What percentage of your weekly training is done in zone 2? Drop a comment below to let us know... ...Also be sure to join our upcoming free workshop that will help you run faster: coachparry.com/udtk-Workshop
Do you have anything to improve speed in sports like basketball, ball hockey, soccer, etc? I'm never gassed at the end of a game, but I'm embarrassingly slow.
While I was out of a training block and just running to increase fitness, I actually tracked this. I was about 73% in z2. I was doing 1 speed/hill repeat type workout a week, so i'd have to assume during a block my Z2 training is way less (closer to 60%). I'm 45 for what its worth. I will add that a buddy of mine who does Ultra's said to me the other day that its almost just as important to get "time on feet". He told me he hadn't done a speed session in years. But I guess when you are running 30+ miles for a race a speed session is less important that being able to cover the distance. But he said something interesting... Even though a ton of what he does is slow running, it still allows him to dig into his speed for when he needs to chase or catch someone in a race. Very interesting stuff
S@@skaldlouiscyphre2453 Spend some more time in structured sprinting training and some more time in mobility and yoga exercises. Regularity first, over the the period of 2 years will will give surely abundance of progress. Just leave always a few reps in reserve to keep fresh and injury free
As a physio since 1992, I tell all my over 50 exercisers to stay in z2, as you avoid injury at that pace. Add 1-2 sprint sessions a week and a couple of calisthenics sessions a week and you’re good to go. Most over-50 people who exercise in z3 are about to get hurt. I see them all the time in my practice. They’re great for my business, but they’re ruining their bodies.
Injuries are a very big concern. Over the age of 50 injuries become increasingly probable. Recovery from injuries for senior athletes takes longer. The focus for over 50 is healthspan - living a quality life.
@@dennisbrinkley8613 I think of the "more likely to become injured as you age" question like this. When you're exercising appropriately, you have about the same likelihood of injury between 50-80 as you did between 20-50. What changes as you age seems to be your body's tolerance for stupidity...for in-appropriate exercise. That "stupidity tolerance" seems to decline with maturity. I tell my patients that when you're 30, life is an 8-lane highway with guard rails on both sides. You can drive erratically without going off the road. But at 80, life is a single lane road without guardrails. If you remain on the "straight and narrow", you're fine. But deviation of that path is soon punished. The disciplined athlete who is reliable in their exercise program is the one I rarely see in my clinic.
@@twrkhanasparukh Good for you. You'll have a healthier body and a more-regular exercise regimen doing things that way. Who doesn't want to have more energy and better brain functioning at any age?
I don’t understand this. No coach or training regime I’m familiar with ever says “only train in zone 2”. They almost all say “80/20” and this is what the video concludes here. Seems a bit of a hype headline imho…
There is one thing most fitness UA-camrs forget to tell us: if you start from zero, it will take months to notice any progress. For me, it took eight months of consistent training and heart rate tracking to see improvement. This improvement was very subtle; basically, my heart rate dropped 3-4 beats for the same pace. Only after eight months did progress become much faster.
For absolut beginners the heartrate is all over the place for the first view months. Your heart might not be used to beating fast, so your max heartrate or your comfort at high heartrate will improve. Likewise your metabolism gets dusted so your heartrate goes down for that. And your muscles don't know how to deal with speed, wind, heat, incline etc. so the power you need varies quite a bit.
@barrick4807 xD well carry 15lbs extra and compare. Jokes aside thats a great, and already has a hughe impact on how much your body needs to work for a certain speed or distance.
@@MrHaggyyyou know... I consider myself a reasonably smart person, but your comment turned on a light bulb, and now I feel like an idiot. 😂 I beat myself up all the time about how much slower I am compared to 10-15 years ago, specifically in regards to zone 2 training... never taking into account I'm 10-15 lbs heavier. 😂
There are two areas of disagreement among coaches I'd love to see addressed: 1. Zone 2 definition via % of max HR, vs. %HRR (heart rate reserve aka Karvonen method), and % of lactate threshold, all three of which produce different values from lowest to highest respectively. 2. How much of the 20% hard running should be in Zone 3, 4, and 5. GTN (Global Triathlon Network) and Mottiv in some videos seem to suggest that you should continue the pyramid -- for example 10% z3, 6% z4, 4% z5. Coach Parry and Run Elite seem to say go mostly VO2max z5 and only go to z3 and/or z4 closer to race day. What's best? Bonus question: GTN says to go ahead and train at higher BPM in the heat (i.e. your zone 2 HR goes up by 5 bpm as an example) when everyone else says run slower. RPE-wise and talk-test-wise I feel the former (go ahead with higher HR) is correct. Is it?
I understand that this video that I very much like are advices for runners, but a lot of it is also true for bikers that wants to gain fitness and endurance and lose weight. For us heavy bikers there are one zone that is underestimated, and that is zone 1. Zone 1 training makes it possible to go long and be able to train also the next day. I believe in my training regime that is all over the zones. I average 7,5 hours biking a week and is 62 years old. On big days I go more than 2,5 hours and those hours might be 45 minutes zone 1, 75 minutes zone 2, 30 minutes zone 3-5. I often try to do the zone 3-5 after biking more than an hour to allow staying fresh in a big zone 2 chunk in the beginning. Next day might be an easy day, 2x45 minutes zone 1 and 2 biking to and from work. Another day I might try to go full power to work and go slow home from work.
Researchers who promote 80/20 training, particularly Dr. Stephen Seiler who coined the term "polarized training", usually say you should do 80% of your SESSIONS in zone 2, not 80% of your duration. If you run 5 days per week, just 1 of them should be a workout (effort in zones 3-5), but that includes warm up and cool down, so you'll likely spend a decent bit less than 20% of your total training duration (in hours) in zones 3-5. Trying to get a full hour of Z4/Z5 effort in a 5 hour training week would be a great deal of stress for most people training at that level.
Тренирусь пять дней в неделю. Бегаю каждый день 10-12 км в зоне 2. И один день 10 км в зоне 4. За четыре месяца время с 1 часа 17 минут, упало до 50 минут на 10км. Сегодня, пульс резко со 170 опустился до 120 и осталься там последнии три километра забега.
Running too much at slower than 10k race pace (or threshold pace) allows your mitochondria to get away with burning mostly fat as a fuel. There is current research being done to determine if the mitochondria starts burning carbs exclusively under threshold pace. Training for the 10k seems to be the in-between distance, but do more zone 2 to properly train for 15k and over, and do much more running under threshold pace (10k race pace) if you are training for anything under a 10k. Burning carbs in the mitochondria is aerobic. Anaerobic glycolysis occurs in cytosol of the cell, not in the mitochondria.
My zone 2 story. I've been cycling for 3 months now and fallen in love. I pushed myself too hard in the beginning and popped a blood vessel in my eye... so I looked into training methods and found zone 2. About 45 days ago I began riding 5+ days a week doing strictly zone 2. I noticed more muscle growth in this 45 days than the 45 days prior and more speed gains on my computer. I've graduated to a higher gear on avg, but am now hitting a wall. I feel it's now hard for me to push out of zone 2, I used to come out of zone 2 @ 13mph, now it's 15mph, and much more leg strain to get my heart going. It's good in general but bad for training. I need to do 2 days a week @ a higher zone, but am having difficulty. I also just switched from evening rides to morning rides and it feels like my legs are asleep the 1st 8 miles. I'm letting the transition happen for now before pushing my zones. Baby steps!
I'm a 57 year old cyclist and the only time I do any work in Z2 is a recovery ride once a week. I use a trainer for all my training. Sprints ,Threshold and Tempo work makes up 80,%of my training, and because I'm a cyclist do not get injured doing this higher intensity work. RHR of 34 when it's cool.
As a 63 year old ex multisport athlete, I can confirm that cycling is injury free for me, whilst weight bearing sports are virtually impossible for me now. And I am not overweight. 5’11 82 kg. On the bike , my performance (measured by Sunto and Garmin data over the last 20 years, has not changed much . Especially in the last 10 years. The data doesn’t lie. I am now doing more zone 2 (which I hardly ever did before) because I know that it’s time to back off a little , especially on the climbs if I want to live. That said , i have told all my family, if I die on the bike on a climb, to rejoice. I don’t want to die in a hospital or old people’s home. I want to be at one with nature. I have no trouble in zone 3 and 4 where most of my rides are split 60/40. But as I have backed off a little and introduced a zone 2 every week, I have started to appreciate and enjoy it now. Just more time to look around and appreciate the nature and ride for longer. Certainly good for base endurance and weight loss. I am only a resting 42 -48 , but most medical professionals are impressed by that. Hasn’t really changed in 40 years.
Mixing up the sessions is not only more interesting, it also makes a big difference in performance gains. A couple of years ago I just did Z2 runs, now I do 1xZ1 (recovery) each week, 1 interval or fast session, and the rest of the runs, including 1 long run, in Z2.
I love training in Z2! I'm 44 and I've had nasty tendinopathies from training errors so its niceto just take it easy. Now when I do the hard speed or hill work 1x weekly, I'm totally ready for it.
I run outside most of the year, so I’m ALWAYS popping into z3 when I hear a fantastic song and then stopping to say hello to a neighbor and dropping down into z1. I found this video to be the least useful in execution of just about any that you’ve done. It needed a different script. The 2 people doing it are lovely chaps. But one would try to introduce the topic while the boss would shoot it down and talk about something else. This needed to be a presentation of what CP believe, not a debate. It’s really hard to do “nuance” on video. You all are truly intelligent people. Just stick to the science. Stay away from clickbait.
What's your opinion about MAF method - Phil Maffetone claims, that we should be running in "loooow zone 2" ONLY during the aerobic base building period.
I did this for 3 months over the winter. It "fixed" my asthma and allowed me to cover more miles completely injury free... it also trashed my form and added almost 3 minutes a mile to my pace, even after adding strides back in! If it weren't for the asthma component, I'd still be kicking myself for it.
Zone 3 gets the bad reputation but in reality, Zone 2 is a no man's land. It cannot be the best of all things for amateurs. Zone 2 is ideally suited to amateur joggers who want to cross train some jogging into their preparation for a running event. Great for their health and for injury prevention if you aren't a very good runner and are likely to injure yourself trying to run at a running pace regularly in training. But zone 2 isn't running in the form you would in a race unless you're doing multiple day stage races or a huge ultramarathon or something. If zone 1 is a walk or recovery jog, then zone 2 isn't much more than that - it's a light aerobic effort. I understand you can do a lot of zone 2 work, bore yourself terribly, and gain mitochondrial and capillary density. Those exact benefits also occur from doing specific run training in zones 3 & 4. If you're completely unfit, have terrible neuromuscular coordination, awful form, or need to lose a lot of weight before you can actually train to run fast... then fine, do some zone 2 work to lessen the impact on your load bearing joints and poorly adapted tissues. Once you're a bit lighter, stronger and capable of moving well, you'd be better off running a lot of threshold and some over/under threshold work - that gets you far stronger, has exactly the same benefits as zone 2, is far more time efficient and simulates race conditions (you wouldn't run all-out actual race paces). Running a bit faster means more shock to the system which risks injury, so you wear sensible footwear to minimise peak landing forces. But cumulatively zone 2 work can also cause injuries. Ultimately, all training requires adaptation and recovery. Doing predominantly threshold work and forcing yourself to run faster might actually result in your body learning to run faster. Spending 80% of your time jogging in zone 2 and a mere 10-20% in the zones you intend to race in might result in you getting good at jogging in zone 2. You might argue the point that zone 2 is used by elite runners in their training because they can run with a low heart rate and move extremely well... Most amateurs can't do this. Eiltes and professionals will run with remarkably similar form in their zone 2 to their zones 3-5. They're extremely efficient and capable of moving well in zone 2 whereas most amateurs are shuffling/jogging in zone 2 and not running. You're generally training a suboptimal gait in zone 2. It's not entirely useless... it's really healthy for aerobic fitness with low injury risk, but I think it's suboptimal for becoming the fastest you could be.
Is there any data about how Zone 2 affects the mental aspects of your training? When I started consistently training in Zone 2, my mood just plummeted. I got to the point that I didn't want to run, period. I dreaded it. I wondered if there was any correlation between the heart rate and the release of endocannabinoids and endorphins. I have depression, and I wondered if there was a bigger link between the two for those of us with clinical depression.
That's an interesting question. I struggled with depression almost my whole life since I was a teenager (I'm 47 now). I also was an alcoholic and did drugs. I stopped all that long ago but running does absolutely nothing for my mood. I like to run, that's not a problem for me. I run 10k almost every day. But it doesn't brighten my overall mood. I'm guessing that might only work for people who aren't clinically depressed, who never were seriously addicted, etc. I never get runner's high either. Fun fact - when I was most depressed in my life, including a "unaliving attempt" I did a lot of exercise, trained consistently and looked fit and healthy even though I wasn't. I think when people are seriously depressed, they are depressed no matter what they do or if they are overweight, thin, trained or untrained. Running unfortunately isn't a miracle cure. I still like it and will keep doing it for health reasons mostly. But it didn't improve my metal condition at all. Also - eating lots of carbs, as runners often do, can worsen depression as carbs are related to serotonin production in the body. Too high serotonin can worsen depression. Protein is needed for dopamine synthesis in the body. Low dopamine can worsen depression, too or lead to a lack of energy. But too much dopamine can lead to anxiety. I'm guessing a psychiatrist might be able to analyze the balance between both neurotransmitters and recommend a diet plan. I'd experiment with protein shakes and drink one before running to see if it influences your mood.
Your energy system doesn't care how it's stressed and is quite forgiving in intensity. It only cares about how much energy for how long and primarly aerobic. So it's perfectly fine to add a walk, hike or relaxed cycling into your running plan. For me personally a alarm at 140bpm and resting until i'm at 120 as well as watching movies on a home trainer at 120-130 works fine.
What's your maximal heart rate? The age formulas are inaccurate and often underestimate max for athletes. I am 76 years old and my observed max is 178, giving zone 2 125-136. If I used the formula, age-220, my max would be 148 and my heart rate zones would be far too low.
Good information, In every run , I do different pace, different zoons, don't spend all my one hour run in one zoon. I stay in zoon 2 maybe for 60% of my runs, the rest I try to reach zoon 5.
If you are using a default formula your zones may be way off. I am 76, my max heart rate measured is 178 and my zone 2 is 125-136. That's a 9:40-10:20 mile pace for me. You should be able to run at least a 12:00 mile pace in zone 2.
you are probably confusing carbohydrates with proteins at 2:22 and continue in confusing even more terms by saying that the body "starts to burn carbohydrates when its low on oxygen"
Is zone 2 actualy (60-70%)of hrmax or (60-70%) of hrr + rhr? For 25yo with rhr of 60 it is 116-136bpm with first formula and 140-154bpm with the second one. So what is it? Acording to the first formula 140-154 is in the zone 3, so in the "thrash" training. Where shoud I aim with my HR while running for over 40 min?
Why can’t you do 80% of your run in zone 2 and 20% at higher intensity? Or maybe not that % split but some majority of it at zone 2, and a final shorter distance at a threshold pace? Rest and recovery days in between.
you'll see greater gains with splits, rather than doing that. it is shown that interval training with zone4, 5 and rest improves your anaerobic capacity, thereby increasing vo2max a lot. and doing long endurance runs, in zone 2, or touching zone3 improves your lactate pace, and that is why sometimes people refer it as building up the BASE. the better your lactate pace, the faster you run in zone 4 and 5 which then tremendously increase your vo2max it's like a cycle
I agree zone 2 for running should be avoided. Not because zone 2 running is ineffective but because running is for emergencies only, either walking or sprinting is acceptable. Otherwise ride your bike.
Even jogging very slowly I’m moving into zone 3 according to my watch - yes, I’ve set it up properly. Now, as I zone 2, I have enough breath to sing a few lyrics of a song (another zone 2 test ). Help! What’s to do?
Zone 2 is good for fat burning and endurance, and if you want to "take part". If you want to compete however ..... you might as well go for a 1km walk, or do yoga on your days off. You really, really reeeeeally don't want to feel your legs burning or getting into the anaerobic zone. In layman's terms, the muscle eats itself as a source of energy because not enough oxygen is reaching it to synthesise carbs.
sounds like your diet is off if your body is cannibalizing muscles. running builds muscles, running burns fat, carbs/glucose. you aren't fueling proper.
When you say Z2, do you mean both 1 and 2? I’m 55 and run mostly mountain trails, and for example last week I did 87% z1/2 (39 and 48 respectively) and 13% z3/4 for my running training. I find that doing some of my time in z1 really helps tremendously with recovery and helps me feel fresh for when I do intensity or a long run in the mountains.
Interesting.. I run mountain trails also, n the biggest problem I have is getting out of zone 5! My garmin watch tells me I spent 81% in zone 5 over a 3h run involving 900m climb. Obviously I wasn't in zone 5, but by all measurements it appears i was.. I'm 70 so zone 2 is up to around 115? On a steep long ascent I'm ticking over at 135+ which equates to zone 5, as I say it doesn't feel like it..
@@undrellx did you calculate your actual max heart rate using a field test and then set up your Garmin zones manually? It’ll be much more accurate than the formula that Garmin uses. I found my actual max by doing 30 second hill repeats on a steep incline and looking at the max heart rate I achieved by the 10th rep (make sure to warm up first for 15 min!) and adding a few beats.
@@undrellx you need a chest strap. watch accuracy decreases proportionally to jerks and for running change the watch settings to lactate HR%. it basically mixes your normal zone 1 and 2 in zone 1 and rest of the zones keep changing the more data it collects while running.
yes sir, zone 1 and 2 both counts in recovery. BUT, the improvements if you mostly do zone 1 will be the least, that's why it is preferable to be more in zone 2 and THE BEST is to be at the end of zone 2, just tippy toeing to zone 3
A lot of talk but I have no idea whether this is relevant to me. I am 70. I run in z3 and 4. I know this because I have checked Garmin connect. My resting heart is 38 and blood pressure is healthy. I have started to be bombarded with z2 videos. Sounds as though 90 minutes a week which I am guessing my zone 3 and 4 time is OK. I am going back to not not being interested in my heart rate when running.
I run most of the year in Thailand, usually in temps 33-36C. Today was a Z1 run ave pace 6min 28s /km. I log my Z1 runs and I noticed than this was 25s/km faster than a year ago, but when i ran in the UK in July/Aug last year in low 20s temp my pace was around 45s faster /km. The zones don't change, just the pace.
Running in heat will increase your heart rate so you will Have to run slower than usual in order to stay in certain “zones” since the heart rate will be increasing faster than usual.
Z2 training was my biggest mistake in 15 years of running. I ended up getting injured and super discouraged. It’s also impossible six months out of the year in Texas.
I’m 44 is old !!! Been trying run 9min per mile 7-10 miles with heart rate 150-170 . For zone 2 it’s to me run and stops . Then I don’t fell it’s work out . What’s ur recommendation for zone 2 as beginner ( 5 months )
Too many formulae floating around that give u different zone 2 heart rate. I hop on a treadmill, set a heart rate and start running. If I could not feel I could go for a long time, I drop my heart rate target further until i am running with a heart rate that I feel I could go for a long time, and I am using that as my zone 2 now.
Dump the heart rate monitor and go by feel if you’re not training for competition. I’m a XC skier in winter and cyclist in warmer months. Thanks to lots of hills and the enjoyment of pushing myself I end up spending plenty of time in all zone levels.
I am running easy runs in zone 2 all my life and in lab tests my aerobic system, heart, lungs, lactate levels and so on is superior to other runners who run easy in zone 1 and do more mileage.
So, the correct title would be something like: "Running in ZONE 2 is really important but your training needs to be apporopraite for you and cover all energy systems/paces. Plus get your zones set right." I'll admit, it's less catchy! You missed off "Also, strength train!" Seriously though - great breakdown of the energy systems and why they need training. There's a great video on YT from Dr Iñigo San Millán on just how Z2 training works for anyone wanting a very scientific deep-dive. He also goes into how Z2 makes you faster in other zones.
The real question is how many times this channel can rehash the same basic info with clickbait titles to generate views. My guess is it will be nearly infinite.
Since a german co-moderator of this years Tour de France told us, that Zone2 is on the lower end of the "EB" (Entwicklungsbereich, aka Zone4), we know that there is no truth about Zone2, because there is no globally established definition of Zone2. So before you clickbait with Zone2 titles, make clear the definition and then upload videos about it
As a novice runner, I had a lactate test done 2 years ago and that - and ofcourse the zone 2 training - helped me a lot to have fewer injuries. So I know my zone 2, but I wonder if this zone will move up or down as my condition improves?
OMG! You're still using lactate at zone 2, you're also clearing it! If you think zone 2 is a waste of time, you don't understand why it's beneficial and it goes beyond just burning fat as fuel, lactate utilization and clearance and improving cardiovascular fitness.
Your body doesn't switch over to burning "muscle energy" (aka anaerobic) and creating lactic acid until you hit your lactate threshold. This happens during intense sessions, where you are most likely in Z4. Z2 is for aerobic base building, and your body relies on the presence of oxygen at this level.
"Zone 2 for over 50's runners is a waste of time." That is where I stopped and unsubscribed.🤣🤣🤣 Dr. Iñigo San Millán is Pogaçar's coach. He, Iñigo, is obsessed with Z2. Placing 1st in the Tour de France must be terrible. Then there is Alan Couzens, who has produced great Ironman athletes. This guy is obsessed with Z1 and Z2. There are countless other coaches and physiologists who back this up, including Jack T. Daniels. And you say, wait, what? 😂😂😂😂😂
It's relevant for any sport that goes with endurance. But the shorter the duration and the longer you can rest the more you benefit from other training. And some people like a nurse, waiter or workman spend their working hours in zone 2. Their value from Z2 training is very slim. For me doing calculations for the majority of my work Z2 is a must.
What percentage of your weekly training is done in zone 2? Drop a comment below to let us know...
...Also be sure to join our upcoming free workshop that will help you run faster: coachparry.com/udtk-Workshop
Do you have anything to improve speed in sports like basketball, ball hockey, soccer, etc?
I'm never gassed at the end of a game, but I'm embarrassingly slow.
None. Dont know how. Run faster?
While I was out of a training block and just running to increase fitness, I actually tracked this. I was about 73% in z2. I was doing 1 speed/hill repeat type workout a week, so i'd have to assume during a block my Z2 training is way less (closer to 60%). I'm 45 for what its worth. I will add that a buddy of mine who does Ultra's said to me the other day that its almost just as important to get "time on feet". He told me he hadn't done a speed session in years. But I guess when you are running 30+ miles for a race a speed session is less important that being able to cover the distance. But he said something interesting... Even though a ton of what he does is slow running, it still allows him to dig into his speed for when he needs to chase or catch someone in a race. Very interesting stuff
S@@skaldlouiscyphre2453
Spend some more time in structured sprinting training and some more time in mobility and yoga exercises. Regularity first, over the the period of 2 years will will give surely abundance of progress.
Just leave always a few reps in reserve to keep fresh and injury free
I'm currently @ 90% zone 2. 90 days into cycling. I began @ 90% zone 5 until I popped a blood vessel in my eye. So I switched things around.
Good content, but i don't like Click baits!
Yeah, some of us have just 1 zone, especially at near 30C heat and high humidity. Even walking in this heat can take you to "zone 4" straight away.
Misleading title. They follow zone 2 as well. 😅
If your starting running building your base as a endurance runner zone 2 is everything to build the strength to go long distances .
U have to strengthen the tissues and the small muscles. I’d rather do that when have oxygenated blood than not.
Do better titles.
As a physio since 1992, I tell all my over 50 exercisers to stay in z2, as you avoid injury at that pace. Add 1-2 sprint sessions a week and a couple of calisthenics sessions a week and you’re good to go.
Most over-50 people who exercise in z3 are about to get hurt.
I see them all the time in my practice. They’re great for my business, but they’re ruining their bodies.
Injuries are a very big concern. Over the age of 50 injuries become increasingly probable. Recovery from injuries for senior athletes takes longer. The focus for over 50 is healthspan - living a quality life.
im
@@dennisbrinkley8613 I think of the "more likely to become injured as you age" question like this. When you're exercising appropriately, you have about the same likelihood of injury between 50-80 as you did between 20-50. What changes as you age seems to be your body's tolerance for stupidity...for in-appropriate exercise. That "stupidity tolerance" seems to decline with maturity. I tell my patients that when you're 30, life is an 8-lane highway with guard rails on both sides. You can drive erratically without going off the road. But at 80, life is a single lane road without guardrails. If you remain on the "straight and narrow", you're fine. But deviation of that path is soon punished.
The disciplined athlete who is reliable in their exercise program is the one I rarely see in my clinic.
@@twrkhanasparukh Good for you. You'll have a healthier body and a more-regular exercise regimen doing things that way. Who doesn't want to have more energy and better brain functioning at any age?
Z2 & Z3 difference is minimal
I don’t understand this. No coach or training regime I’m familiar with ever says “only train in zone 2”. They almost all say “80/20” and this is what the video concludes here. Seems a bit of a hype headline imho…
i love training in zone 2, but i add some sprints or interval once a week. works well for me.
There is one thing most fitness UA-camrs forget to tell us: if you start from zero, it will take months to notice any progress. For me, it took eight months of consistent training and heart rate tracking to see improvement. This improvement was very subtle; basically, my heart rate dropped 3-4 beats for the same pace. Only after eight months did progress become much faster.
Me too, it worked fine for me and I did not injure myself nor feel exhausted as I have done many times over many years before I used Z2.
Took me about a month but I also dropped about 15lbs
For absolut beginners the heartrate is all over the place for the first view months. Your heart might not be used to beating fast, so your max heartrate or your comfort at high heartrate will improve. Likewise your metabolism gets dusted so your heartrate goes down for that. And your muscles don't know how to deal with speed, wind, heat, incline etc. so the power you need varies quite a bit.
@barrick4807 xD well carry 15lbs extra and compare. Jokes aside thats a great, and already has a hughe impact on how much your body needs to work for a certain speed or distance.
@@MrHaggyyyou know... I consider myself a reasonably smart person, but your comment turned on a light bulb, and now I feel like an idiot. 😂 I beat myself up all the time about how much slower I am compared to 10-15 years ago, specifically in regards to zone 2 training... never taking into account I'm 10-15 lbs heavier. 😂
There are two areas of disagreement among coaches I'd love to see addressed:
1. Zone 2 definition via % of max HR, vs. %HRR (heart rate reserve aka Karvonen method), and % of lactate threshold, all three of which produce different values from lowest to highest respectively.
2. How much of the 20% hard running should be in Zone 3, 4, and 5. GTN (Global Triathlon Network) and Mottiv in some videos seem to suggest that you should continue the pyramid -- for example 10% z3, 6% z4, 4% z5. Coach Parry and Run Elite seem to say go mostly VO2max z5 and only go to z3 and/or z4 closer to race day. What's best?
Bonus question: GTN says to go ahead and train at higher BPM in the heat (i.e. your zone 2 HR goes up by 5 bpm as an example) when everyone else says run slower. RPE-wise and talk-test-wise I feel the former (go ahead with higher HR) is correct. Is it?
Thank you for the summary, helps a lot
I understand that this video that I very much like are advices for runners, but a lot of it is also true for bikers that wants to gain fitness and endurance and lose weight.
For us heavy bikers there are one zone that is underestimated, and that is zone 1. Zone 1 training makes it possible to go long and be able to train also the next day. I believe in my training regime that is all over the zones. I average 7,5 hours biking a week and is 62 years old. On big days I go more than 2,5 hours and those hours might be 45 minutes zone 1, 75 minutes zone 2, 30 minutes zone 3-5. I often try to do the zone 3-5 after biking more than an hour to allow staying fresh in a big zone 2 chunk in the beginning. Next day might be an easy day, 2x45 minutes zone 1 and 2 biking to and from work. Another day I might try to go full power to work and go slow home from work.
This video was so well made. The only thing missing would be to emphasize that even the best of the best athletes in the world train like this.
Thank you! So glad you enjoyed it and we appreciate the feedback. Thanks for watching.
right, Kipchoge and Pogacar spend most of their time in Z2
Researchers who promote 80/20 training, particularly Dr. Stephen Seiler who coined the term "polarized training", usually say you should do 80% of your SESSIONS in zone 2, not 80% of your duration. If you run 5 days per week, just 1 of them should be a workout (effort in zones 3-5), but that includes warm up and cool down, so you'll likely spend a decent bit less than 20% of your total training duration (in hours) in zones 3-5. Trying to get a full hour of Z4/Z5 effort in a 5 hour training week would be a great deal of stress for most people training at that level.
Тренирусь пять дней в неделю. Бегаю каждый день 10-12 км в зоне 2. И один день 10 км в зоне 4. За четыре месяца время с 1 часа 17 минут, упало до 50 минут на 10км. Сегодня, пульс резко со 170 опустился до 120 и осталься там последнии три километра забега.
Running too much at slower than 10k race pace (or threshold pace) allows your mitochondria to get away with burning mostly fat as a fuel. There is current research being done to determine if the mitochondria starts burning carbs exclusively under threshold pace. Training for the 10k seems to be the in-between distance, but do more zone 2 to properly train for 15k and over, and do much more running under threshold pace (10k race pace) if you are training for anything under a 10k. Burning carbs in the mitochondria is aerobic. Anaerobic glycolysis occurs in cytosol of the cell, not in the mitochondria.
My zone 2 story.
I've been cycling for 3 months now and fallen in love. I pushed myself too hard in the beginning and popped a blood vessel in my eye... so I looked into training methods and found zone 2. About 45 days ago I began riding 5+ days a week doing strictly zone 2. I noticed more muscle growth in this 45 days than the 45 days prior and more speed gains on my computer. I've graduated to a higher gear on avg, but am now hitting a wall. I feel it's now hard for me to push out of zone 2, I used to come out of zone 2 @ 13mph, now it's 15mph, and much more leg strain to get my heart going. It's good in general but bad for training. I need to do 2 days a week @ a higher zone, but am having difficulty.
I also just switched from evening rides to morning rides and it feels like my legs are asleep the 1st 8 miles. I'm letting the transition happen for now before pushing my zones. Baby steps!
I'm a 57 year old cyclist and the only time I do any work in Z2 is a recovery ride once a week. I use a trainer for all my training. Sprints ,Threshold and Tempo work makes up 80,%of my training, and because I'm a cyclist do not get injured doing this higher intensity work. RHR of 34 when it's cool.
I'd argue your heart rate is in zone 2 more than you realise. Either that, or your wasting some of your time.
Wow 34 resting is nutz!
As a 63 year old ex multisport athlete, I can confirm that cycling is injury free for me, whilst weight bearing sports are virtually impossible for me now. And I am not overweight. 5’11 82 kg. On the bike , my performance (measured by Sunto and Garmin data over the last 20 years, has not changed much . Especially in the last 10 years. The data doesn’t lie. I am now doing more zone 2 (which I hardly ever did before) because I know that it’s time to back off a little , especially on the climbs if I want to live. That said , i have told all my family, if I die on the bike on a climb, to rejoice. I don’t want to die in a hospital or old people’s home. I want to be at one with nature. I have no trouble in zone 3 and 4 where most of my rides are split 60/40.
But as I have backed off a little and introduced a zone 2 every week, I have started to appreciate and enjoy it now. Just more time to look around and appreciate the nature and ride for longer. Certainly good for base endurance and weight loss. I am only a resting 42 -48 , but most medical professionals are impressed by that. Hasn’t really changed in 40 years.
Mixing up the sessions is not only more interesting, it also makes a big difference in performance gains. A couple of years ago I just did Z2 runs, now I do 1xZ1 (recovery) each week, 1 interval or fast session, and the rest of the runs, including 1 long run, in Z2.
So basically 80/20 principle…you still have to push yourself
I love training in Z2! I'm 44 and I've had nasty tendinopathies from training errors so its niceto just take it easy. Now when I do the hard speed or hill work 1x weekly, I'm totally ready for it.
Z2 help me regulate the rhythm of my breathing
First explanation which is right. Thx a lot.
I run outside most of the year, so I’m ALWAYS popping into z3 when I hear a fantastic song and then stopping to say hello to a neighbor and dropping down into z1.
I found this video to be the least useful in execution of just about any that you’ve done. It needed a different script.
The 2 people doing it are lovely chaps. But one would try to introduce the topic while the boss would shoot it down and talk about something else.
This needed to be a presentation of what CP believe, not a debate. It’s really hard to do “nuance” on video.
You all are truly intelligent people. Just stick to the science.
Stay away from clickbait.
Great video, wonderful explanation 👍
Zone 2 is walking for most average runners
The majority of my zone 2 comes from my cycling. I mostly run zone 3-4 and small stretches in Z5, getting one run a week in Z2
Constant repetition of the same point over and over, and I’m still not clear what the hell they’re trying to say this is disappointing
some great info in this content, the human body is just genious
Hi from Argentina... so i tell you in spanish: CLARÍSIMO! BRILLANTE EXPLICACIÓN!🫂
At my age, I mostly just run to the bathroom
zone 2?
Intervals😂
@@Openmichunt23 zone 7 sprint for me
@@unknownKnownunknowns 😂
What's your opinion about MAF method - Phil Maffetone claims, that we should be running in "loooow zone 2" ONLY during the aerobic base building period.
I did this for 3 months over the winter. It "fixed" my asthma and allowed me to cover more miles completely injury free... it also trashed my form and added almost 3 minutes a mile to my pace, even after adding strides back in! If it weren't for the asthma component, I'd still be kicking myself for it.
@@Kelly_Ben so... you could not run because of asthma and now you can but slower than when you could not ;)
I'd call it a progress ;)
Do you recommend a particular song to sing? 😆
Zone 2 training is just a bridge to your next fast run, which is what is absolutely necessary for progress.
Zone 3 gets the bad reputation but in reality, Zone 2 is a no man's land. It cannot be the best of all things for amateurs. Zone 2 is ideally suited to amateur joggers who want to cross train some jogging into their preparation for a running event. Great for their health and for injury prevention if you aren't a very good runner and are likely to injure yourself trying to run at a running pace regularly in training. But zone 2 isn't running in the form you would in a race unless you're doing multiple day stage races or a huge ultramarathon or something.
If zone 1 is a walk or recovery jog, then zone 2 isn't much more than that - it's a light aerobic effort. I understand you can do a lot of zone 2 work, bore yourself terribly, and gain mitochondrial and capillary density. Those exact benefits also occur from doing specific run training in zones 3 & 4. If you're completely unfit, have terrible neuromuscular coordination, awful form, or need to lose a lot of weight before you can actually train to run fast... then fine, do some zone 2 work to lessen the impact on your load bearing joints and poorly adapted tissues.
Once you're a bit lighter, stronger and capable of moving well, you'd be better off running a lot of threshold and some over/under threshold work - that gets you far stronger, has exactly the same benefits as zone 2, is far more time efficient and simulates race conditions (you wouldn't run all-out actual race paces). Running a bit faster means more shock to the system which risks injury, so you wear sensible footwear to minimise peak landing forces. But cumulatively zone 2 work can also cause injuries. Ultimately, all training requires adaptation and recovery. Doing predominantly threshold work and forcing yourself to run faster might actually result in your body learning to run faster. Spending 80% of your time jogging in zone 2 and a mere 10-20% in the zones you intend to race in might result in you getting good at jogging in zone 2. You might argue the point that zone 2 is used by elite runners in their training because they can run with a low heart rate and move extremely well... Most amateurs can't do this. Eiltes and professionals will run with remarkably similar form in their zone 2 to their zones 3-5. They're extremely efficient and capable of moving well in zone 2 whereas most amateurs are shuffling/jogging in zone 2 and not running. You're generally training a suboptimal gait in zone 2. It's not entirely useless... it's really healthy for aerobic fitness with low injury risk, but I think it's suboptimal for becoming the fastest you could be.
👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻
Amateur joggers ? What does that even mean
Exactly. Zone 2 is not much more than walking for most average runners including myself. Also if you run that slow your form is bad
Thanks for your sharing
Just train all the zone, but zone 2 must be 80% of your workout, so that you don't get injured and can grow steadily
Is there any data about how Zone 2 affects the mental aspects of your training? When I started consistently training in Zone 2, my mood just plummeted. I got to the point that I didn't want to run, period. I dreaded it. I wondered if there was any correlation between the heart rate and the release of endocannabinoids and endorphins. I have depression, and I wondered if there was a bigger link between the two for those of us with clinical depression.
That's an interesting question. I struggled with depression almost my whole life since I was a teenager (I'm 47 now). I also was an alcoholic and did drugs. I stopped all that long ago but running does absolutely nothing for my mood. I like to run, that's not a problem for me. I run 10k almost every day. But it doesn't brighten my overall mood. I'm guessing that might only work for people who aren't clinically depressed, who never were seriously addicted, etc. I never get runner's high either.
Fun fact - when I was most depressed in my life, including a "unaliving attempt" I did a lot of exercise, trained consistently and looked fit and healthy even though I wasn't. I think when people are seriously depressed, they are depressed no matter what they do or if they are overweight, thin, trained or untrained. Running unfortunately isn't a miracle cure. I still like it and will keep doing it for health reasons mostly. But it didn't improve my metal condition at all. Also - eating lots of carbs, as runners often do, can worsen depression as carbs are related to serotonin production in the body. Too high serotonin can worsen depression. Protein is needed for dopamine synthesis in the body. Low dopamine can worsen depression, too or lead to a lack of energy. But too much dopamine can lead to anxiety. I'm guessing a psychiatrist might be able to analyze the balance between both neurotransmitters and recommend a diet plan. I'd experiment with protein shakes and drink one before running to see if it influences your mood.
That's interesting. For me, zone 2 gave me a lot more joy because suddenly it felt like I could run forever.
coach greg going have field day
is this channel for senior runners only?
Coach Perry if Zone 2 is not effective than maybe you recommend your Donut training?
Zone 6 is the new zone 2!
Most ppl use a watch to track the HR, pace etc. My z2 is 117-125 bpm in my Garmin.Practicalyy is 9min/k or slower to stay in z2. No possible
Your energy system doesn't care how it's stressed and is quite forgiving in intensity. It only cares about how much energy for how long and primarly aerobic.
So it's perfectly fine to add a walk, hike or relaxed cycling into your running plan.
For me personally a alarm at 140bpm and resting until i'm at 120 as well as watching movies on a home trainer at 120-130 works fine.
What's your maximal heart rate? The age formulas are inaccurate and often underestimate max for athletes. I am 76 years old and my observed max is 178, giving zone 2 125-136. If I used the formula, age-220, my max would be 148 and my heart rate zones would be far too low.
Good information, In every run , I do different pace, different zoons, don't spend all my one hour run in one zoon. I stay in zoon 2 maybe for 60% of my runs, the rest I try to reach zoon 5.
My zone 2 is a brisk walk so should I do that mostly.I f I jog I go up to zone 5 pretty quick so can keep it up very long.
Your Heart rate zone are telling you that you are seriously unfit. Consult a doctor before starting exercise.
If you are using a default formula your zones may be way off. I am 76, my max heart rate measured is 178 and my zone 2 is 125-136. That's a 9:40-10:20 mile pace for me. You should be able to run at least a 12:00 mile pace in zone 2.
Nice video! But if you define Zone 2 = 65%-75% of the maximal heart rate, what is your definition for the other 4 zones?
you are probably confusing carbohydrates with proteins at 2:22 and continue in confusing even more terms by saying that the body "starts to burn carbohydrates when its low on oxygen"
Is zone 2 actualy (60-70%)of hrmax or (60-70%) of hrr + rhr? For 25yo with rhr of 60 it is 116-136bpm with first formula and 140-154bpm with the second one. So what is it? Acording to the first formula 140-154 is in the zone 3, so in the "thrash" training. Where shoud I aim with my HR while running for over 40 min?
Why can’t you do 80% of your run in zone 2 and 20% at higher intensity? Or maybe not that % split but some majority of it at zone 2, and a final shorter distance at a threshold pace? Rest and recovery days in between.
you'll see greater gains with splits, rather than doing that.
it is shown that interval training with zone4, 5 and rest improves your anaerobic capacity, thereby increasing vo2max a lot.
and doing long endurance runs, in zone 2, or touching zone3 improves your lactate pace, and that is why sometimes people refer it as building up the BASE.
the better your lactate pace, the faster you run in zone 4 and 5 which then tremendously increase your vo2max
it's like a cycle
I agree zone 2 for running should be avoided. Not because zone 2 running is ineffective but because running is for emergencies only, either walking or sprinting is acceptable. Otherwise ride your bike.
That explain your body composition
Even jogging very slowly I’m moving into zone 3 according to my watch - yes, I’ve set it up properly. Now, as I zone 2, I have enough breath to sing a few lyrics of a song (another zone 2 test ). Help! What’s to do?
How did you measure your maximal heart rate? The formulas are very inaccurate compared to a measurement.
Zone 2 is good for fat burning and endurance, and if you want to "take part". If you want to compete however ..... you might as well go for a 1km walk, or do yoga on your days off. You really, really reeeeeally don't want to feel your legs burning or getting into the anaerobic zone. In layman's terms, the muscle eats itself as a source of energy because not enough oxygen is reaching it to synthesise carbs.
sounds like your diet is off if your body is cannibalizing muscles. running builds muscles, running burns fat, carbs/glucose. you aren't fueling proper.
When you say Z2, do you mean both 1 and 2? I’m 55 and run mostly mountain trails, and for example last week I did 87% z1/2 (39 and 48 respectively) and 13% z3/4 for my running training. I find that doing some of my time in z1 really helps tremendously with recovery and helps me feel fresh for when I do intensity or a long run in the mountains.
Interesting.. I run mountain trails also, n the biggest problem I have is getting out of zone 5! My garmin watch tells me I spent 81% in zone 5 over a 3h run involving 900m climb. Obviously I wasn't in zone 5, but by all measurements it appears i was.. I'm 70 so zone 2 is up to around 115? On a steep long ascent I'm ticking over at 135+ which equates to zone 5, as I say it doesn't feel like it..
@@undrellx did you calculate your actual max heart rate using a field test and then set up your Garmin zones manually? It’ll be much more accurate than the formula that Garmin uses. I found my actual max by doing 30 second hill repeats on a steep incline and looking at the max heart rate I achieved by the 10th rep (make sure to warm up first for 15 min!) and adding a few beats.
@@Hillrunner50 sounds like I need to do that.. cheers
@@undrellx you need a chest strap. watch accuracy decreases proportionally to jerks
and for running change the watch settings to lactate HR%. it basically mixes your normal zone 1 and 2 in zone 1 and rest of the zones keep changing the more data it collects while running.
yes sir, zone 1 and 2 both counts in recovery. BUT, the improvements if you mostly do zone 1 will be the least, that's why it is preferable to be more in zone 2 and THE BEST is to be at the end of zone 2, just tippy toeing to zone 3
A lot of talk but I have no idea whether this is relevant to me. I am 70. I run in z3 and 4. I know this because I have checked Garmin connect. My resting heart is 38 and blood pressure is healthy. I have started to be bombarded with z2 videos. Sounds as though 90 minutes a week which I am guessing my zone 3 and 4 time is OK. I am going back to not not being interested in my heart rate when running.
how can i transfer your idea to rowing, thanks
Do zone's change or "shift up" when you are training in the heat?
Your zone would still be the same, you'll just have to run slower to keep your heart rate in the desired zone.
I run most of the year in Thailand, usually in temps 33-36C. Today was a Z1 run ave pace 6min 28s /km. I log my Z1 runs and I noticed than this was 25s/km faster than a year ago, but when i ran in the UK in July/Aug last year in low 20s temp my pace was around 45s faster /km. The zones don't change, just the pace.
Running in heat will increase your heart rate so you will Have to run slower than usual in order to stay in certain “zones” since the heart rate will be increasing faster than usual.
Z2 training was my biggest mistake in 15 years of running. I ended up getting injured and super discouraged. It’s also impossible six months out of the year in Texas.
Cycling, swimming, tresdmilling can all be done indoors
Is this only applicable to runners over 50?
What should be the pace in zone2
I’m 44 is old !!! Been trying run 9min per mile 7-10 miles with heart rate 150-170 . For zone 2 it’s to me run and stops . Then I don’t fell it’s work out . What’s ur recommendation for zone 2 as beginner ( 5 months )
I just run to effort and how I feel
Me too😊😊...
Too many formulae floating around that give u different zone 2 heart rate. I hop on a treadmill, set a heart rate and start running. If I could not feel I could go for a long time, I drop my heart rate target further until i am running with a heart rate that I feel I could go for a long time, and I am using that as my zone 2 now.
Dump the heart rate monitor and go by feel if you’re not training for competition. I’m a XC skier in winter and cyclist in warmer months. Thanks to lots of hills and the enjoyment of pushing myself I end up spending plenty of time in all zone levels.
some say this, others that,. who to believe? for cycling zone 2 is great tho.
I am running easy runs in zone 2 all my life and in lab tests my aerobic system, heart, lungs, lactate levels and so on is superior to other runners who run easy in zone 1 and do more mileage.
Well, Maffetone math, 180 - age, suggests zone 3 training in most cases.
So, the correct title would be something like: "Running in ZONE 2 is really important but your training needs to be apporopraite for you and cover all energy systems/paces. Plus get your zones set right." I'll admit, it's less catchy! You missed off "Also, strength train!"
Seriously though - great breakdown of the energy systems and why they need training.
There's a great video on YT from Dr Iñigo San Millán on just how Z2 training works for anyone wanting a very scientific deep-dive. He also goes into how Z2 makes you faster in other zones.
The real question is how many times this channel can rehash the same basic info with clickbait titles to generate views. My guess is it will be nearly infinite.
@gtromble yet you are still here
It’s not the only thing you should do…you just need to include it
I sprint,60 meters and 100
This guy recommends polarized training. There I saved you 12 minutes of your life…
Bit misleading title. Just confirmed to me what all my coaches have told me: spend 70-80% in Z2. Do 20% speed specific training in Z3-4.
Actually is like MAF, but (s)lower.
Since a german co-moderator of this years Tour de France told us, that Zone2 is on the lower end of the "EB" (Entwicklungsbereich, aka Zone4), we know that there is no truth about Zone2, because there is no globally established definition of Zone2. So before you clickbait with Zone2 titles, make clear the definition and then upload videos about it
As a novice runner, I had a lactate test done 2 years ago and that - and ofcourse the zone 2 training - helped me a lot to have fewer injuries.
So I know my zone 2, but I wonder if this zone will move up or down as my condition improves?
As your condition improves, you will run considerably faster in zone 2.
Top athetes spend a lot of time in Z2 but they also do Z1 and incredible hard work in Z4 and Z5 as well!
Brad needs 100.000 km of zone 2 for sure
128-139 zone 2 I'm 54
OMG! You're still using lactate at zone 2, you're also clearing it! If you think zone 2 is a waste of time, you don't understand why it's beneficial and it goes beyond just burning fat as fuel, lactate utilization and clearance and improving cardiovascular fitness.
He talks about it at 5 minute mark
Your body doesn't switch over to burning "muscle energy" (aka anaerobic) and creating lactic acid until you hit your lactate threshold. This happens during intense sessions, where you are most likely in Z4. Z2 is for aerobic base building, and your body relies on the presence of oxygen at this level.
click bait... I'll continue with Peter Attia and others...
80/20 rule
the first 60 seconds of my runs are zone 2
I’m almost always running in zone 3 😂.. long runs short runs every day,
You are totally not nailing it with the metabolic pathways.
Bart Kay might disagree....
"Zone 2 for over 50's runners is a waste of time." That is where I stopped and unsubscribed.🤣🤣🤣 Dr. Iñigo San Millán is Pogaçar's coach. He, Iñigo, is obsessed with Z2. Placing 1st in the Tour de France must be terrible. Then there is Alan Couzens, who has produced great Ironman athletes. This guy is obsessed with Z1 and Z2. There are countless other coaches and physiologists who back this up, including Jack T. Daniels. And you say, wait, what? 😂😂😂😂😂
It looks like Brad needs to spend time in any zone.
I run always in "suicide zone". Feel sick 1 or 2 day.
😂😂😂
I’m 56 and tried Zone 2 training…it only made me slower. 🤷♀️
interesting, it made me more relaxed in faster pace. Basically faster.
How long did you try it?
Err, I just go for a run
Crikey, the biochemistry lecture was cringingly bad.
That information is about 30 years old and still valid ;-) click bait
This is the video that made me stop watching you.
Diplomatic Immunity!!!
The Zone 2 trending talk is for cyclists only. In some way probably through triathletes have leaked to runners.
It's relevant for any sport that goes with endurance. But the shorter the duration and the longer you can rest the more you benefit from other training. And some people like a nurse, waiter or workman spend their working hours in zone 2. Their value from Z2 training is very slim. For me doing calculations for the majority of my work Z2 is a must.
@@MrHaggyy running is tougher on your muscles.
@@MattiasThyr ?
click bait … why? stop
Zone 2 is appealing to people because no one wants to run fast
That's definitely me there 😂😂😂😂 I like jogging not running fast. I mix walking and jogging and I enjoy that
good video but clickbait
Nothing is a waste of time
smash the unlike for the clickbait thumonailo, but ... wait, the content is legit, well it sucks to work with clickbaits
Carbs are inefficient??? Wow. Disaster of a video.
To much talk. Run easy 80% moderate 20%. Done
Zone 3 is better