Zone two cardio improves metabolism, heart health, and aids in weight loss.
Engaging in zone two cardio improves sleep quality and architecture.
Zone two cardio is crucial for endurance athletes and offers benefits for strength athletes as well.
Deep dives
Zone Two Cardio Benefits for Metabolism
Zone two cardio improves metabolism by enhancing nutrient partitioning, insulin sensitivity, and glucose disposal. It upregulates mitochondrial enzymes, increasing the efficiency of fat and glucose metabolism. Zone two cardio also improves heart health, increasing cardiac preload and strengthening the heart muscle. It promotes cardiovascular health by improving stroke volume, ejection fraction, and arterial compliance. Zone two cardio also aids in weight loss and body composition as it allows for higher caloric flux and helps maintain a lean physique.
Zone Two Cardio and Sleep
Engaging in zone two cardio improves sleep quality and sleep architecture. It enhances the body's ability to regulate sleep-wake cycles and promotes deep, restorative sleep. Zone two cardio helps reduce sleep disruptions, decrease sleep latency, and improve overall sleep quality.
Zone Two Cardio for Endurance Athletes
Zone two cardio is crucial for endurance athletes. It allows for a higher overall volume of training by minimizing the stress and fatigue associated with high-intensity work. Zone two increases mitochondrial density, enhances aerobic energy systems, and improves running efficiency. By performing most of their training in zone two, athletes build a stronger aerobic base and develop the endurance necessary for peak performance.
Zone Two Cardio and Fat Burning
While zone two cardio does burn a higher percentage of fat during exercise, it is not a direct contributor to localized fat loss. Fat burning during exercise is influenced by various factors, and overall body composition changes are determined by caloric balance and metabolism. Zone two cardio supports weight loss and fat loss by increasing caloric expenditure, improving metabolic health, and creating a favorable hormonal profile.
Benefits of Zone Two Cardio for Endurance Athletes
Zone two cardio, performed at a low intensity, can significantly improve endurance and performance for endurance athletes. By consistently training in zone two, athletes can develop better cardiovascular efficiency, allowing them to maintain a faster pace while still staying in their zone two range. This is exemplified by elite athletes, like Kenyan runners, who can sprint at seemingly high intensities while remaining in zone two. Additionally, zone two training enhances recovery between intervals, enabling athletes to do more work and recover faster. It is important to note that progress in zone two training takes time and patience, but the long-term benefits are worth it.
Zone Two Cardio for Strength Athletes
Zone two cardio also offers remarkable benefits for strength athletes. By incorporating zone two training into their routines, strength athletes can improve their recovery between sets, allowing them to perform more work with less overall fatigue. This means they can possibly reduce training session times while still accomplishing the same amount of quality work. Additionally, zone two cardio can have positive effects on injury prevention and recovery, as increased blood flow to the tendons helps with their repair and maintenance. Strength athletes can start with 80 minutes of zone two cardio per week and gradually increase it to maximize the benefits. By adding zone two cardio at the end of strength training sessions, using modalities like biking, ellipticals, or treadmills, athletes can make their workouts more efficient and see improvements in their overall performance.
When most people work out, they jump right from a resting state called Zone 1 cardio to Zone 3 cardio. But in skipping over Zone 2 cardio altogether, they miss out on a significant range of benefits to their health, fitness, and overall well-being.
Here to unpack why you need to make the relatively easy yet hugely beneficial form of exercise that is Zone 2 cardio a big part of your life is Alex Viada, a hybrid athlete and coach. We spend the first twenty minutes of this conversation discussing the physiological science of what cardio zones are and what happens in the body as you move from one zone to the next. From there, we turn to the more accessible and practical elements of getting into Zone 2 cardio. Alex shares the easiest way to know if you're in Zone 2, and we discuss how it can improve heart health, metabolism, sleep, and weight loss, as well as enhance athletic performance, whether you're into endurance sports or powerlifting. We then get into the amount of Zone 2 cardio you should be getting each week and how to get it, including Alex's take on the ever-controversial elliptical machine.
