Seen a lot of stuff on Zone 2 cardio being super good to you. I've recently focused on getting a lot more and really enjoying it.

But I'm curious to hear some personal anecdotes. Anyone out there who has prioritized this:

- What did you do? Exercise, frequency, etc?
- What results did you see?
Better performance in other areas like a new PR?
Improved VO2 max?
Fat loss?

It's where my coach tells us to run at when trying to build endurance.

I push a sled on my off weight training days. Or run.

Feels good, but I suppose I don't focus on it… or worry about zones for that matter

30lb ruck vest and a 2 to 3 mile walk around the neighborhood seems to do the trick for me. I am too heavy to run without my knees and calves being in pain for days. I may get back there one day, but in the meantime rucking works.

MouthBQ98 said:

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It's where my coach tells us to run at when trying to build endurance.

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Yeah that's what I keep hearing/reading.

All sounds reasonable and it's coming from people who you think would know but what I haven't personally seen are the personal anecdotes and success stories.

I've been doing the stair climber kinda low and slow at about 130 bpm. I can keep it up for 90 minutes no problem and when I'm done I'm sweating my ass off so figure it has to be good for me.

I tried it for a while with rowing, but gave up on it as 1) it is boring AF 2) my primary pursuit is BJJ and I only have so much time in a week, and prefer to spend it on BJJ vs Zone 2 Rowing. I don't think I stuck with it long enough to really see any benefits.

I will say that rowing with a heart rate monitor made it very easy to get into and stay parked in that Zone 2 range using all the data from the computer and the monitor. Just got bored rowing slowly for 30-40 minutes . . .

I walk on my treadmill at a 3% incline at 3.3-3.5 mph while watching TV...helps out with the boredom part

I don't remember the exact numbers but in 2-3 years of doing a majority of Z2 biking and running (swam too, swimming is always zone 11 or whatever) and I went from 8:40ish to ~6:35-6:40 mile pace. Ran maybe 15-20 miles a week, biked 2-3 days, swam 3 days.

Consistency is key when doing Z2 training, you are able to put the same fitness in a week without introducing as much fatigue. Takes a while but it works. Need to retest your zones a few times a year to make sure you are tracking in the right direction

Thanks this is what I was looking for. Seems like it's definitely a long game.

This is excellent. Lots of great data in there. Thank you.

Bikes here. All the flavors.

Most pros will do 90% of their work in Z2. Volume is king for endurance. That works if you're putting in 20+ hour weeks.

I slot 15 hours/week to train and require more intensity to build.

Typically: 2 x Sweet Spot sessions (3 x 15 threshold and 45 min of Z2), 2 x Intensity (group ride or local crit) and 2 x long Z2 on the weekend and 1 recovery day.

Depends on what your goals are. If you're trying to build an endurance base or doing cardio 5-6x a week, then you should primarily being doing your workouts in Z2 or just a lower relative perceived effort (you really don't need to be too exact as long as you aren't getting close to your max HR).

Now if you're only doing cardio 2-3x a week, there is really no need to limit yourself to majority Z2 training as fatigue is unlikely to limit your ability to perform your cardio workouts.

Main goals are fat loss and improving my cardio for general health purposes.

Now that I've started doing it I really enjoy it.

I enjoy going on walks and using my walking pad at my desk, but the zone 2 stuff really makes me feel like I'm actually getting in a workout but I can still talk to my phone and work at the same time.

Used to be that for cardio I'd go to Orange Theory 2-3 times a week. Now I'm doing that 1-2 times a week and the zone 2 workouts about 3-4 times per week (about 60-90 minutes per session).

Walking won't be Z2. That's a Z0 activity (unless your very, very unhealthy). You need to baseline with a test.

The most popular method is a Functional Threshold test, i.e., what's the most you can do for an hour. You can typically save yourself 40 minutes and do a 20 minute test and take 90% of that and call it a day on FTP.

FTP will determine heart rate and power zones (Z2). We're all different on HR. I train with guys that have a max of 155bpm, while I max at 202bpm.

But get it! Any movement is good movement. I'll shamelessly plug bikes. Less physical impact than running, faster / see more than running, takes you to really fun and hard to reach places. Zwift (virtual training) is a game changer and lets you slam a workout anytime. Also, so much cooler than running. We have that steez.

Oh for sure. I do get in a ton of steps but I don't count that as any actual exercise.

When I was talking about my zone 2 sessions I either do the stair climber or big incline on the treadmill. I use a heart rate monitor and adjust my effort to stay about 120-130.

Personal experience…z4-5 work really moved the needle for me.

But I'm not an endurance athlete. Just looking for an edge on the top end.

Can only do z4-5 about 1x every 4-5 days when I'm in season. Off season and I can bring that down to every 2-3 days.

https://lifehacker.com/what-is-zone-2-cardio-its-complicated

This captures my frustration. % of max HR tells me to go for one HR, using the HRR method (like my watch seems to do) it's something else.

Obviously getting all this cardio is good for me and dialing it in precisely isn't going to make it 10x more effective. Just another area where it seems like the objective of the fitness industry is to confuse us.

An abundance of Z2 for the normal human just trying to be generally healthy is a literal waste of time.

Two Z2 sessions somewhere between 40-60 mins each is plenty. Unless you are training for a specific event, those two sessions will be all you need.

The rest of your time will be better spent adding some variance to your training (strength, mixed modality, etc)

My personal favorite Z2 implements are the stepper, rower, and air bike. I'll set a clock for 40-60 mins (depending on how much time I have) and do something like this:

1:00 stair stepper
1:00 row
1:00 bike
2:00 stair stepper
2:00 row
2:00 bike

… continue adding a minute to each until you reach the desired time. This works for me because I get bored doing one thing for 45+ mins at a time.

TikkaShooter said:

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Quote:

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An abundance of Z2 for the normal human just trying to be generally healthy is a literal waste of time.

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Says who?

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A lot of people, including Huberman and Attia. For overall health you can get the same results in less than 15 minutes of HIIT training. My health numbers are the same doing limited cardio and focusing on lifting compared to when I was doing triathlons

At the end of the day the majority of Americans are overfat, just do something. I have enough going on in my life and would rather spend the time with family than doing 45-60 minutes of cardio. Most of my workouts now are 20-30 minutes. But if you enjoy walking, rucking, or whatever low impact exercise, do it. We can argue over what is the best or most efficient but something is better than nothing.

For longevity including some kind of strength training in your routine is ideal.

Hard to see that it's a "waste of time." If you have an hour of free time available, from a health perspective it seems like zone 2 > taking a leisurely walk > sitting on your ass doing nothing.

I thought the argument for doing zone 2 cardio is that unlike with weightlifting or HIIT where there's a point where more does not equal better, that upper limit with zone 2 cardio almost doesn't exist.

Quote:

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A lot of people, including Huberman and Attia. For overall health you can get the same results in less than 15 minutes of HIIT training

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This is opposite to what Attia says.

He claims Z5 (the HIIT you reference) should be included as part of the week, along with z2 work.

Majority at z2, with 1x (or more if your recovery allows) z5 work per week.

This is the sprint work he talks about, with the guideline of 2ish min intervals, peaking near max output at the end of that 2min mark. Then 2 min recovery. And repeat 4-6 times. I do this by running 800m sprints

But no. He's never said that HIIT work is a replacement for volume of low intensity work.

If you have a link where he says opposite, then I'd be interested in seeing it.

bagger05 said:

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Hard to see that it's a "waste of time." If you have an hour of free time available, from a health perspective it seems like zone 2 > taking a leisurely walk > sitting on your ass doing nothing.

I thought the argument for doing zone 2 cardio is that unlike with weightlifting or HIIT where there's a point where more does not equal better, that upper limit with zone 2 cardio almost doesn't exist.

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I said an "abundance" is a waste of time. Based on your stated goals and current structure, you'd get a better "bang for your buck" incorporating strength training or mixed modal training over adding more Z2 to your routine.

If your goal is to build a never ending aerobic base, then add more Z2.

If your goal is fat loss and general health, more Z2 is not the answer for you specifically. (Just basing this on what you have shared in previous posts)

On average I'm already lifting 5 times per week and doing higher intensity cardio a 1-2 times a week.

Basically the trade I've made is I'm doing a lot more zone 2 but getting fewer steps and less "high intensity" cardio sessions at Orange Theory.

That 40-100 minutes on the stairs at after I lift would have been spent walking most days and maybe once a week it would've been spent doing a 30 minute treadmill session at Orange Theory.

From an overall health perspective the thing that's probably missing is something like yoga or some other flexibility and coordination work. I would like to work that in at some point but that will be more of a mental/discipline challenge so I'm okay holding off for now.

Sounds like you are already crushing it!

I have a limited time to train so each session comes at a premium. I found that 1-2 times doing Z2 a week was the right mix for me, without sacrificing or compromising other areas that matter to me.

I look forward to these days because it helps me recover from other days all the while still moving and "doing something".

Current life circumstances means I've got a lot of time on my hands.

I have been looking for a decent bike to buy for just riding around the neighborhood with my kids and maybe riding a dirt trail or two (level ground).

Any advice? Get a hardtail mountain bike? Brother also suggested doing a triathlon, so one that can be used for both

BadMoonRisin said:

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I have been looking for a decent bike to buy for just riding around the neighborhood with my kids and maybe riding a dirt trail or two (level ground).

Any advice? Get a hardtail mountain bike? Brother also suggested doing a triathlon, so one that can be used for both

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You could look into getting a gravel bike. They are a happy medium between road bikes and mountain bikes.

Poseidon makes good entry level bikes that are high quality. Just about every high-end brand makes gravel models as well!

bagger05 said:

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https://lifehacker.com/what-is-zone-2-cardio-its-complicated

This captures my frustration. % of max HR tells me to go for one HR, using the HRR method (like my watch seems to do) it's something else.

Obviously getting all this cardio is good for me and dialing it in precisely isn't going to make it 10x more effective. Just another area where it seems like the objective of the fitness industry is to confuse us.

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Agreed. I got a Stryd and haven't looked back. Going off power just made so much sense as someone who was cycling. I was seeing really good gains but had to take a couple months off for an injury (not running related) and now getting back into it.