What if I told you the best kind of cardio is also relatively the easiest? Doesn’t sound right, does it?…
This is because there’s always been a lot of cardio confusion in the exercise world, with many people thinking they have to run forever, or feel like ‘they’re dying’ in order to get a good cardio workout in.
When in reality, this is not the case. Although you can totally still do that, if that’s your thing.
Higher-intensity cardio absolutely has its benefits, but the benefits of lower-intensity cardio are sometimes way overlooked, and maybe even unknown.
I’ve dabbled in a lot of cardio over the years. Running, various HIIT workouts, ellipticals, etc, always thinking I had to sweat as much as possible, and jack up my heart rate in order to get a “good” session in. It wasn’t until I actually started to pay attention to some of the science around cardio that my perception on it started to change.
CARDIO ISN’T ABOUT EXERCISES
For one, cardio shouldn’t be looked at in terms of exercises. You don’t have to go on long runs, or do crazy bootcamp workouts. But rather, cardio should be looked at in terms of heart rate. Meaning, it doesn’t matter what exercise you may be doing, the particular effects of that exercise are more derived from your heart rate. Or in other words, the intensity level.
Intensity levels for cardio are broken down into zones. They typically range from zone 1 to zone 5, and represent a certain percentage of your maximum heart rate. Zone 1 being the lightest (50-60% of max heart rate – more of a recovery zone), and zone 5 being the most intense (90-100% of max heart rate).
Knowing this, instead of doing a cardio activity you don’t like, you can find one you enjoy, or at least, can be consistent with, and then based on your personal fitness level and goals, you can aim for certain heart rate zones to train in.
However, in this article, I wanted to specifically dive into zone 2 cardio, and some of the benefits that come along with it
ZONE 2
‘Zone 2’ cardio is measured at around 60%-75% of maximum heart rate. This will look different for different people, depending on fitness level.
(Zone 2 for an out of shape person will look slower than zone 2 for a more in-shape person, due to individual heart rate)
Either way, this is typically known to be a relatively steady-pace. A pace that can be managed for up to an hour, if not more. Or in other words, as I sort of alluded to in the beginning, it’s relatively the easiest form of cardio (that also has some of the best benefits of each of the zones).
WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS?
Aside from it being easier and more manageable than an intense HIIT session, some of the benefits of zone 2 cardio include..
USES FAT FOR ENERGY
Now this doesn’t mean this is “the key” to losing fat. That would come from multiple factors primarily including following a healthy diet pattern, and eating in a calorie deficit, overtime. Cardio is great to aid in the process.
BUT, the cardio zones do rely on some kind of energy to be burned as fuel during the session. The lower zones (1-3) typically burn fat for energy, whereas the more intense zones (4 & 5) typically rely on glucose (from those wonderful carbs) for energy.
That being said, zone 2 cardio does burn fat for energy, rather than glucose, or even muscle mass (which can sometimes happen with high-intensity cardio). How the hell so?!
Well basically because body fat is stored energy – like backup – whereas glucose is “right now” energy, stored in the liver and muscle cells to be used as soon as we start to exert higher amounts of energy (lifting weights, higher-intensity cardio, or movement).
Without getting too science-y, fat requires more oxygen in order to be burned, whereas glucose doesn’t require as much. Hence, lower-intensity (aerobic) cardio prioritizes fat as energy, and higher-intensity (anaerobic) cardio prioritizes glucose as energy.
Therefore, if losing body fat is your goal, as long as you have your nutrition and calories in check, zone 2 cardio can greatly help to actually lose body fat, and not just carbs, muscle, or water weight.
CAN ACTUALLY HELP YOU GET IN BETTER SHAPE FOR HIGHER-INTENSITY CARDIO
Zone 2 cardio has been shown to help improve people’s cardiovascular conditioning at higher intensity levels.
Weirdly enough, you don’t have to train at a higher intensity in order to get better at high-intensity training. It turns out that zone 2 cardio helps to strengthen the heart to where it can perform better at higher intensity levels. Crazy!
OPTIMAL MITOCHONDRIAL FUNCTION
Literally everyone knows the phrase about mitochondria.. “POWERHOUSE OF THE CELL!!”
But what the hell does this actually mean? When I learned it in school, I had no idea. But that’s probably because I was young and didn’t care about science at the time, ha.
But essentially, the mitochondria are responsible for producing energy and helping cells to function properly. Simply put.
Why is this important? Because this means that mitochondria play an important role in metabolic health and function, which is important for many other areas of health including:
- Digestion
- Energy levels
- Fitness levels
- Mood
- Avoiding chronic disease
There has even been shown to be benefits in various markers of aging with healthy mitochondrial function.
In any case, having healthy mitochondria is very beneficial. And it just so happens that zone 2 cardio has been shown to greatly improve mitochondrial function. The other zones do improve it as well, but zone 2 seems to be the most optimal.
RESTING HEART RATE
Your resting heart rate refers to the rate at which your heart beats per minute, while you’re at rest, or sedentary.
The average resting heart rate for most adults is between 60 – 100 beats per minute (bpm).
Although up to 100 can be normal, falling somewhere in the lower range typically means stronger heart function.
Zone 2 cardio has been shown to help improve resting heart rate. In other words, healthier heart function!
And being that cardiovascular disease is the number 1 killer of humans, this should emphasize the importance of adding a little cardiovascular exercise to your life!
HOW IS IT DONE?
- To reiterate, zone 2 cardio is around 60%-75% of max heart rate.
- Done at a relatively steady pace, manageable for up to an hour or more
- Intensity level where you’re breaking a sweat, and slightly “huffing and puffing” yet can still hold a conversation
- The best benefits have been shown during sessions ranging from 30 minutes to an hour and a half – usually the longer end of the range, the better
- Longer sessions 2-3x per week
- Shorter sessions 3-7x per week
Thanks for reading!