Zone 2 cardio exercise may just be the single best exercise regimen I can prescribe. And, this is coming from someone who believes that strength training is absolutely essential to improved quality of living.
Hear me out.
According to Dr. Peter Attia, who is an expert on longevity, there is a 50% reduction in death from all causes over the next decade among people with below average cardiovascular health compared to people with low cardiovascular health.
By improving from low cardiovascular health to above average, there is about a 70% reduction.
This is based upon a research study that included over 100,000 people with an average age of 53.
The cardiovascular health is measured through VO2 max, which is effectively your body’s ability to intake oxygen and send it to the muscles as energy. The higher the number, the better.
Among elite athletes, long distance cross country skiers have the highest VO2 max on average compared to other athletes, even above marathon runners.
So, how do we improve our cardiovascular health?
Cardiovascular exercise of course, i.e., walking, jogging, swimming, biking, rowing, or cross country skiing. Take your pick.
However, for people over age 40, it is necessary to do the RIGHT cardio exercise. The reason is that if we do too much of the wrong type of cardio exercise, we start to catabolize, or, break down, muscle tissue.
Given that we start to lose muscle mass around age 40 if we don’t train for strength, this is not a good thing.
Therefore, we must strike a balance between improving our cardiovascular condition and our strength.
Zone 2 cardio exercise is what allows us to do that.
Brett McKay at Art of Manliness wrote an excellent guide to Zone 2 cardio. Check it out here.
Here is a brief summary…
Cardio conditioning is generally broken down into five levels, with Zone 1 being the lowest and easiest level, akin to going for a walk, to Zone 5, which involves the most intense and exhaustive effort.
These training zones are based upon your heart rate as you are training. The higher the rate, the higher the zone.
Zone 2 training is done with a heart rate that is around 60% to 70% of your maximum heart rate.
Zone 2 has been identified as the level that is most efficient at burning fat, building long term stamina and endurance, and improving longevity.
All cells in your body are fueled by adenosine triphosphate or ATP.
The type of fuel your body uses to create ATP changes as you go up in intensity. In zones 1 and 2, you’re using primarily fat. As you shift to Zone 3, you start using carbohydrates. When you reach zone 5, you use creatine phosphate to create ATP.
In Zone 2, your exercise intensity is at a level in which you are stimulating your cells’ mitochondrial function the most. You can meet your body’s demand for ATP using only fat and oxygen in your mitochondria.
If you were to go a bit harder, your body would start using more carbs in your cells’ cytosol to create ATP through the process of glycolysis.
Benefits of Zone 2 Cardio Exercise
There are a few significant benefits to performing regular Zone 2 cardio exercise.
- Increases the number of mitochondria in your cells, and improves their efficiency at using fat for energy
- Improves cardiovascular health by making your heart stronger and more efficient
- Improves your work capacity… you can perform physical labor and work out longer.
- Assists in recovering from a long day in the yard or a tough session in the gym
I personally can attest to that last benefit.
I’ve incorporated Zone 2 into my program for a few months, although a bit inconsistently.
I recently did a squat workout that used to leave me absolutely gassed. Not a problem whatsoever. I’ve also noticed this with all my workouts in general. I simply have more energy to get through them, even as I continue to add weight to the bar.
How do you do Zone 2 Cardio Exercise?
Unfortunately, the best way to do a Zone 2 workout is indoors on a bike, elliptical, treadmill or rower where you can stay at an even pace for the entire workout.
This effectively means that Zone 2 cardio workouts are pretty boring.
You need to be able to stay at the same pace to keep your heart rate in Zone 2, which is about 60%-70% of your maximum heart rate. Otherwise, if you start to creep up into Zone 3, you’ll stop burning fat and start using carbs for the energy source.
A rough way to calculate your maximum heart rate is to subtract your age from 220. Then, multiply that figure by 70% to get your top line Zone 2 figure.
So, if you are 50 years old, your maximum heart rate will be somewhere around 170. If you are in pretty good cardio shape already, it may be somewhat higher. If you are untrained, it may be a good bit lower.
Therefore, the high figure for your Zone 2 will be around 120, if you are 50 through this calculation. However, I think this is likely a bit low, based on experience.
An even more simple way is to come up with your top Zone 2 figure is to subtract your age from 180.
A good rule of thumb is that when doing Zone 2 cardio, you can have a conversation, but it will be difficult for you to sing for more than a minute or so. You should also be able to breathe completely through your nose.
I do my Zone 2 Cardio on an indoor bike where I pedal at the same level of resistance at the same level of revolutions per minute (RPMs).
You can achieve something similar on just about any piece of indoor cardio equipment.
What is the proper dosing?
Ok, so this is the sucky part.
The best information I have found on this subject suggests that you need a minimum of 2 hours of Zone 2 Cardio per week to get at least some of the benefits.
The ideal range is 3 to 4 hours, and the ideal session length is 45 to 90 minutes.
However, there is a bit of a silver lining.
While I am riding my indoor bike, I will watch shows or video on Youtube. That helps the time go by a bit faster.
Final Thoughts
Hopefully, you have a better understanding of Zone 2 cardio exercise, as more and more fitness professionals are talking about it.
I believe that Zone 2 cardio is a critical piece of the health and fitness puzzle, particularly for people who are struggling with their weight.
When you combine it with a sound strength training program, proper diet and nutrition, you will be on your way to much better health.
