Thanks for putting this into perspective, Taren. I have a very competitive and aggressive racing mentality, and have probably spent 80% of my training in Zones 3/4/5. I've always believed that harder=faster, but you've articulated very well the importance and value of Zone 2 training. Cheers!
Did my 1st Zone 2 HR run today, found this video tonight, laughed about the Strava thing! I called my session "Check your ego at the door..." great vid! I literally spend 80% of my time in Zone 3, very excited to change
Use slow intervals. I run 10 minutes warm up. 1 hour just below 130 bpm. When i hit 130 bpm. I walk until my pulse is down at 125 bpm then I run up to 130 and so on.
First zone 2 run yesterday, averaged 7:17 per KM for an hour. I usually average around 4:20 on my long runs but have always been in zone 4 or 5. Hoping I'll see some decent results with Zone 2 over the next few weeks!
@@mv9044 After 2 months I have seen huge results already. on a 90 minute Z2 run i will average around a 5:05 per km for the first 5k, then gradually slower towards the end where I will be around a 6:00km. Crazy to think that in 2 months may Z2 pace has increased this much. Before starting the Z2 plan I ran a 44:30 10k and last week I did it in 41:30, not quite a PB but with another 2 months of training I honestly feel confident I can push for a sub 40 minute 10k! I would say to anybody considering a zone 2 plan that now is the perfect time, since for the next 3/6 months most races will be cancelled anyway. It's just hard for the first month to stay motivated when everybody is overtaking you, especially if you're as competitive as me. One key point to note is that I now use a garmin forerunner 935 which calculates my heart rate zones based off my lactate threshold. This increased my zone 2 'ceiling' by around 10bpm to 150bpm (I'm 22). This allowed me to increase my pace slightly, but even so my pace at this heart rate improves each week, so I think I have found the sweet spot for me!
@Wooly Chewbakker Here's my reply on the other comment so you get the notification :) After 2 months I have seen huge results already. on a 90 minute Z2 run i will average around a 5:05 per km for the first 5k, then gradually slower towards the end where I will be around a 6:00km. Crazy to think that in 2 months may Z2 pace has increased this much. Before starting the Z2 plan I ran a 44:30 10k and last week I did it in 41:30, not quite a PB but with another 2 months of training I honestly feel confident I can push for a sub 40 minute 10k! I would say to anybody considering a zone 2 plan that now is the perfect time, since for the next 3/6 months most races will be cancelled anyway. It's just hard for the first month to stay motivated when everybody is overtaking you, especially if you're as competitive as me. One key point to note is that I now use a garmin forerunner 935 which calculates my heart rate zones based off my lactate threshold. This increased my zone 2 'ceiling' by around 10bpm to 150bpm (I'm 22). This allowed me to increase my pace slightly, but even so my pace at this heart rate improves each week, so I think I have found the sweet spot for me!
Might be your best video yet. As an amateur trying to plan for his first tri this year, I wasn’t getting any faster. Every run, bike, or swim I was trying to crush it. This made a ton of sense. So much I went and bought mark’s 80/20 book and read it in 3 days. I now have a much, much better understanding of how the hell these guys put so much mileage in during a week. I was topping off at like 7 run miles and the last 2 weeks that went to 13 and then 15. It might be a good follow up to discuss the zone 1-5 for the run/bike/swim - it seems a lot of this might be by ‘feel’ and perceived effort - mark discussed the heart rate for running, but used a lot of power numbers for biking and distance for swimming.
Hey Champ, 40K+ people watched this Video. You have a tremendous group of people who believe in you and who you inspire, Big Big Congrats, this is big responsibility. A lot of people today don't believe in very much, but they believe in you Lionel. Don't weaken and most importantly, stay 'True'...!!!
Hi Taren, I’m loving the zone 2 content. I’ve used it effectively, specifically maffetone, to improve running health/distance/speed in the past. And currently using it to rehabilitate after some serious illness. One thing I would say is that while it can feel like a slog when starting, over time, it’s easier and easier and way more enjoyable than zone 3+. Short term ego death for long-term pizzaz. Nasal breathing threshold is also useful for those days when you don’t have HR gizmos to hand.
Thanks! This is really motivational. I'm several years on a plateau, and I realise now that I do 90% of my workouts in zone 3. I can't wait to get started with this and reset!
Zone 2 training in the 5 zone method allows maximum stretch of the left ventricle, increasing the side, which allows more blood and oxygen to be pump around the body. Love zone 2.
Great info TT. I think I’ve been guilting of being in Z3 for most of my training. It seems like most amateurs probably are doing most of their training in Z3? Nobody wants to be doing a brisk walk only or 60 minutes balls to the walk, so it just ends up being a comfortable zone. I hope I get into Team Trainiac!
Just in case this helps anybody, what was said at around 10:50 isn’t exactly correct according to some. You can tack a higher intensity segment onto the end of a Zone 2 workout, but going above your Zone 2 upper heart rate threshold in the middle of a “Zone 2 workout” will negate a lot of the benefits that you would see if you remained in Zone 2 for longer. Basically, as soon as you leave Zone 2 and go to a higher intensity, you’re no longer doing a Zone 2 workout. I’m no expert though. See Peter Attia’s conversation with Iñigo San-Millán.
Thanks for all these great advices. After years of stagnating performance training in Z3 and Z4-5. I decided to give this Z2 thing a shot with a 18 km run. I instinctively stopped my music and added a metronome app with 85 bpm instead. I tried to breathe through my nose and concentrate on it all the time. OMG ! that was the must enjoyable run i had in a long time. It was like meditation. Not boring at all, and i didn't even missed my usual music. After the run i was not even exhausted and my shower singing voice got much better 😂
Just finished Maffetone “Endurance Handbook”, listening to “Iron Wars” on Zwift runs, but your guided training video got me to slow down yesterday on Zwift bike rather than to worry about power, and it works. Haven’t downloaded this spreadsheet sheet, but just watching makes sense!
Taren, Thanks for your presentation. I am a Masters athlete coming back after a 30 year break from athletics (middle distance). I am a firm believer in Zone 2 training. I have been training for over 6 months at base. I 100% nose breath and my pulse normally sits at 114 during exercise. My resting pulse rate as dropped from low 60's to high 40's over 6 months. I utilize nose breathing to regulate speed and intensity. If my nostrils start flaring, I know its time to stop as I am entering Zone 3.
You are the first one who shows so much pace improvement in only a few weeks with the maffetone method. All say it's slooooowww. Haha. I'm only now getting into this and thinking if I upload the crap pace to strava or not 🤣
so I did a run in zone 2. lol, very difficult, i will say. but i got this on my garmin connect. " i gained a boost in my cardiorespiratory fitness with this easy aerobic run. Cool!! Thanxz taren for all your info
I learnt a lot from this thanks so much. I love running but I just started out so I’m slow. But I keep my heart rate low and have managed to run 8km non stop now.
I hear pros number one advice: non-pros dont ride slow enough during recovery or ride hard enough to adapt... Just in the middle, not doing much for your training. Your helping the community!
The exact video I was looking for to rationalize where to be in Zone 2 run training that I've been considering lately. My run fitness is way less than the bike (training for du). Zone 2 run pace puts me predominately in Zone 4 HR (regardless of the day, bike power/HR zones almost always fully overlap). I think going forward for the next while I'm going to prioritize HR over pace for straight Zone 2 run stuff and check back in a couple of months upping the pace and see what happens with the HR. Thanks man!
There are different brandings for the same thing: maffetone, zone 2, sweet spot, aerobic training, polarized… they all indicate the same thing, lower your heart rate, increase your mitochondria, and lots of repetition (it should include leave your ego at home). The result is the same, more power or pace with the same aerobic expenditure and less chances of injury.
I would love to read any literature you found on hypercapnia (high CO2) "training" during cardiovascular exercise. I work as a Respiratory therapist in Canada, having a hard time believing this hahah. Cheers, thanks for the great videos!
yeha, me too. i come form crossfit background and i feel like a pussy running and jogging in Z2. People think i am battling corona virus or something haha...
Hell yeah I love this, I started the heart rate monitoring system before this, but this just helped clarify some things. I'm loving it, keep it up bro.
I just started running again…. and can do a pace of 5:00 min / km; albeit I feel like I’m gonna die when I’m done. I have since done a Z2 run & averaged almost 7:00 / km. I’m not sure if it’s because of my age (64)…. but based on everything I’m reading…. I’m guessing this Z2 training is something that would / should prove most beneficial. Time will tell. 😊
Glad I found this video. I trained last night trying very hard to stay in zone 2 but it was very difficult, I had to look up if what I was doing was correct and sadly it is that slow lol I'm also going to have to get a treadmill so I'm not seen speed walking. I picture that controversial Mr. T commercial where he pity the fool who speed walks lol
@@mikemosby8000 slowly i feel the confidence that my lungs can handle longer run without killing my body and self esteem. I learnt to be patient with my body and progress (and not compare my efforts with others).
for me 125 would be more appropriate because my resting heart rate is higher - as a professional couch poptoe the RHR is about 70. which is ok because 3 years ago when i had diabetes and even more weight my RHR was about 95!!! i trained for about a month now every second day on average (initially only SIT) and i feel great. the improvements are great and i hope it will translate in a smaller waist circumference soon. 113cm (and the same weight in kg) is still far too much
wow, this is eye opening. I do most of my running (30 mins to 2 hour efforts (4-12 miles)) at a sustained 185 bpm (far into zone 5) and haven't been able to figure out how to get my HR down while running. even at a 12 min pace it seems to drive through 175 within the first 1/4 mile. I'm going to tone it back a bit, spend a lot of time in zone 2 and see if that helps. My speed does improve the way I've been doing it, but my cardio system hasn't. seems like this is why.
From what I got from it, you just need to focus on maintaining the zones. Its working to help me, it just takes time and I have to look at my heart rate monitor a lot to stay in the zone.
The 80/20 Matt Fitzgerald Run Heartrate Z1,Z2, X, Z3, Y, Z4, Z5 calculator gets you to do a Lactate threshold 30min Run test (taking the last 20min av.hr). All the zones work off this. Maff is abit generic and not accurate using 180 minus age. For me thats 141 or 146 with the +5 (as im 39) . So my maff range is 136-146. Yet my 181bpm lactate threshold sets my Z2 to 147-163. Mid to Top of Z1 is maff for me if I'd not done a threshold test id be missing out on the Z2 benefits. Cheers
I'm a complete noob but figured out myself that nose breathing is the way to measure that the intensity is right for long easy efforts....just the first couple of km are a bit of a snotfest
hey i think you just saved my life. 52 male been cooped up in the house taking care of a disabled wife for over 4 years now. My health has went down the tubes because of it. I do own a bike and a old fan bike. I recently started the air bike and riding outside when i rarely get the time but i am dying at a heart rate of 144. I am willing to bet that that is my max hr lol. i have been going at it to hard. i cant get your free calculator to open up on my phone but it will be ok, i will figure out my zones somehow. Thank You so much for these videos.
For me walking at 6.5 km/h my hr 135-145 Walking at 7.5 km/h my heart rate 165-175 Running at 10.5 - 12 km/h my heart rate 175-190 when i walking i feel nice but when i running it become little hard to breath
Not true after you're reasonably fit or just used to it. I can nose breathe comfortably in the 155-162 HR range when not suffering from allergies and my zone 2 is 135-145. And judging from TV footage, it's common to see marathon runners breathe through their nose in the middle of races. For me, breathing like you're just "watching TV" is a good indicator. That is, you should feel comfortable pausing a bit before inhaling after an exhale.
Last week I ran 10.6 miles nose breathing only at a 8:08/mi pace with a total moving time of 1:26:31 and honestly it would’ve been much harder for me to have ran those 10 miles if I was breathing through my mouth the entire time. The nose breathing helped keep me in a focused state of mind where I was able to shut off my mind for miles at a time. There were a few instances through the course of the 10 miles where I started to become “air hungry” where my body would send me signals to want to open my mouth to get more air in but with a little discipline if you don’t give in then the feeling eventually subsides. I was able keep a steady state of movement with an ave. HR of 156 bpm and a max HR of 175. It’s a real good tool to have in your tool box because whenever you want to increase your intensity or speed you have an extra gear the moment you switch to mouth breathing.
This will work great for me. I can hardly breath through my nose ever. If I can run while just breathing through my nose, there is no way I'm going to be out of zone 2... In fact, after about 4 minutes, I'll probably be passed out. Nice low heart rate when you are asleep.
Heart Rate Training seems to be biased against older athletes. I have a goal of running the marathon under 3:00. But, if I do this calculation using my age (55), I am running way too fast. If I compare it to someone who is 36, then my pacing is spot on.
I looked at your formula and it appears that the grey zone is a direct calculation of a person's age. Does this say that every 55 year old has the same fitness and same maximum heart rate?
BRO!!! I just tried a run at zone 2... well I COULDN'T run in zone 2! I spent an hour "power walking"! It was terrible! I'm not sure how much more I can take! I feel like I'm in decent shape, but numbers don't lie?
I have a question: I'm 33 years old and I did a stress test. The result was Max HR 193 for 12 min and 196 watts. The calculator says: z1 to 119 z2 119 - 132 z3 132 - 172* upper limit isn't too much? z4 172 - 184 z5 184 - 212!!! may be a I did another test type? I don't understand, 212 bpm are too much. by the way: thanks for the calculator!!!
Heard about avoiding zone 3 often already by now and believe(d?) it. BUT for 5 weeks now I'm on a trainerroad plan. I've never experienced such an explosion of bike fitness in this short time. Not even close. And they mostly work with sweetspot training which I guess is pretty much zone 3. This makes me doubt it a little bit these days.
Awesomw video and info, thank you. When you say NOSE breathing do you mean breathing in and out from nose only or in from nose and out from mouth? Thank you and good day.
I totally agree. I don't know should I even upload those embarrassing workouts to strava 😂So it looks like I was spending a massive amount of time in so called grey zone that's why I suck!
Hi Taren! Greetings from Kansas City. Excellent presentation on zone 2 HR training! How can I compensate for cardiac drift when I'm doing precision zone 2 HR training? For example, yesterday I was doing an easy long foundation run @ zone 2 efforts, and consequently (due to cardiac drift) may have drifted out of zone 2 and into lower ceiling of zone 3. Should I slow down the pace to compensate and ensure that I remain in zone 2, or just accept the effects of cardiac drift? 🤔 Your thoughts are very much appreciated 😀
please look at the Hb oxygen saturation curve and speak to an intensivist about the underlying physiology. Shifts in the O2 sats curve are affected by pH. My gut feeling is nasal breathing MAY increase paCO2 and lower pH (but probably not protein buffering and renal h+ secretion) but to start making claims about shifting oxygen binding in the real world seems to me a stretch too far. Whilst this is first year physiology this rapidly becomes extremely complex
Is this method applicable to average heart over the training period? Does it matter if the max heart rate exceeds zone 2, which is common for those with HR drift even over very easy runs
I have POTS and am trying to recondition my heart. POTS increases my heart rate and lowers my blood pressure which leads me to pass out. It is very hard to control my heart rate. I just downloaded your spreadsheet and this is so helpful to make sure I don't go too high. If I do go too high and pass my max - would you recommend that I walk to condition my heart and learn to get to the run?
Hi Taren, what about SST, or "Sweet-spot training"? That is by definition high Z3/low Z4. I've been doing lots of that this off season, and I find that it both stimulates (pushing up) FTP improvement, and it's easy to recover from - even 90'ish minutes accumulated at this effort level. Z4+ is much more taxing. I completely agree that the majority of training time being spent in Z1/Z2. I just differ on time spent in Z3 based on personal experience. In summer, my hard training will shift to pure Z4 and higher intensity intervals. Thanks!
So, I am mainly a badminton player, doing zone 2 for endurance. If I want to get faster than my 8-9 m/km in zone 2 (60-70% max h.) you would recommend to add zone 4 or will zone 3 add to my aerobic system too because I started last December adding running to my sport profile (had badminton, strength, rope skipping for years and hours per week before) ?
I swim masters competitively during the winter, our swim training is more focused on swim speed for fast short 50, 100 and 200m’s at the meets. 80/20 is just not happening in my swim workouts. Should I then look into doing more of at 90/10 training on the bike and run to compensate?
Thanks, very interesting. Do you watch your heart rate zones or power zones when on the bike? Do you want to be in both power zone 2 and heart rate zone 2?
what I find surprising is that your maffetone/recovery HR is at ~79% MaxHR (139/176), which for some would be already into zone 3 and overlapping with the anaerobic zone. I point this out because I find increasingly hard to find what is the 'right' zone 2. I've been running 95% of my runs between 65% and 75% maxHR and trying at all cost to avoid crossing the 75% boundary, but based on your zones, I see that there is quite a bit of flexibility there. Still, I am very confused about what is the most appropriate HR. Is 65% maxHR too low and is 75% maxHR to high? Utterly confused now....
This is exactly what I've been trying to figure out for months now. Maybe I'm overthinking but trying to get zone 2 down to an exact science. I've taken Lactate tests, v02 max tests, and MHR but still can't find exactly what zone 2 is. From all of the info I've gathered from Taren to Matt Fizgerald to Stephen Seiler, I don't think it's an exact % based on your MHR but just to be at low intensity most of your training. For me that is between 60-78% of MHR which is at least 80% of my training. Hopefully I see it in the long run
Hi TT!, really interesting stuff, I am a fairly time crunched 54yr old age grouper now training for 70.3 Mallorca next May, I've started z2 training in both run and bike so far, feels weird not crushing it, can i ask is it detrimental doing a 2hr fasted gym bike z2 session with just electrolytes, my nos are quite low at the moment 140 watts, 85-90 rpms cadence but all super comfy. Love the channel. Kind Regards.
Thanks for the zone 2 series.if I would be running in zone 2, I have to run at my slowest, about 7.5-7.8k/hour. Now I’ve been running at around 8.5/hr, should I slow down to 7.5, and raise the pace as well ? Does that mean I have a very weak cardiovascular ability?
Started off the couch 3 weeks ago. A run that feels very easy has me around 155bpm (peaking at 160bpm on the slight uphills). I can easily nose breath with this level of exertion. Is this just because I'm so new to training? will my heart rate come down relatively quickly as my body adjusts to being more active? Or do I need to back off and just start power/speed walking?
I downloaded the spreaddie, but it doesn't have the power bit on it? - is that version available too? I used my new magic number of 137 today, and it felt really comfy to know I wasn't chasing the average!
Hi Taren, I’m an Italian traniac who has been following your channel for a long time! :-) I’m trying to slow down and keep on eye on my heart rate as well as planning easier workouts.. but I find it quite tough for my leg.. going faster is less impacting on my muscles, my legs are very often heavy after a light run.. is it the same for you? Is it normal or does it relate with my (probably not so good) run mechanics?
When beginning to train with zones is it best to use stationary equipment? I have a hard time with zone 2 running, but don't live in an area with flat ground. Just wondering if I should use a treadmill in the beginning phase of building a good base or if there is a way of still taking it outside.
Thanks for putting this into perspective, Taren. I have a very competitive and aggressive racing mentality, and have probably spent 80% of my training in Zones 3/4/5. I've always believed that harder=faster, but you've articulated very well the importance and value of Zone 2 training. Cheers!
Zone 2 training really is a blow to the ego when you first start it. Everyone and their grandmothers will pass you. Gotta have humility and patience!
Did my 1st Zone 2 HR run today, found this video tonight, laughed about the Strava thing! I called my session "Check your ego at the door..." great vid! I literally spend 80% of my time in Zone 3, very excited to change
Use slow intervals. I run 10 minutes warm up. 1 hour just below 130 bpm. When i hit 130 bpm. I walk until my pulse is down at 125 bpm then I run up to 130 and so on.
Is this good for endurance ?
First zone 2 run yesterday, averaged 7:17 per KM for an hour. I usually average around 4:20 on my long runs but have always been in zone 4 or 5. Hoping I'll see some decent results with Zone 2 over the next few weeks!
Following and waiting for your update :)
@@mv9044 After 2 months I have seen huge results already. on a 90 minute Z2 run i will average around a 5:05 per km for the first 5k, then gradually slower towards the end where I will be around a 6:00km. Crazy to think that in 2 months may Z2 pace has increased this much.
Before starting the Z2 plan I ran a 44:30 10k and last week I did it in 41:30, not quite a PB but with another 2 months of training I honestly feel confident I can push for a sub 40 minute 10k!
I would say to anybody considering a zone 2 plan that now is the perfect time, since for the next 3/6 months most races will be cancelled anyway. It's just hard for the first month to stay motivated when everybody is overtaking you, especially if you're as competitive as me.
One key point to note is that I now use a garmin forerunner 935 which calculates my heart rate zones based off my lactate threshold. This increased my zone 2 'ceiling' by around 10bpm to 150bpm (I'm 22). This allowed me to increase my pace slightly, but even so my pace at this heart rate improves each week, so I think I have found the sweet spot for me!
@Wooly Chewbakker
Here's my reply on the other comment so you get the notification :)
After 2 months I have seen huge results already. on a 90 minute Z2 run i will average around a 5:05 per km for the first 5k, then gradually slower towards the end where I will be around a 6:00km. Crazy to think that in 2 months may Z2 pace has increased this much.
Before starting the Z2 plan I ran a 44:30 10k and last week I did it in 41:30, not quite a PB but with another 2 months of training I honestly feel confident I can push for a sub 40 minute 10k!
I would say to anybody considering a zone 2 plan that now is the perfect time, since for the next 3/6 months most races will be cancelled anyway. It's just hard for the first month to stay motivated when everybody is overtaking you, especially if you're as competitive as me.
One key point to note is that I now use a garmin forerunner 935 which calculates my heart rate zones based off my lactate threshold. This increased my zone 2 'ceiling' by around 10bpm to 150bpm (I'm 22). This allowed me to increase my pace slightly, but even so my pace at this heart rate improves each week, so I think I have found the sweet spot for me!
@Wooly Chewbakker Good luck! Looking forward to hearing how you get on.
@@AW71963 great job! Am in my 1st month and though I am no where near your times, your update is encouraging :)
I came to your video to help calculate my cardio zone HR but I got so much more than just that! I appreciate you brother!
Wow I can't wait to try this. My runs are indeed in zone 3 or 4. Now I am even looking forward to my run tomorrow instead of hating it
Might be your best video yet. As an amateur trying to plan for his first tri this year, I wasn’t getting any faster. Every run, bike, or swim I was trying to crush it. This made a ton of sense. So much I went and bought mark’s 80/20 book and read it in 3 days. I now have a much, much better understanding of how the hell these guys put so much mileage in during a week. I was topping off at like 7 run miles and the last 2 weeks that went to 13 and then 15. It might be a good follow up to discuss the zone 1-5 for the run/bike/swim - it seems a lot of this might be by ‘feel’ and perceived effort - mark discussed the heart rate for running, but used a lot of power numbers for biking and distance for swimming.
Soooo much good information on improving cardio in just 13 minutes.
Hey Champ, 40K+ people watched this Video. You have a tremendous group of people who believe in you and who you inspire, Big Big Congrats, this is big responsibility. A lot of people today don't believe in very much, but they believe in you Lionel. Don't weaken and most importantly, stay 'True'...!!!
Hi Taren, I’m loving the zone 2 content. I’ve used it effectively, specifically maffetone, to improve running health/distance/speed in the past. And currently using it to rehabilitate after some serious illness.
One thing I would say is that while it can feel like a slog when starting, over time, it’s easier and easier and way more enjoyable than zone 3+.
Short term ego death for long-term pizzaz.
Nasal breathing threshold is also useful for those days when you don’t have HR gizmos to hand.
Thanks! This is really motivational. I'm several years on a plateau, and I realise now that I do 90% of my workouts in zone 3. I can't wait to get started with this and reset!
After 4 months is there a improvement?
How's it looking for you now?
There is a whole book on this topic. It’s called a 80/20 triathlon by Matt Fitzgerald
Zone 2 training in the 5 zone method allows maximum stretch of the left ventricle, increasing the side, which allows more blood and oxygen to be pump around the body. Love zone 2.
Info about the "Grey zone" just blew my mind. Thank you
Great info TT.
I think I’ve been guilting of being in Z3 for most of my training.
It seems like most amateurs probably are doing most of their training in Z3? Nobody wants to be doing a brisk walk only or 60 minutes balls to the walk, so it just ends up being a comfortable zone.
I hope I get into Team Trainiac!
Just in case this helps anybody, what was said at around 10:50 isn’t exactly correct according to some. You can tack a higher intensity segment onto the end of a Zone 2 workout, but going above your Zone 2 upper heart rate threshold in the middle of a “Zone 2 workout” will negate a lot of the benefits that you would see if you remained in Zone 2 for longer. Basically, as soon as you leave Zone 2 and go to a higher intensity, you’re no longer doing a Zone 2 workout. I’m no expert though. See Peter Attia’s conversation with Iñigo San-Millán.
Thanks for all these great advices. After years of stagnating performance training in Z3 and Z4-5. I decided to give this Z2 thing a shot with a 18 km run. I instinctively stopped my music and added a metronome app with 85 bpm instead. I tried to breathe through my nose and concentrate on it all the time. OMG ! that was the must enjoyable run i had in a long time. It was like meditation. Not boring at all, and i didn't even missed my usual music.
After the run i was not even exhausted and my shower singing voice got much better 😂
Love hearing that, great tip too!
Just finished Maffetone “Endurance Handbook”, listening to “Iron Wars” on Zwift runs, but your guided training video got me to slow down yesterday on Zwift bike rather than to worry about power, and it works. Haven’t downloaded this spreadsheet sheet, but just watching makes sense!
Taren, Thanks for your presentation. I am a Masters athlete coming back after a 30 year break from athletics (middle distance). I am a firm believer in Zone 2 training. I have been training for over 6 months at base. I 100% nose breath and my pulse normally sits at 114 during exercise. My resting pulse rate as dropped from low 60's to high 40's over 6 months. I utilize nose breathing to regulate speed and intensity. If my nostrils start flaring, I know its time to stop as I am entering Zone 3.
You are the first one who shows so much pace improvement in only a few weeks with the maffetone method. All say it's slooooowww. Haha. I'm only now getting into this and thinking if I upload the crap pace to strava or not 🤣
It’s really encouraging when you are getting fitter but actually enjoying the experience
so I did a run in zone 2. lol, very difficult, i will say. but i got this on my garmin connect. " i gained a boost in my cardiorespiratory fitness with this easy aerobic run. Cool!! Thanxz taren for all your info
I learnt a lot from this thanks so much. I love running but I just started out so I’m slow. But I keep my heart rate low and have managed to run 8km non stop now.
I hear pros number one advice: non-pros dont ride slow enough during recovery or ride hard enough to adapt... Just in the middle, not doing much for your training. Your helping the community!
The exact video I was looking for to rationalize where to be in Zone 2 run training that I've been considering lately. My run fitness is way less than the bike (training for du). Zone 2 run pace puts me predominately in Zone 4 HR (regardless of the day, bike power/HR zones almost always fully overlap). I think going forward for the next while I'm going to prioritize HR over pace for straight Zone 2 run stuff and check back in a couple of months upping the pace and see what happens with the HR. Thanks man!
There are different brandings for the same thing: maffetone, zone 2, sweet spot, aerobic training, polarized… they all indicate the same thing, lower your heart rate, increase your mitochondria, and lots of repetition (it should include leave your ego at home). The result is the same, more power or pace with the same aerobic expenditure and less chances of injury.
I would love to read any literature you found on hypercapnia (high CO2) "training" during cardiovascular exercise. I work as a Respiratory therapist in Canada, having a hard time believing this hahah. Cheers, thanks for the great videos!
This is an eyeopener for me. Always running in zone 4 and 5
yeha, me too. i come form crossfit background and i feel like a pussy running and jogging in Z2. People think i am battling corona virus or something haha...
Hell yeah I love this, I started the heart rate monitoring system before this, but this just helped clarify some things. I'm loving it, keep it up bro.
Awesome best Video I have seen regarding zone 2 training, everything mention is exactly how I feel..
I'd love to get some links to the studies conducted about nasal breathing and higher O2 use efficiency.
Thx!
Nick Morphew, check out Patrick McKeown and Oxygen Advantage here on youtube. Loads of good info.
Such a useful informative video. This was so me always in Zone 3. And no gains. Thanks
I just started running again…. and can do a pace of 5:00 min / km; albeit I feel like I’m gonna die when I’m done. I have since done a Z2 run & averaged almost 7:00 / km. I’m not sure if it’s because of my age (64)…. but based on everything I’m reading…. I’m guessing this Z2 training is something that would / should prove most beneficial. Time will tell. 😊
Glad I found this video. I trained last night trying very hard to stay in zone 2 but it was very difficult, I had to look up if what I was doing was correct and sadly it is that slow lol I'm also going to have to get a treadmill so I'm not seen speed walking. I picture that controversial Mr. T commercial where he pity the fool who speed walks lol
Zone 2 is hell but TRUST me, it'll be worth it when it comes to race day!
Wonderful!! Thank you very much for these precious informations!
Thanks man, your video kept my motivation to held steady in zone 2 training..
I have been training with MAF training for months now.
And how have the results been?
@@mikemosby8000 slowly i feel the confidence that my lungs can handle longer run without killing my body and self esteem. I learnt to be patient with my body and progress (and not compare my efforts with others).
Thanks for posting these videos, Taren! I wish I knew this before but it helps to start now. We'll see how it goes :)
for me 125 would be more appropriate because my resting heart rate is higher - as a professional couch poptoe the RHR is about 70. which is ok because 3 years ago when i had diabetes and even more weight my RHR was about 95!!!
i trained for about a month now every second day on average (initially only SIT) and i feel great.
the improvements are great and i hope it will translate in a smaller waist circumference soon. 113cm (and the same weight in kg) is still far too much
wow, this is eye opening. I do most of my running (30 mins to 2 hour efforts (4-12 miles)) at a sustained 185 bpm (far into zone 5) and haven't been able to figure out how to get my HR down while running. even at a 12 min pace it seems to drive through 175 within the first 1/4 mile. I'm going to tone it back a bit, spend a lot of time in zone 2 and see if that helps. My speed does improve the way I've been doing it, but my cardio system hasn't. seems like this is why.
From what I got from it, you just need to focus on maintaining the zones. Its working to help me, it just takes time and I have to look at my heart rate monitor a lot to stay in the zone.
You could also read 80/20 Triathalon by Matt Fitzgerald.
The 80/20 Matt Fitzgerald Run Heartrate Z1,Z2, X, Z3, Y, Z4, Z5 calculator gets you to do a Lactate threshold 30min Run test (taking the last 20min av.hr). All the zones work off this. Maff is abit generic and not accurate using 180 minus age. For me thats 141 or 146 with the +5 (as im 39) . So my maff range is 136-146. Yet my 181bpm lactate threshold sets my Z2 to 147-163. Mid to Top of Z1 is maff for me if I'd not done a threshold test id be missing out on the Z2 benefits. Cheers
Excellent video, very informative!
I'm a complete noob but figured out myself that nose breathing is the way to measure that the intensity is right for long easy efforts....just the first couple of km are a bit of a snotfest
hey i think you just saved my life. 52 male been cooped up in the house taking care of a disabled wife for over 4 years now. My health has went down the tubes because of it. I do own a bike and a old fan bike. I recently started the air bike and riding outside when i rarely get the time but i am dying at a heart rate of 144. I am willing to bet that that is my max hr lol. i have been going at it to hard. i cant get your free calculator to open up on my phone but it will be ok, i will figure out my zones somehow. Thank You so much for these videos.
Super happy to hear it, man! Sorry about your health and your wife's situation, I hope for better days for both of you. :D
Ok, but what if I don't have much time? Let's say maximum 6 hours per week? Should I still stay in zone 1-2?
I have just started this low heart rate training... 11mm I was at.. My 3rd run at 10.23.. My usual easy (grey area) I'd be at 8.20ish pace
I wondered if you still use Maffetone!
You do got smarts. Thanks.
For me walking at 6.5 km/h my hr 135-145
Walking at 7.5 km/h my heart rate 165-175
Running at 10.5 - 12 km/h my heart rate 175-190 when i walking i feel nice but when i running it become little hard to breath
Welk explained, thank you.
Nose breathing is the best way to find your true zone 2 HR. As soon as you can’t do it, you’re out of zone 2
i have a broken nose. are u sure?
I have a narrow nasal passage. Doesn’t work for me.
Not true after you're reasonably fit or just used to it. I can nose breathe comfortably in the 155-162 HR range when not suffering from allergies and my zone 2 is 135-145. And judging from TV footage, it's common to see marathon runners breathe through their nose in the middle of races. For me, breathing like you're just "watching TV" is a good indicator. That is, you should feel comfortable pausing a bit before inhaling after an exhale.
Last week I ran 10.6 miles nose breathing only at a 8:08/mi pace with a total moving time of 1:26:31 and honestly it would’ve been much harder for me to have ran those 10 miles if I was breathing through my mouth the entire time. The nose breathing helped keep me in a focused state of mind where I was able to shut off my mind for miles at a time. There were a few instances through the course of the 10 miles where I started to become “air hungry” where my body would send me signals to want to open my mouth to get more air in but with a little discipline if you don’t give in then the feeling eventually subsides. I was able keep a steady state of movement with an ave. HR of 156 bpm and a max HR of 175. It’s a real good tool to have in your tool box because whenever you want to increase your intensity or speed you have an extra gear the moment you switch to mouth breathing.
This will work great for me. I can hardly breath through my nose ever. If I can run while just breathing through my nose, there is no way I'm going to be out of zone 2... In fact, after about 4 minutes, I'll probably be passed out. Nice low heart rate when you are asleep.
Heart Rate Training seems to be biased against older athletes. I have a goal of running the marathon under 3:00. But, if I do this calculation using my age (55), I am running way too fast. If I compare it to someone who is 36, then my pacing is spot on.
I looked at your formula and it appears that the grey zone is a direct calculation of a person's age. Does this say that every 55 year old has the same fitness and same maximum heart rate?
BRO!!! I just tried a run at zone 2... well I COULDN'T run in zone 2! I spent an hour "power walking"! It was terrible! I'm not sure how much more I can take! I feel like I'm in decent shape, but numbers don't lie?
How's it now?
He said you will eventually go faster and faster with more training at that HR. Looks like you have some upside potential to enjoy!
So how is it now?
Your Zone 2 is off. Try running at your slowest pace. You should still have a low heart rate, and not be speed walking. You'll gain benefits quickly.
Very helpful!
I have a question: I'm 33 years old and I did a stress test. The result was Max HR 193 for 12 min and 196 watts.
The calculator says:
z1 to 119
z2 119 - 132
z3 132 - 172* upper limit isn't too much?
z4 172 - 184
z5 184 - 212!!!
may be a I did another test type? I don't understand, 212 bpm are too much.
by the way: thanks for the calculator!!!
wow, that's a great video!
Heard about avoiding zone 3 often already by now and believe(d?) it. BUT for 5 weeks now I'm on a trainerroad plan. I've never experienced such an explosion of bike fitness in this short time. Not even close. And they mostly work with sweetspot training which I guess is pretty much zone 3. This makes me doubt it a little bit these days.
Useful explanation
Loved the intro! :D
But how much zone 2 do we need per day for it to be effective?
Awesomw video and info, thank you. When you say NOSE breathing do you mean breathing in and out from nose only or in from nose and out from mouth? Thank you and good day.
I totally agree. I don't know should I even upload those embarrassing workouts to strava 😂So it looks like I was spending a massive amount of time in so called grey zone that's why I suck!
Great video
Hi Taren! Greetings from Kansas City. Excellent presentation on zone 2 HR training! How can I compensate for cardiac drift when I'm doing precision zone 2 HR training? For example, yesterday I was doing an easy long foundation run @ zone 2 efforts, and consequently (due to cardiac drift) may have drifted out of zone 2 and into lower ceiling of zone 3. Should I slow down the pace to compensate and ensure that I remain in zone 2, or just accept the effects of cardiac drift? 🤔
Your thoughts are very much appreciated 😀
I have such a high heart rate than just by walking around my apartment I reach zone 2, so when I use a treadmill I have to walk instead if slow run. 😶
please look at the Hb oxygen saturation curve and speak to an intensivist about the underlying physiology. Shifts in the O2 sats curve are affected by pH. My gut feeling is nasal breathing MAY increase paCO2 and lower pH (but probably not protein buffering and renal h+ secretion) but to start making claims about shifting oxygen binding in the real world seems to me a stretch too far. Whilst this is first year physiology this rapidly becomes extremely complex
Taren, how did your workout plan change from before the 6 week period?
Is this method applicable to average heart over the training period? Does it matter if the max heart rate exceeds zone 2, which is common for those with HR drift even over very easy runs
This is great! Definitely going to implement this. Thx Taren!
Great video! Any recommendations for a cheap and easy to use heart or zone tracker?
try CRIVIT PRO..I use it and it is effective.It has so many options to monitor and measure. I think the price is around 30bucks
I have POTS and am trying to recondition my heart. POTS increases my heart rate and lowers my blood pressure which leads me to pass out. It is very hard to control my heart rate. I just downloaded your spreadsheet and this is so helpful to make sure I don't go too high. If I do go too high and pass my max - would you recommend that I walk to condition my heart and learn to get to the run?
At about 5:00 you say you did a max hr test, how did you do that test?
I used your calculator and completed my first accurate zone 2 run. How hard is it to do this??
Hi Taren, what about SST, or "Sweet-spot training"? That is by definition high Z3/low Z4. I've been doing lots of that this off season, and I find that it both stimulates (pushing up) FTP improvement, and it's easy to recover from - even 90'ish minutes accumulated at this effort level. Z4+ is much more taxing. I completely agree that the majority of training time being spent in Z1/Z2. I just differ on time spent in Z3 based on personal experience. In summer, my hard training will shift to pure Z4 and higher intensity intervals. Thanks!
read 80/20 by matt fitzgerald
I’m training at MAF method too, but when he start adopting the method was already running 10k in 29’ 😊
For some reason I am unable to access this spreadsheet.
So, I am mainly a badminton player, doing zone 2 for endurance. If I want to get faster than my 8-9 m/km in zone 2 (60-70% max h.) you would recommend to add zone 4 or will zone 3 add to my aerobic system too because I started last December adding running to my sport profile (had badminton, strength, rope skipping for years and hours per week before) ?
I swim masters competitively during the winter, our swim training is more focused on swim speed for fast short 50, 100 and 200m’s at the meets. 80/20 is just not happening in my swim workouts. Should I then look into doing more of at 90/10 training on the bike and run to compensate?
hell no!
Thanks, very interesting. Do you watch your heart rate zones or power zones when on the bike? Do you want to be in both power zone 2 and heart rate zone 2?
Did you receive any input regarding this question?
Oh and I have been nose breathing now all day/night and runs for 7 weeks I can now actually run 7.30s comfy nose only :)
what I find surprising is that your maffetone/recovery HR is at ~79% MaxHR (139/176), which for some would be already into zone 3 and overlapping with the anaerobic zone. I point this out because I find increasingly hard to find what is the 'right' zone 2. I've been running 95% of my runs between 65% and 75% maxHR and trying at all cost to avoid crossing the 75% boundary, but based on your zones, I see that there is quite a bit of flexibility there. Still, I am very confused about what is the most appropriate HR. Is 65% maxHR too low and is 75% maxHR to high? Utterly confused now....
This is exactly what I've been trying to figure out for months now. Maybe I'm overthinking but trying to get zone 2 down to an exact science. I've taken Lactate tests, v02 max tests, and MHR but still can't find exactly what zone 2 is. From all of the info I've gathered from Taren to Matt Fizgerald to Stephen Seiler, I don't think it's an exact % based on your MHR but just to be at low intensity most of your training. For me that is between 60-78% of MHR which is at least 80% of my training. Hopefully I see it in the long run
Hi TT!, really interesting stuff, I am a fairly time crunched 54yr old age grouper now training for 70.3 Mallorca next May, I've started z2 training in both run and bike so far, feels weird not crushing it, can i ask is it detrimental doing a 2hr fasted gym bike z2 session with just electrolytes, my nos are quite low at the moment 140 watts, 85-90 rpms cadence but all super comfy.
Love the channel. Kind Regards.
Amazing advice again T-man. Nasal breathing- do you also exhale through the nose as well?
Thanks for the zone 2 series.if I would be running in zone 2, I have to run at my slowest, about 7.5-7.8k/hour. Now I’ve been running at around 8.5/hr, should I slow down to 7.5, and raise the pace as well ? Does that mean I have a very weak cardiovascular ability?
Started off the couch 3 weeks ago. A run that feels very easy has me around 155bpm (peaking at 160bpm on the slight uphills). I can easily nose breath with this level of exertion. Is this just because I'm so new to training? will my heart rate come down relatively quickly as my body adjusts to being more active? Or do I need to back off and just start power/speed walking?
I downloaded the spreaddie, but it doesn't have the power bit on it? - is that version available too? I used my new magic number of 137 today, and it felt really comfy to know I wasn't chasing the average!
What brand is your tt bike looks awesome
hey - what is the name of those wall bike holders? They're so cool! Thanks for the great videos!!
They're "DaHanger"
Love it
Do you have a reading reference for the high CO2 being an advantage ? Cheers 👍
yeah, this sounds sketchy
My mine discipline is XC how does any other this translate to Cycling?
Whats the best zone for burning calories?
Hi Taren, I’m an Italian traniac who has been following your channel for a long time! :-)
I’m trying to slow down and keep on eye on my heart rate as well as planning easier workouts.. but I find it quite tough for my leg.. going faster is less impacting on my muscles, my legs are very often heavy after a light run.. is it the same for you? Is it normal or does it relate with my (probably not so good) run mechanics?
how do you get faster using the same zone 2? what are the trainings?
your body gets stronger and your heart too,so you can push harder and the heart can manage it easily.
Have you thought of doing a podcast with Matt Fitzgerald?
Can this apply to all endurance sports
hi
Taren, how much 7min/km zone 1-2 you do in average for that 6 week ? so no need to care about cadence and stride length?
3 years later still relevant
When beginning to train with zones is it best to use stationary equipment? I have a hard time with zone 2 running, but don't live in an area with flat ground. Just wondering if I should use a treadmill in the beginning phase of building a good base or if there is a way of still taking it outside.
Walk up the hills.