Field notes · Heart and cardio
Zone 2 training explained for men over 40
Zone 2 is just a fancy name for easy cardio done long enough to matter. It became popular because it works, and because most men do their cardio too hard.
Dai Manuel · Coach Moose · Vancouver
What zone 2 is
It is a steady, easy effort where your body mostly burns fat for fuel and your breathing stays controlled. Researchers link training at this intensity with better mitochondrial function and metabolic health.
How to find it
The talk test works: you can speak in full sentences but would not want to sing. If you use a heart rate monitor, a rough guide is 60 to 70 percent of your maximum heart rate. If you are breathing through your mouth and struggling to talk, you have gone too hard.
How much to do
Two or three sessions of thirty to sixty minutes a week is plenty for most men. Cycling, rowing, brisk hill walking and easy jogging all work. It should feel almost too easy. That is the point.
Common questions
- How do I know if I am in zone 2?
- You can talk in full sentences but not comfortably sing. On a heart rate monitor, a rough guide is 60 to 70 percent of maximum heart rate.
- Is walking zone 2?
- For many beginners a brisk walk, especially uphill, is zone 2. Fitter people may need a faster pace, a hill or a light jog.
Sources
- Training and testing for endurance and metabolic health. San-Millán and Brooks, Sports Medicine, 2018.
- Canadian 24-Hour Movement Guidelines for Adults aged 18 to 64. Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology.