It seems like everybody's in a run club these days, so it’s no surprise that Zone 2 training, once used primarily by serious athletes, has become the go-to workout of the moment. “This has been the staple of endurance sports for close to a hundred years," says Scott Johnson, coach at Evoke Endurance and co-author of Training for the Uphill Athlete. “I just think it got lost. Twenty years ago, the pendulum swung really hard to high intensity interval type training—HIIT—which was kind of popularized by CrossFit. Now we're seeing the pendulum has swung back in the other direction more towards the more traditional aerobic base training.”
For those of us who grew up thinking that exercise meant pushing our limits, easy training in Zone 2 can feel strange—despite the fact that it’s actually really good for us. Also: saying you’re going out for a Zone 2 workout versus actually doing it? That’s a different story. Ego can get in the way, and people tend to push a little too hard. Here’s how to really dial it in.
Understand What Zone 2 Feels Like
Training with heart rate divides your cardio workouts into (usually) five different zones of intensity: Zone 5 is all-out, while Zone 1 is barely more strenuous than sitting on the couch. Zone 2 is just a bit harder than that. If you’re new to Zone 2 training, working at this low intensity might feel almost too easy. You might wonder: Is this actually doing anything for me?
That’s exactly how it should feel. “It's an easy pace—you can have a full-sentence conversation while you're doing it,” says Channing Muller, a Chicago-based certified running coach. If you’re struggling to get more than a few words out without catching your breath, you’re going way too fast.
Zone 2 might seem paradoxical—you have to run slow to eventually run fast. But training at a lower intensity actually helps you build a stronger aerobic base. If your goal is to improve your aerobic threshold, the point at which your blood lactate starts to rise and your body starts to rely on anaerobic energy sources, “the only way you can do it is to gently nudge it from below,” says Johnson. “You cannot drag it from above.”
Use an Accurate Heart Rate Monitor
When I started Zone 2 training, I was using an old Apple watch with a wrist heart rate monitor; my heart rate would jump to 165 as soon as I picked up my pace from a walk to a run. When I took my pulse manually, it was actually 20 beats per minute lower than my watch suggested. Lesson learned: Use an accurate
fitness tracker. While wrist-based heart rate monitors are common and convenient, their accuracy can vary between brands, models, and even how they fit. For the most reliable readings, consider using a chest strap.
To properly train Zone 2, you need to know your
heart rate zones. A lab test will give the most accurate results, and your device might take a guess, but the simplest way to estimate your Zone 2 heart rate range is by using a formula. One common method is to determine your maximum heart rate (220 minus your age), then calculate 60 to 70 percent of that number—that’s your aerobic threshold, the very top of your Zone 2 range. Another popular method is the MAF formula, developed by Phil Maffetone, which suggests subtracting your age from 180. Both of these formulas can give you a general idea, but they don’t account for many individual nuances.
For a more accessible, free option, you can perform a heart rate drift test on a treadmill. “We have the athlete run at what they think should be an easy aerobic effort for them and they find a speed that allows their heart rate to stabilize,” says Johnson. Let’s say your heart rate stabilizes at 140 beats per minute. “We want the heart rate to drift up no more than five percent in an hour."
This means at the end of the hour, your heart rate should have climbed no higher than 147. If you end at 150 (more than five percent), you should perform the test again, starting at a lower pace. When you find that number that allows you to run for an hour without drifting too high, that's the top of your Zone 2 range.
Take It Easy
When it comes to actually executing a Zone 2 workout, many of us find it challenging to keep our heart rate low enough. It’s tempting to speed up, but sticking in Zone 2 requires shifting your mindset to one that prioritizes long-term gains over short-term satisfaction.
Zone 2 is popular among runners, but it's very possible that, especially for beginners, any running pace will push your heart rate too high. Run/walk intervals are a good solution here, but it's possible to do a Zone 2 workout with any aerobic activity: swimming, rowing, even the elliptical. Cycling is an excellent alternative to build your cardiovascular endurance so that running in Zone 2 can eventually become possible. Keep in mind, however, that these skills aren’t entirely transferable. “Running places so much more pressure and impact that your joints and your muscles don't respond the same way,” says Mullen.
Listen to Your Body—Not Your Ego
The main reason people don’t actually stick with Zone 2 running? They simply push too hard because they’re attached to maintaining a specific pace, or they’re training with people who run faster than them. It can be such a blow to the ego that it's a
meme. If you need to, set your watch so it only shows your heart rate, not your pace—you don’t need to know that until the end of your run.
And hey—if you need to title your
Strava activity “Zone 2 Training” so all of your followers know what's up, we won’t blame you. —
Hannah Singleton
