Sometimes, as is the case with Zone 2 cardio, exercise can turn out to be easier than you think. For most of us, it doesn't happen often – the phenomenon of finding a workout easy is usually reserved for elite athletes at their child's sports day or tech entrepreneurs on their LinkedIn profiles. The latest Zone 2 workout buzz, however, is music to fitness-adjacent ears everywhere.
As a professional procrastinator and all-round top-level fitness shirker, the idea of a low-intensity workout that still manages to improve your general health, help you lose weight and shave some time off your (imaginary or otherwise) 10k PB sounded too good to be true. I needed the unadulterated truth. Luckily, GQ has a fitness contacts list so large it makes Team GB's Paris 2024 preparations look like a fun run.
In order to get to the bottom of the new fad that's actually been around forever, I took to the phonebook and called in expert opinion from across the fitness world, from endurance coaches to qualified personal trainers – and probably managed to fit in a Zone 2 workout doing so.
What is Zone 2 cardio?
Zone 2 cardio might sound like something made up by your smartwatch to force you into ‘hustle mode’, but it actually means a low-intensity workout. Your heart rate can be neatly fit into five zones, with varying effects on the body, including which primary fuel source you burn.
Martin Sharp, fitness coach and award-winning personal trainer, goes into more detail. “Zone 2 training is concentrating on keeping your heart rate and muscular response in the weight management zone – what some people call your fat-burning zone,” says Sharp. “This is where during your aerobic workout, your body will be creating ATP (Adenosine Triphosphate) by combining glucose with oxygen. The glucose can be provided from body fat or carbohydrate sources.”
Zone 2 is the lowest intensity heart rate zone that can still be considered exercise – imagine going for a jog while still being able to hold a conversation with your running buddy. “Zone 2 training is the lowest intensity zone aside from recovery and is used as a gentle place to build or maintain cardiovascular endurance, as well as burn fat,” says Alex Legezynski, founder of West London Personal Training. “Zone 2 training can be any aerobic activity that puts your heart rate into this zone.” It's in that zone – around 60-70 per cent of your maximum heart rate – that your body primarily burns fat.
How to calculate your max heart rate
There are a couple of ways to get a close estimation of your max heart rate. You can undertake a more accurate max effort fitness test at the gym with a trainer, which will usually record your VO2 max (the maximum amount of oxygen you can make use of during intense exercise) and performances on the treadmill or bike.
If you don't have a trainer to hand, there are a few different ways to get a rough number. Many of the experts we asked plump for one of two ways:
- Subtract your age from 220 – to work in Zone 2 at the age of 30, for instance, you're looking for 60-70 per cent of a max heart rate of 190bpm, which comes out at between 114bpm and 133bpm.
- The Maffetone method, which actually calculates the upper threshold of your Zone 2 training by subtracting your age from 180 - for the same 30-year-old, that would be an upper limit of 150. (Some trainers then add or subtract 5, depending on a client's general state of health and fitness.)
Zone 2 cardio benefits
Zone 2 training can bring major benefits to your overall health. “It has the ability to make our heart stronger and benefit our vascular system by delivering oxygenated blood to different parts of our body,” says Faisal Abdalla, fitness trainer for audio-led fitness app WithU. “It can also have other benefits such as improving our recovery, aerobic abilities, and insulin sensitivity.”
Helen O'Leary, physiotherapist and clinical director at Complete Pilates, sees Zone 2 training as a useful companion to the more intense aspects of exercise. “The benefits of working out at a Zone 2 heart rate is that it is suitable for recovery from more high-intensity exercise – you are putting less strain on your musculoskeletal system at this level of workout,” says O'Leary. “You also are less likely to overtrain – which can lead to fatigue and injuries – if you mix up Zone 2 training sessions with your more taxing workouts.”
While more intense exercise provides a wealth of benefits, low-intensity workouts like Zone 2 training can act as an unsung hero for general health. “It relies on aerobic rather than anaerobic training. This strengthens your cardiovascular system and makes it more efficient,” continues O'Leary. “This is really important for metabolic health – reducing lifestyle diseases such as obesity, heart disease and type II diabetes.”
“Zone 2 training has a huge number of benefits, such as increasing cardiac output, lowering our resting heart rate and higher VO2 max values,” says Mitch Raynsford, strength and conditioning coach at Game Changer Performance. “Scientifically, this lower zone will also lead to improved mitochondrial growth, improving fat utilisation during exercise and allowing the body to preserve glycogen to be used later during more intense periods of a race.”
Low-intensity exercise is also great for the mind. “It helps reduce stress and anxiety enabling an endorphin release, which is the ‘feel good’ hormone,” says Sam Shaw, personal trainer at Lemon Studios, “so you experience that ‘buzz’ when training. If you are swimming or cycling then it’s also lower impact, which is less stress on the body.”
Is Zone 2 cardio good for fat loss?
Yes, but only as part of a wider fitness and nutrition routine. When in Zone 2, your body leaps on fat as its primary fuel source, rather than carbohydrates. This means that you're burning more of your calories from stored fat, which can lead to a slimmer waistline.
Zone 2 training should, however, be seen as only one aspect of your fitness regime. “In an effort for a more toned physique, Zone 2 cardio is often the first thing people resort to. It’s fantastic for fat burning, but resistance training is an important complementary exercise if you’re trying to achieve a more sculpted physique,” says Legezynski. “If you have more muscle mass, the results of your Zone 2 cardio will present themselves more quickly.”
“It's important to note that weight loss and fat loss are not the same thing,” adds personal trainer Jacqui Ward. “While Zone 2 cardio can help you burn calories and fat, it's also important to create a calorie deficit through a combination of diet and exercise in order to lose weight.
“Strength training is an important component of any fat loss program, as it helps build lean muscle mass, which can increase your metabolism and help you burn more calories at rest. Aim to incorporate both Zone 2 cardio and strength training into your fitness routine for optimal fat loss results.”
Endurance athlete and personal trainer Steve Doidge-Harrison goes further, calling the idea that Zone 2 is best for fat loss “one of the biggest myths in fitness!
“It’s not the best. You may be burning a greater proportion of fat as fuel; you will burn relatively fewer calories because your training intensity is lower. And when it comes to fat loss and exercise, it’s the number of calories burnt that is the key.”
Is Zone 2 training right for you?
If you're looking to improve your overall fitness, then Zone 2 can form a solid cornerstone of that goal. However, it shouldn't be seen as the be-all and end-all of your exercise. Endurance athlete and fitness coach Paul Warloski offers a word of caution: “It all depends on the goals. If you are simply interested in losing weight or getting fitter, I would say take the dog for a walk and enjoy the weather. Then do the strength training and HIIT.
“I often use a 3-2-1 approach for clients who just want to be more fit (which usually means they want to lose weight): 3 strength training sessions a week – lifting heavy things; 2 HIIT sessions a week – short, seriously hard interval work; and 1 easy endurance session, where you are breathing sort of hard but can still have a discussion with anyone about anything but politics and religion.”
Zone 2 workouts
These workouts from Ashley Reece, gym owner and online coach at FuseFit, are a simple way to start pressure-free Zone 2 training. Aim for a 30-60 minute workout, or 20 minutes as a beginner, using bodyweight exercises, cardio machines, or running.
When I think of trying to train clients in Zone 2, I'm ensuring they can hold a conversation with me.
- 200m Row
- 20 Bodyweight Lunges
- 20 Press Ups
- 200m Row
- 20 Squats
- 20 TRX Rows
Think about controlling your breathing throughout all the movements.
- Calories bike/row/ski
- Farmer's walks
- Calories bike/row/ski
- Plank
Set a target on the cardio that you can easily hit in 40 seconds without having to go hard – you should also be able to walk straight into your next exercise.
