If you’re a powerlifting fanatic or new to lifting, you’re probably more interested in shoulder workouts and perfecting the Arnold press than boosting your VO2 max. Endurance athletes such as marathon runners, triathletes and cyclists are more attuned to improving their cardio
Don’t get us wrong, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with wanting to look and feel your best, but if your exercise program was created with only strengthening those vanity muscles in mind, you may be missing out on training the most important muscle of all. — your heart. There are endless ways to perform cardio, from HIIT and Tabata training to shadowing or even walking. But a more subtle aspect of cardio training involves targeting a specific heart rate zone, such as a heart rate in zone 2, to reap its unique benefits.
What is heart rate zone 2?
Zone 2 heart rate training means you work in one of five heart rate zones at 60-70% of your maximum heart rate. “Zone 2 is where the magic happens—your body is optimized to last longer at a more manageable intensity when you’re working in Zone 2,” says Milica McDowell, MD, certified exercise physiologist and vice president of surgeries at Walking happens.
What are heart rate zones?
While heart rate zones may sound a little confusing, it’s easier if you imagine your heart as a dial with different volume settings. Each time you open the dial, you raise your heart rate a little more. Each level is based on a percentage of your maximum heart rate — how fast your heart could beat at maximum effort.
The intensity of your workout directly affects your heart rate. For example, a gentle ride is obviously much less demanding than an all-out speed. While both are considered cardio, they are impactful your heart rate and your body differently. Heart rate zones are how we categorize this phenomenon.
Zone 2 training is the foundation for everyone’s fitness. By using Zone 2 training (read: staying within that threshold), you can increase your aerobic capacity over time. Consider training for your first marathon. Although the initial run may leave you short of breath and cramping, with practice and proper training, you’ll be able to maintain that effort without raising your heart rate.
Jorg Badura
Zone 1 (50 to 60% of your maximum heart rate)
Zone 1 is the “warm up and cool down” zone. It is ideal to prepare your body for exercise or recovers afterwardsenhancing blood flow with light exertion. You’ll typically hit zone 1 when you’re doing lower-intensity exercise, like walking your dog or stretching before a big lift.
Zone 2 (60 to 70% of your maximum heart rate)
Zone 2 is the “fat burning endurance” zone that helps you build an aerobic base and improve your body’s ability to use fat as fuel. The level of effort is comparable to an easy jog where you can hold a conversation—or a leisurely bike ride.
Zone 3 (70 to 80% of your maximum heart rate)
Zone 3 is the “aerobic endurance” zone that really challenges your cardiovascular system to build endurance and push your limits. In this zone, you will not only burn fat but also increase muscle mass. It is the standard zone for steady running pace.
Zone 4 (80 to 90% of your maximum heart rate)
Zone 4 is your “high intensity” zone where you take advantage of anaerobic capacity, like during a hard sprint that leaves you breathless or a really intense HIIT class. Unlike zone 2, you won’t be able to chat. Your muscles will begin to feel that familiar burn that is only achieved by pushing your body to its limits. and you will only be able to stay in this zone for a short time.
Zone 5 (90 to 100% of your maximum heart rate)
Zone 5 is the “maximum effort” zone for short bursts of all-out speed, reserved for a final sprint to the finish line where you give every last drop of effort. While zone 5 isn’t sustainable for long periods of time, it can help you gain power like no other.
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Benefits of Zone 2 heart rate training
Zone 2 heart rate training is critical to building cardiovascular endurance and stamina, according to Bradley Serwer, MD, an interventional cardiologist with VitalSolution. “Lower-intensity workouts tend to be easier on your body during recovery and help build a solid foundation for higher-intensity workouts down the road,” he says.
McDowell adds, “This belt also helps you optimize your initial endurance, which allows you to enjoy a hike, a marathon pickleball session, or a long day of skiing with ease.”
Justin Steele
Finding your zone 2 sweet spot
So, if you’re wondering, “What’s my zone 2 heart rate?” It’s worth knowing that while you can use a zone 2 heart rate calculator, several factors affect your individual rate, including age, fitness level, body composition, genetics and stress.
Research shows that a personalized zone 2 heart rate calculator is ideal for targeting it correctly. You can use a heart rate monitor for a more accurate look, but if you don’t have one, using a formula is a good alternative. “Everyone’s basal heart rate is different, but having a good understanding of your individual physiology is very beneficial in optimizing and personalizing your training,” says Serwer.
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Calculating your Zone 2 heart rate
There are a few ways to calculate your zone 2 heart rate by age. The most common formula for estimating your maximum heart rate (MHR) is this:
Step 1: Find your maximum heart rate (MHR)
- Subtract your age from 220.
- Example: If you are 35 years old, 220 – 35 = 185. Your estimated MHR is 185 beats per minute.
Step 2: Calculate your bandwidth 2
- Lower end of zone 2: Multiply your MHR by 0.60 (60%).
- Example: 185 x 0.60 = 111 beats per minute
- Upper end of zone 2: Multiply your MHR by 0.70 (70%).
- Example: 185 x 0.70 = 129.5 beats per minute (round up to 130)
- Zone 2 target heart rate is 111-130 beats per minute.
The Karvonen formula
Determining how to calculate your zone 2 heart rate with the Karvonen method is a bit more individualized than your age, as it affects your resting heart rate (RHR) to give a more accurate target. Here’s how it works:
- Find your MHR: Use the 220-year formula (or measure it directly).
- Find your RHR: Take your heart rate first thing in the morning before you get out of bed.
- Calculate your heart rate reserve (HRR): MHR – RHR = HRR
- Apply the Karvonen formula: (HRR x % intensity) + RHR = target heart rate
Using the previous MHR 185 example, if your RHR is 60, here’s how to find your Zone 2 heart rate (60-70% intensity):
- HRR = 185 – 60 = 125
- Lower end of Zone 2: (125 x 0.60) + 60 = 135 bpm
- Upper end of Zone 2: (125 x 0.70) + 60 = 147.5 bpm (round up to 148 bpm)
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Putting Zone 2 into Action
Once you get your zone 2 estimates, McDowell suggests choosing an activity where you can stay in that range (for the basic example, that’s 111 to 130 bpm) for a consistent period. While in this zone, you should be able to converse in complete sentences without feeling overly breathless. “This level of exercise is typically seen with moderate cycling, running, swimming, hiking, or low-intensity exercise classes,” says Serwer.
Most data suggests that 30 to 40 minutes of zone 2, twice a week, is a good starting point. “The CDC recommends 150 minutes of cardiovascular activity per week for healthy adults, so I would suggest trying to implement that recommendation as a baseline, which will show more improvement than just two days per week,” adds McDowell.
Why monitor your Zone 2 heart rate?
Heart rate is easy to monitor (most smartwatches and sports watches give fairly accurate readings) and is a strong indicator of fitness levels. McDowell explains, “If your heart rate drops when you don’t feel like you’re working hard, that’s a good example of actual fitness versus perceived fitness. Heart rate can’t lie.”
Using heart rate as a data point is more useful than monitoring VO2 max, because heart rate adjustments from exercise are very simple—if you get fitter, your resting HR and exercise HR drop, McDowell explains. . Another important HR-related data point is your recovery heart rate, which is how quickly you return to your baseline heart rate after an exercise session, which McDowell says can be a useful metric when assessing how you are improving quickly.
If you don’t have a smartwatch, McDowell says the old heart rate method (finger on your wrist, count to six, multiply by 10) is accurate enough to use in a pinch, so there’s really no no obstacle to using this metric to track your training and progress.
