If you have a heart rate monitor on your watch or have access to a chest strap monitor, then identifying Zone 2 is easy. Check out the article Using Heart Rate to Find Your Personal Zone 2.
And don’t be afraid to ask your coach for some pointers.
If you don’t have access to a heart rate monitor, no problem.
Here are some simple protocols that can help you determine your Zone 2:
Exercising at a level where you can talk but can’t sing. Walking (or another form of activity) at an intensity where you could talk with someone, but you wouldn’t have enough breath to sing.
People can tell you’re exercising. You can hold a conversation on your phone—but people know that you are working out.
The nose test. While exercising you can breathe through your nose, but you are just at the point where you feel the need to open your mouth to get more air.
The alphabet test. While you are exercising, simply speak the alphabet out loud at your normal talking speed. If you can get through it without stopping, but at the end you’re feeling mildly out of breath, that’s a good indication you’re in Zone 2.
One of the concerns that we hear from our patients is that they don’t feel like they’re going to improve their fitness unless they’re working hard—i.e., the no pain, no gain mindset.
We’re here to tell you that simply isn’t true. Exercising in Zone 2 will get you fit—guaranteed.
Zone 2 exercise is an important way to help improve your metabolic flexibility and it reduces your risk for developing metabolic disease.
