Med. 2019;6:69. doi:10.3389/fcvm.2019.00069Casado A, Foster C, Bakken M, Tjelta LI.Does lactate-guided threshold interval training within a high-volume low-intensity approach represent the “next step” in the evolution of distance running training?.Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2023;20(5):3782. doi:10.3390/ijerph20053782Guo Z, Li M, Cai J, Gong W, Liu Y, Liu Z.Effect of high-intensity interval training vs. moderate-intensity continuous training on fat loss and cardiorespiratory fitness in the young and middle-aged a systematic review and meta-analysis.Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2023;20(6):4741. doi:10.3390/ijerph20064741Price M, Bottoms L, Hill M, Eston R.Maximal fat oxidation during incremental upper and lower body exercise in healthy young males.Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022;19(22):15311. Published 2022 Nov 19. doi:10.3390/ijerph192215311American Heart Association.American Heart Association recommendations for physical activity in adults and kids.
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Pinckard K, Baskin KK, Stanford KI.Effects of exercise to improve cardiovascular health.Front Cardiovasc Med. 2019;6:69. doi:10.3389/fcvm.2019.00069Casado A, Foster C, Bakken M, Tjelta LI.Does lactate-guided threshold interval training within a high-volume low-intensity approach represent the “next step” in the evolution of distance running training?.Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2023;20(5):3782. doi:10.3390/ijerph20053782Guo Z, Li M, Cai J, Gong W, Liu Y, Liu Z.Effect of high-intensity interval training vs. moderate-intensity continuous training on fat loss and cardiorespiratory fitness in the young and middle-aged a systematic review and meta-analysis.Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2023;20(6):4741. doi:10.3390/ijerph20064741Price M, Bottoms L, Hill M, Eston R.Maximal fat oxidation during incremental upper and lower body exercise in healthy young males.Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022;19(22):15311. Published 2022 Nov 19. doi:10.3390/ijerph192215311American Heart Association.American Heart Association recommendations for physical activity in adults and kids.
Pinckard K, Baskin KK, Stanford KI.Effects of exercise to improve cardiovascular health.Front Cardiovasc Med. 2019;6:69. doi:10.3389/fcvm.2019.00069
Casado A, Foster C, Bakken M, Tjelta LI.Does lactate-guided threshold interval training within a high-volume low-intensity approach represent the “next step” in the evolution of distance running training?.Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2023;20(5):3782. doi:10.3390/ijerph20053782
Guo Z, Li M, Cai J, Gong W, Liu Y, Liu Z.Effect of high-intensity interval training vs. moderate-intensity continuous training on fat loss and cardiorespiratory fitness in the young and middle-aged a systematic review and meta-analysis.Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2023;20(6):4741. doi:10.3390/ijerph20064741
Price M, Bottoms L, Hill M, Eston R.Maximal fat oxidation during incremental upper and lower body exercise in healthy young males.Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022;19(22):15311. Published 2022 Nov 19. doi:10.3390/ijerph192215311
American Heart Association.American Heart Association recommendations for physical activity in adults and kids.
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