The Ultimate Guide to Zone 2 for Health,
Longevity, & Performance
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What we’re going to cover:
1. Metabolic health & performance
2. The big picture of heart rate training
3. All about zone 2 cardio
4. Practical programming
5. Q&A
Fats Proteins
Nucleic
Carbs
acids
CATABOLIC ANABOLIC
Fatty Amino
acids acids
Nucleo
Glucose
tides
"The capacity of your body's biological systems to regulate
your internal environment (homeostasis) to sustain life and
adapt to your environment"
Stress is the anything from the external environment that
has a direct impact (response) on your internal physiology:
▪ Environmental – heat, cold, sun, pollution, noise, pathogens
▪ Physical – activity, training, working, etc.
▪ Mental – work, family, financial, social media
▪ Nutritional –food, alcohol, stimulants, hydration
Our risk of developing a major disease increases
It takes longer to recover from everything:
▪ Workouts
▪ Illness
▪ Injuries
▪ Alcohol
▪ Travel (Jetlag)
We lose muscle mass, endurance, strength, while
adding body fat more easily
We get sick more often, and for longer
Research on centenarians suggests that the
association between genetics and longevity is
relatively modest until we surpass 90 years old
25% of living to 90
50% of living to 100
75% of living to 106
In the US, only 16% of men and 35% of women live
to be 90 and the average life expectancy is 78
Metabolism is about much more than just how
many calories you burn in a day.
Aging is marked by a decline in metabolic function
and loss of adaptability, but you have a lot of
control of how quickly that happens.
One of the main reasons training and fitness
improve health and longevity is because they build
metabolic resilience and slow the aging process.
Weightlifting, Powerlifting
Track & Field – Shot, Discus, Jumps
Short sprints, 100m, 200m, 400m
Football, Rugby, Soccer, Hockey, Combat sports
Endurance sports
3:26
1:40.91
49.24s
19.9s
Energy System Interaction and Relative
Contribution During Maximal Exercise
The aerobic system can produce ATP using different energy sources:
ACSM Polar Fitbit
Cycling
Pelaton
Static %'s of max HR
Pros: Pros:
▪ Easy to understand ▪ Derived from physiological data
▪ Common across many devices ▪ Individualized
▪ Minimal testing required ▪ Measurable improvements
Cons: Cons:
▪ Intensity is not linear ▪ Time, expense, and effort to test
▪ Not individualized/inaccurate ▪ Varied accuracy depending on lab
▪ Does not change with fitness ▪ Testing is only a snapshot
"The level of intensity at which power output is mainly
generated by slow-twitch muscle fibers using fat as their
primary fuel source. This intensity can be sustained for long
durations without significant fatigue."
From: Association of Cardiorespiratory Fitness
With Long-term Mortality Among Adults
Undergoing Exercise Treadmill Testing
Figure Legend:
Patient Survival by Performance GroupLog-rank P < .001 for all groups, except elite vs high performers (log-rank P = .002).
Performance group classifications by cardiorespiratory fitness are defined in Table 2.
Markers of inflammation are inversely associated with
V̇O2 max in asymptomatic men
Components of Aerobic Energy Production (fig. 9)
Oxygen Supply Oxygen Utilization Substrate Availability
Number and Efficiency of
Cardiac Output size of slow aerobic energy
twitch fibers production
Peripheral Oxidative Substrate
Vascular abilities of fast storage
Network twitch fibers capacity
Respiratory Aerobic Hormonal
System enzymes regulation
Aerobic Power Aerobic Capacity
Mitochondria are linked to almost every area of aging
due to their central role as a mediator of the stress
response
Aerobic training improves both the number of
mitochondria, as well as their function – upregulated
MQQ and autophagy
Aerobic training also leads to increases expression of
"longevity genes" through NAMPT and other related
proteins
Zhou, Ben & Conlee, Robert & Jensen, Robert & Fellingham, Gilbert & George, James &
Fisher, A.. (2001). Stroke volume does not plateau during graded exercise in elite male
distance runners. Medicine and science in sports and exercise.
Zone 2 cardio is a tool to improve the aerobic system through
increases in both mitochondrial number and function, as well as
central cardiovascular changes
Functional changes in aerobic fitness drive a healthier
metabolism that supports greater adaptability, reduced likelihood
of disability and disease, and greater mobility with age
Instead of thinking about zone 2 purely as a static heart rate
range, it's more accurate to define it by the desired underlying
physiological state
How do you know if you're in zone 2?
How much should you do, and how often?
Does it matter what exercise(s) you use?
How do I know if you're improving?
Where does it fit into your programming?
"The level of intensity at which power output is mainly generated by slow-
twitch muscle fibers using fat as their primary fuel source. This intensity
can be sustained for long durations without significant fatigue
A wide range of variables acutely impact the metabolic cost of power output
Fatigue/recovery/readiness
Previous training
Dietary composition
Pre-workout nutrition / stimulants
Temperature
Mental stress
Sleep
Maintain a pace where you would be able to
carry on a conversation without having to
constantly pause to catch your breath
▪ Easiest method and generally corresponds well
to zone 2 range
▪ Can/should be used even if other testing
methods are
AT / VT1 VO2 max
ANT /
VT2
Incremental work stages while measuring
blood lactate, typically through finger or ear
Provides overview of increase in
carbohydrate utilization as intensity
increases
Specific to exercise being tested
In conclusion, the fat oxidation rate of endurance trained
cyclists shows no difference between 1-h constant load
exercise bouts at about 50–70 % VO 2max
Three dynamic heart rate zones, low/mod/high, that
shift daily based on HRV, recovery, previous training,
fitness level, etc.
Zones baselines based on estimated/predicted
AT & ANT based on fitness level
12 built-in training methods, including Zone 2,
that can be selected during workouts
Weekly volume depends on fitness level, goal,
practical limitations, etc.
Morpheus data showed people that improved
aerobic fitness over 12 weeks averaged:
▪ Low 200-300 min
▪ Mod 40-50 min
▪ High 11-14 min
More is NOT better if you can't recover from it
Duration (how long each workout) and frequency (how
many times per week), are both hugely important
Greater duration provides stronger stimulus to improve
metabolic efficiency
▪ 30 min – 90 min per workout
▪ Should be as continuous as possible
Aerobic system generally requires minimum of 3x week to
improve. 4-6 total weekly bouts of aerobic work is better
Exercise selection dictates which muscle fibers and
movement patterns get developed through training
Cyclic exercises such as running, cycling, rowing, swimming,
etc., are the easiest for controlling pace and power output
Sport-specific exercises and movements can be used
effectively – shadow boxing for boxing/combat sports
For general health, variety of exercises is valuable, and
circuits can be used
• Primarily slow twitch fibers • Fast and slow twitch fibers
• Predominantly oxidative • Predominantly glycolytic
• Majority of fuel from fat • Fuel from glucose and stored ATP/PC
• Low to moderate blood pressure • High blood pressure
• Continuous moderate power output • Intermittent high level of power output
Increased aerobic fitness can be seen in a variety of
testing and in-workout metrics:
Lower average resting HR
Higher average HRV
Increased speed/power in zone 2
Lower lactate levels at a given speed/power
Higher VO2 max
Faster heart rate recovery
The higher the volume of zone 2 you do, the more
effective it becomes to do it as its own workout
If mixed with strength training in a workout in
moderate volumes, it can be done before or after
Roughly 80% of your total aerobic training should
be lower intensity methods, 20% moderate to high
Fasted and/or glycogen depleted zone 2 may
have additional impact on stimulating
mitochondrial function
Deliberately varying power output/HR within zone
2 can help improve pacing and energy control
Most effective supplements I've found to increase
mitochondrial function: L-carnitine (injectable) &
MOTS-C – requires healthcare practitioner
