Heart Rate Zones and Training: Zone 2

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2 жыл бұрын

Chris Cooper of Catalyst Fitness provides the rundown on Zone 2.
Work in Zone 2-65-74 percent of max heart rate-helps you develop endurance through metabolic flexibility. Here, you're mostly metabolizing fat for fuel while preserving most of your stored carbohydrates. Endurance athletes refer to Zone 2 training as "building a broad base."
Of note for those looking to increase healthspan: mitochondrial density. Zone 2 increases it, which will allow you to burn fat as fuel even when you aren't working out.
Too many people miss out on Zone 2 benefits by skipping into Zone 3, 4 and even 5. But that high-intensity work trains our body to use carbs as fuel. We want metabolic flexibility! We want to be able to operate at a low level for a very long time-"aerobic endurance."
How much Zone 2 training is ideal? About 3-4 hours a week-and you can add in weight training as long as you make sure you're in Zone 2.
To find out more about how Catalyst can help you with heart-rate training, book a free intro: catalystgym.com/
#fitness #thecatalystmethod #saultstemarie #heartrate #heartratetraining #zone2 #startworkingout #recovery #mentalhealth #saultste

Пікірлер: 105

@punko681 6 ай бұрын

I am happy I found your channel and especially these series of videos. Thank You and keep it up! Cheers

@rz9wb 3 ай бұрын

By far the best videos on the web about training zones.

@mckonal Жыл бұрын

u r a great teacher sir, ty.

@barryharvey1102 Жыл бұрын

I love this! More zones.

@tyclavin6356 Жыл бұрын

These are AMAZING videos. Thank you for them. How long do you recommend training in zone 2 or 3 in a given time. I've been doing hour bike rides at a sustained zone 3 thinking that's going to burn the most fat. But this is enlightening.

@TheCatalystMethod 10 ай бұрын

We prescribe "blocks" lasting 30 minutes each. There's another video on our channel called "Training in blocks" that will help. Zone 3 will help with your endurance on the bike, but most of your ride should be in Zone 2. For example, when I was doing mostly CrossFit workouts, my body would be burning carbs preferentially. When I got on the bike for a ride longer than an hour, I'd be going through sports drinks and gels like crazy. That would result in all kinds of problems. When I became more metabolically flexible from zone 2 training, I stopped needing the bars, gels and sports drinks even on rides over 2 hours, because I can metabolize fat better. Of course, if you have a lot of sprints or hills, you're going to deplete glycogen anyway, but you can still save that glycogen for the higher-intensity work if you start off in Zone 2.

@zacsborntorunrunningadvent3441 Жыл бұрын

Nice video. Improving your Aerobic enzymes in the Mitochondria is very useful. Also the left Ventricle improves the most in the 65-75% heartrate reserve. This correlates for me as 136-160bpm. The ole 70-85% a wk in Zone2 works pretty well for most runners :) cheers nice video.

@jessebartola3090 10 ай бұрын

Your max heart rate is 213?

@TheCatalystMethod 10 ай бұрын

I think he's saying 70-85% of his time per week spent in Zone 2, @@jessebartola3090

@MrJohnno89 6 ай бұрын

For me my zone 2 is 73-80% which give me 137-150bpm it has seemed to work very well for me

@thomasayele5389 Жыл бұрын

Definitely agree when it comes to the impact of CrossFit on zone 2. If I go out for a light jog my heart rate will drift up towards zone 3 even though I'm not breathing heavily.

@TheCatalystMethod 10 ай бұрын

That was conjecture on my part, but my n=1 sample size bears it out. :) And we ran a short cohort study on women in my gym who weren't burning fat as quickly as they'd like, but had been doing CrossFit for a few years. 11 out of 12 lost weight (all bodyfat) when they dropped down to Zone 2 instead of Zone 4-5 three times/week. Of course, I love my bike, so my heart rate spikes when I see it in the garage! :)

@oongieboongie Жыл бұрын

I get so confused with Z2, some say it's 60-70% and others say 70-80%, but I feel like 65-74 is the most reasonable in terms of perceived effort for me

@benjapolcycling Жыл бұрын

Agree. But if you are Getting fitter, zone 2 limit probably go towards higher end.

@zacsborntorunrunningadvent3441 Жыл бұрын

Thats because its 60-70% heartrate reserve not technically 60-70% of max hr. Example my max hr is actually a measured 199. 60-70% of that = 118-139. However 60-70% heartrate reserve (Karvoven method) = 136-152 for me. This is much more realistic for me..espec with a 181bpm lt2.

@richardmiddleton7770 Жыл бұрын

I think most of the confusion comes when people are thinking in a 3 zone model when it's actually zone 2 out of 5-7 zones. I use the Mafetone method which is simply 180 minus your age, which for me, puts me right in the middle of my zone 2 based on cycling with a power meter and FTP testing.

@gerrysecure5874 Жыл бұрын

When you say percent, you must always say percent OF WHAT. Then you must see that the definition of Zone 2 upper boundary is where carb metabolism takes over which correlates with increasing breathing frequency and lactate rise. It is individual. So the heartrate percentages may be off for individual assessment. Either you have to measure it or you do the talk test. Barely be able to maintain a conversation speaking full sentences. Thats the upper bound.

@peacer2000able 11 ай бұрын

😅6a6am 😢1year

@Joe-wk9ow 9 ай бұрын

I like to do one day after a long workout in Zone 2. The day before I like to do about 15 minutes in zone 2 and about 30 minutes in zone 3 or higher. I'm aiming at getting to my zone 5 with my bike so I can do a proper maximum heart rate test. Right now I did the 220-age as I'm also trying to build stronger legs as well. I have been at it for about 2 months now. I don't live in a really hilly area so I have to rely on being able to push it. in the long run I want to get to a healthier weight. Is this a good strat?

@TheCatalystMethod 2 ай бұрын

Yes. I'm also in a hilly area. To get to a healthier weight, you want to do as much Z2 as possible, but if you're just starting out, you'll quickly exceed Z2 anyway. And that's ok - when this is new, almost anything works! Just keep going.

@brianr2941 11 ай бұрын

I do Jiu jitsu so I get a good amount of zone 3. Do you think it would be good for me to do zone 2 after my strength workouts every time?

@TheCatalystMethod 10 ай бұрын

Yes.

@Exalted_Example 10 ай бұрын

Would this zone be more beneficial if you're on keto and in a fasted state during your ride? Planning to do a Century this year after failing at 45 miles on July 31st due to cramping. Just keto for now to lose ~15 pounds, don't worry I'll be back on carbs before i try again.

@TheCatalystMethod 10 ай бұрын

Theoretically, you'd be better at using fats for energy if you train in Zone 2, so you should be better at using keto. However, I'd never try to do a Century on keto. There are going to be people who know someone who did a century on Keto, but most people shouldn't try to exclude a full metabolic pathway and expect to perform well.

@rz9wb 2 ай бұрын

Do we need to take carbs during a 2hr long run in zone2? Or is water or Gatorade enough? What about a protein shake after?

@Scuba0410 2 ай бұрын

Great videos thanks! Have a question when riding zone 2 for hours how much grams of carb (gr/bodyweight) should you eat in an hour?

@TheCatalystMethod 2 ай бұрын

That's hard to answer - it comes down to your bodyweight and composition. You need energy to move your mass, but we don't want to feed your fat storage. Great question. Have you had a body comp assessment done? I'd start with that, and then use something like MyFitnessPal to track your total caloric intake and protein requirements (Determined by your muscle mass).

@rz9wb 3 ай бұрын

Great information about touching zone3, does this follow the same for running too?

@TheCatalystMethod 2 ай бұрын

absolutely. Especially in the lower zones (2 and 3) your body doesn't know the difference between exercises. At higher levels, specificity matters. Part of this is the yin/yang of skill and effort. If you're really good at running, it's easier to control your heart rate (and stay in a lower zone). But if you're a cyclist who never runs, you'll have to go VERY slowly to stay in Zone 2, because you're not as efficient. Does that make sense?

@rz9wb 2 ай бұрын

@@TheCatalystMethod yes, thanks.

@Gref75 2 ай бұрын

Worth adding (sorry if you said that and I missed it) that you can do zone 2 with weight lifting BUT BEFORE, not after. Seems counter intuitive but remember that for zone 2 your heart needs to be calm at the start. Recovering from weight training in order to do zone2 takes so much time you'd need hours between those two workouts if done in the opposite order.

@TheCatalystMethod Ай бұрын

Kinda depends, but in general, I'd agree. The bodybuilders who are walking to the water fountain between every set are probably not elevating their heart rate much - but even longer sets will flip the carb switch. This is a good point many miss.

@moomoomayhem7527 Жыл бұрын

I constantly jump out of zone 2 while doing zone 2 training... I hit zone 3 and even 4 at times. I didn't know it shuts off fat burning. It so frustrating to maintain.

@guilaumemorin5844 10 ай бұрын

It doesnt really shut it completely, ultimatly, your calories spent need to be replenish so yull lose fat later on. And if you tend to jump out of zone 2, try to find an activity with controled effort for example a treadmill of ebike, this way you can easily control your HR and it's not depend of outside variable like wind or hills ;)

@guilaumemorin5844 10 ай бұрын

elliptical, stairs master etc will allow you to stay in Z2, also are you certain of your max HR or are you using the useless formula 220-age ?

@ljadf Жыл бұрын

I find that whenever anyone mentions zones, it always confuses people, myself included. Zones are all subjective, they're supposed to make it easier, but you can have for example "zone 2 training" in a 3 zone system meaning something similar to (but not exactly) zone 2-3 HR, which is in the ballpark of zone 2-4 power in a 7 zone system. Then you have LTHR, and HRR systems slightly different again. In this video it's important to know that the zones are based on your maximum heart rate, so you can either translate them to your chosen Garmin Connect (or other) heart rate system zones, or change to a 'max heart rate' system to avoid confusion.

@gerrysecure5874 Жыл бұрын

Thats why Coggan gave zones names like endurance, tempo, ... But whats so difficult to be clear and say zone 2 of seven ?

@TheCatalystMethod 10 ай бұрын

It's not actually subjective at all. But I agree that different coaches will refer to "zone 2 power" or "heart rate zone 2" without differentiating. That's why the video is titled "Heart Rate Zones and Training."

@gerrysecure5874 10 ай бұрын

Heartrate zones are very unreliable because HR depends on many external factors and does not reliably report internal metabolic state. For example my zone 2 HR normally ranges from 110-125, but my last alpine fondo I rode 5hrs straight at HR 140.. 148 because of high elevation and thin air, still being in zone 2 metabolically (its impossible to ride 5hrs straight in zone 3-4) but heart has to pump faster to deliver oxygen. Zones are not subjective but typically based on physiological markers. The problem is more that scientists and coaches invented different zone systems to make themselves a name and use same numbers for different zones.

@rollie5579 7 ай бұрын

Very hard to stay in zone 2 running outside when there are hills.

@boxedupchevystyle8244 Жыл бұрын

I'm doing Keto and have a carb intake of 10g and below daily. I do not have the carbs to burn regardless of which zone I operate in. How does Keto jogging affect the body?

@richardmiddleton7770 Жыл бұрын

You still have glycogen stores when keto.

@MichaelSmith-fg8xh 11 ай бұрын

Lol, for me it ended up with having to stop my bike ride to eat wild fruit on the side of the road to get enough energy and brain function to ride home. If you can't talk in full sentences you're doing too much exercise intensity for Keto... Dial it back to zone 2.

@TheCatalystMethod 2 ай бұрын

Keto and zone 2 work well together, but you can't burn ONLY fats when your heart rate rises higher. Unfortunately, your body starts a process called gluconeogenesis where it begins to burn up muscle tissue for energy. You're still burning some fats, but you just can't process them fast enough to meet your energy demands. Gluconeogenesis isn't efficient either, but you can do it faster than just fat metabolism. Unfortunately, this will wreak havoc on your metabolism long-term. Long-term keto studies usually center around cultures who have consistent low-level movement (or no movement).

@bflbflbfl Жыл бұрын

Dude 2:01 powerhouse, not battery pack 😂

@leeroyjeankins7781 Жыл бұрын

He flunked out of 6th grade biology because he was skipping class to do zone 2 runs

@catedoge3206 Жыл бұрын

@@leeroyjeankins7781 real

@zildjanzildjan1473 Жыл бұрын

Can u listing percentage from Z1 to Z5...

@richardmiddleton7770 Жыл бұрын

I think there are online calculators you can use based on your max HR but you need to do a few max HR tests to get an idea where your true max is. Most decent watches and head units that measure HR will tell you your zones aswell. Strava also tells you.

@erlendsteren9466 10 ай бұрын

I dont think we can make such a list because it is very much induvidual variances.

@nofadin 7 ай бұрын

Zone 2, if u mean lactate below 1.9mml/l, is higher than 65-75% of MAX HR. It is more at 75-85% or 70-80% of Max HR. Depend on the Individual. I guess u mean 65-75% of HeartRateReserve!

@kitman530 Жыл бұрын

What about staying in Zone2 while doing long runs in the heat? The heart rate will rise in heat, although my speed stays in Zone2. Should I reduce speed in order to stay in Zone2 Heart Rate at all costs? (which means walking in the worst case) or can I compute the conditions in and stay in my normal Zone2 pace, even if the heart rate rises to Zone 3 or 4?

@brycenneal3837 Жыл бұрын

Very good question. You need to stay in zone 2 even when your HR rises because of fatigue and heat. After each effort you complete you will recover and get better and more efficient!

@fredfeuerstein1922 Жыл бұрын

Zone is defined by your heartbeat. There is no zone pace😂

@kitman530 Жыл бұрын

@@fredfeuerstein1922 Zone2 Pace is the range of pace where your heartbeat is in zone2

@richardmiddleton7770 Жыл бұрын

Heart rate drift in heat is mostly due to dehydration. I would say try to stay hydrated (although it's difficult on long runs without stopping or carrying a huge Camel back), start at the lower end of your zone 2 and try to stay relaxed and calm which again is difficult as the long miles build! At some point though, a long run, no matter how easy, will get 'stressful' and your HR will rise.

@brycenneal3837 Жыл бұрын

@@richardmiddleton7770 yes that is a factor as well. Other factors include training volume, are you completely new to training or are you an experienced athlete? That will also affect how long you’ll be able to sustain zone 2 pace. Other factors include Heat, Elevation, and how acclimated you’re body is to the training volume 🤙

@hikerJohn 11 ай бұрын

People don't seem to understand that zone 3 & 4 are also a fat burning zone if you are in ketosis and keto adapted. If you have very little glycogen and never eat carbs all you can do is burn fat. You cannot burn it as fast as glycogen but you dont need to for endurance training.

@TheCatalystMethod 10 ай бұрын

Unfortunately, most people who try to exercise at a higher heart rate while on keto just trigger gluconeogenesis (breakdown of muscle tissue for energy.) It's not as simple as "I only eat fat so I only burn fat".

@calokie5567 Ай бұрын

After about 2 hours of cycling with 50% zone 2 training and 30% zone 3, upon finishing and then relaxing (after shower etc 30 min later) I get very dizzy if I stand up almost like I’ll pass out, do I need to eat immediately after my ride ? If so is my body looking for carbs or sugar?

@TheCatalystMethod Ай бұрын

Probably. If your need for blood sugar exceeds supply, you'll have a dip of low blood sugar while your body catches up. No worries - it's probably time for a meal (2.5 hours since the start of exercise, and probably a few hours before that since eating.) Right?

@calokie5567 Ай бұрын

@@TheCatalystMethod Yes Meal was prior to riding Thanks!

@mathewrose2951 11 ай бұрын

As a cyclist, I frontload intensity in my rides so that I can spin out and build endurance by staying in Z2 afterwards.

@erlendsteren9466 10 ай бұрын

If I understood dr Inigo San Milan right, the problem with going zone two after higher intensity is that it takes a long time before the mitocondries adjust to fatburning. I think he said 30 minutes. Not sure. If thats true the first 30 minutes after an hard effort will burn mostly carbohydrates and not so much fat as if you had been mostly in zone 1 and 2 in the beginning. I sometimes do it your way, because its fun to push hard early. But that takes away a lot of power in the final two hours. I like to do different strategies, and let my training be guided by whats fun . Because I think to have fun is good for keeping up long term. And because fun is fun :)

@TheCatalystMethod 10 ай бұрын

You're better off to start with a block of Zone 2 and then do your Zone 3 work. Once you flip the carb switch, it's hard to go back. The comment below explains why.

@martinunger3330 11 ай бұрын

👍👍👍👍

@jeppefrost95 Жыл бұрын

Depends on your max heart rate...

@TheCatalystMethod 10 ай бұрын

Yes, that's why it's a percentage instead of an integer.

@jeppefrost95 10 ай бұрын

Sorry, i think i meant to comment on someone else's comment asking for specific numbers. @@TheCatalystMethod

@cheenangng4050 4 ай бұрын

60-70, 70-80. 65-75......which one?

@Jessewatt Жыл бұрын

My fitness is poor. I get zone 3-5 very easily even though I just cycling not very fast or sprint at all for likely 10 minutes my heart rate is going up to zone 4 already 😵

@electrodynamicorb6548 Жыл бұрын

It takes time. Just practice regularly. You got this!

@Jessewatt 11 ай бұрын

@@electrodynamicorb6548 Thanks , I’m gonna keep practicing and looking forward for the better result. Just not sure if my heart rate is even normal for easy work out but get that high.

@MichaelSmith-fg8xh 11 ай бұрын

It's super easy to overshoot intensity in cycling... My tricks: 1) Put in headphones and call someone while you ride. Back it off if you can't do full sentences. 2) Just enjoy the ride.. I listen to books and/or look at rabbits, rivers, butts of other cyclists etc 3) If you're riding up hill, drop a lot of gears to keep the effort pleasant 4) Make the bike efficient (fit easy rolling tyres, clean/grease the chain/gears, pump tyres up) so it's not so hard to peddle. This doesn't have to be expensive.

@Jessewatt 10 ай бұрын

@@MichaelSmith-fg8xhthank you for these tips !

@SuperAwesomedude20 Жыл бұрын

Can you dance for zone 2?

@llkg9 Жыл бұрын

I hope we get an answer to this! I love to dance but so far can't stay in Zone 2 when dancing.

@SuperAwesomedude20 Жыл бұрын

@@llkg9 i feel like if i make a commitment to freestyle without opening the air passage of my mouth for 30 ish min, i feel similar to being in zone 2

@xtrailz Жыл бұрын

You can dance if we want to, you can leave your friends behind, Cause your friends dont dance, And if they dont dance, Well they're no friends of mine

@KM-my9zy 10 ай бұрын

What's confusing is that my zone 2 heart rate should be between 132bpm - 144bpm (maximum heart rate 181 bpm). If I am cycling at 140 bpm, that will be at 78%. Based on your zones, 78% is considered zone 3. Do I follow my zone 2 heart rate at 140 bpm? or 70% of my maximum heart rate which will be 127 bpm?

@TheCatalystMethod 10 ай бұрын

follow your max. There's a video on our channel that tells you how to calculate.

@taquilo Жыл бұрын

Darn. That’s how I developed the type 2 diabetes!

@erlendsteren9466 Жыл бұрын

You might get rid of that diabetes with 4 hours a week in zone 2, your mucles will handle the insulin better, you get stronger, and you loose weight. I prefer bicycleriding, because its fun and it allows many hours training without to much impact on the knees.

@davidduncan1362 Жыл бұрын

"Zone 2 is at least 65% of your maximum heart rate and less than 65% is zone 1." Are you sure those numbers are right? I am asking because this gentleman seems to leave out our various resting heart rates. These seem like ball park numbers for me, personally, since I am more active than a lot of people, but according to somebody whose resting heart rate is 100 BPM and whose max heart rate is 160 BPM, zone 2 would still be 104 BPM and that would mean that the said person would barely walk and already be in zone 2. That makes no sense.

@erlendsteren9466 Жыл бұрын

I had a lactate and vo2 test to pinpoint the zones. My zone 2 is very high because of high treshold (78%) I am 61 years old with pulse from 36 to 180 and my zone 2 was set to 129-147. I do not agree with these settings every day. Sometimes i breathe so heavy at 145 pulse, that I wonder if its zone 3. Zone 2 shal be so slow that you can easily talk when beeing there.

@richardmiddleton7770 Жыл бұрын

I think if your resting HR is 100 you need to see a doctor! Also it's doubtful that the same person has a max of 160. Unless they are extremely old and frail, in which case they probably haven't got long left anyway to worry about zone 2 training!

@davidduncan1362 11 ай бұрын

@richardmiddleton7770: The point I am trying to make is that we are all different, based on our heart rates. If your heart always beats between 100 and 200 BPM and this uploader keeps telling you that zone 2 is between 65% and less than 75% of your maximum heart rate, then by his logic, you still only need between 30 and 49 extra beats per minute to be in zone 2. This can be done, just walking. If you are using 60% to 70% of your heart rate reserves, that zone will put you between 160 BPM and 170 BPM if you pool is between 100 BPM and 200 BPM and you might be running slow, here. It would also be nice to seek a doctor's expert advice on this and I would recommend that you stay in these lower zones (preferably in zone 2) until you get your resting heart rate to come down.

@TheCatalystMethod 10 ай бұрын

You should do a metabolic test. The numbers I shared are averages. Obviously an individual test will be more accurate than a general recommendation.@@davidduncan1362

@kellyfutrell6832 Жыл бұрын

A lot of informational output that doesn't give a simple, what heart rate is zone 2. Give a freaking number instead of bragging about how much you know.

@TheCatalystMethod 10 ай бұрын

It's a percentage. It's different for every freaking person. :) Look for the 'determining your heart rate zones' video on our channel.

@jean-paullanglois5452 8 ай бұрын

The only good way to calculate a % heart rate, is with Karvonen, because to me with the direct proportionnal method 50% is 80bpm, witch anybody would agree, make no sense !