Contrary to popular belief, you don’t have to be dripping in sweat and totally out of breath after every stairmaster sesh or afternoon jog. When it comes to cardio, it’s actually better to work smarter, not harder. The key? Zone 2 cardio.
You can gauge how hard you’re working during cardio exercise through heart rate zone training, which is “a method used during workouts to train your cardiovascular system more efficiently,” certified personal trainer and RRCA-certified running coach Jill Becker, CPT, previously told Women’s Health.
Meet the experts: Jill Becker, CPT, is a certified personal trainer and RRCA-certified running coach at Boundless Coaching and Life Time in Colorado. Winnie Yu, DPT, CSCS, is a sports and orthopedic physical therapist at Bespoke Physical Therapy in New York City.
Heart rate zone training is measured through five zones that are calculated using your maximum heart rate. While zone 1 is an easy effort, zone 5 is a feeling of going all out, sports and orthopedic physical therapist Winnie Yu, DPT, CSCS, recently told WH.
Zone 2 is still a pretty chill effort, as it’s 60 to 70 percent of your maximum heart rate. When you’re in zone 2, you’re putting in low effort—your heart rate is beating faster than normal, but you’re not taking big deep breaths, and you’re able to have a conversation.
Now, you might be thinking—is zone 2 cardio really that useful? Yup, experts would argue that it’s even more useful than hitting your zone 5 all-out effort during every cardio workout. Ahead, find out why.
Why is zone 2 cardio important?
For starters, it can majorly improve your heart and lung health, especially if you’re a beginner, Yu said. And if you’re more experienced and work out most days, zone 2 should be where your heart rate stays during cardio so you can develop your aerobic base without taxing your body too much. (A caveat: Those who are very advanced when it comes to cardio—like, you’re training for a marathon or triathlon—should hit zone 2 in long running, cycling, or swimming endurance workouts.)
Find your zone 2 cardio range by using this equation: 220 – your age x .60 and 220 – your age x .70.
Since zone 2 work has a lower impact on the body, you can recover faster and actually burn more body fat than you would in, say, zone 4 (80 to 90 percent of your max heart rate) or zone 5 (90 to 100 percent of your max). Plus, these zones cause more stress on your body and can increase the stress hormone cortisol. (Higher-intensity cardio may also cause harm for those who might not know they have heart issues, high blood pressure, or cholesterol problems, Yu adds.)
Zone 2 training can also improve your heart rate variability (HRV), or “your body’s ability to tolerate different ranges of the heart rate” and various levels of stress, Yu previously told WH. (Meanwhile, training mostly in higher-intensity zones can lower your HRV.) Your bod should be able to handle your resting and higher heart rate ranges, but also the ones in the middle, she said.
Overall, zone 2 cardio is where it’s at when it comes to reaping heart health benefits. Plus, it can help you “build that stronger foundation so that you will be able to run faster, run longer, bike stronger, anything that you’re trying to achieve,” Becker said. And who doesn’t want that?
The American Heart Association and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommend hitting 150 minutes of moderate intensity exercise per week for heart health, which can be zone 2 cardio, Yu said. So, you can try 30 minutes of zone 2 cardio five days per week.
But if you have a larger training goal, like an upcoming race, and you’re running three days, make sure one day includes 45 to 60 minutes of zone 2 training, or have your recovery workout day be a 30-minute zone 2 workout, Yu said.
It doesn’t matter which form of zone 2 cardio you pick, either—you could be cycling, rowing, swimming, or using the elliptical or stairmaster, or even treadmill walking or jogging. The gym is your oyster.
Addison Aloian is the associate health & fitness editor at Women’s Health, where she writes and edits across the health, weight loss, and fitness verticals. She’s also a certified personal trainer through the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM). In her free time, you can find her lifting weights at the gym, running on the West Side Highway in New York City—she recently completed her first half-marathon—and watching (and critiquing!) the latest movies that have garnered Oscars buzz. In addition to Women’s Health, her work has also appeared in Allure, StyleCaster, L’Officiel USA, V Magazine, VMAN, and more.
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