Zone 2 and Zone 5 Training

 
 

Summary

  • There are 5 training zones

  • Target zone 2 for aerobic performance and fat burning

  • Target zone 5 for VO2 max performance (if you can do this safely)

  • Heart rate is a common way to estimate which zone you are in

    • Maximum heart rate is determined by taking 220 and subtracting your age

      • For example, if you are 45 years old, your maximum heart rate is 220 - 45 = 175 beats per minute

      • You can use an aerobic machine heart rate measurement or a wearable to guide you

      • You can also look at the speed or wattage you are achieving on your aerobic machine while wearing a heart rate monitor so you have an idea of where your zone 2 is (but your zone 2 wattage may change over time or if you are tired or sick).

Zones

  • Zone 1: Recovery Zone

    • Heart rate target is 50-60% of maximum (e.g. if 45 years old with a max rate of 175 beats per minute, heart rate is between 88 and 105 beats per minute).

  • Zone 2: Aerobic Zone

    • Heart rate target is 60-70% of maximum (e.g. if 45 years old with a max rate of 175 beats per minute, heart rate is between 105 and 123 beats per minute).

    • You can talk sentences but with some difficulty

    • Aim for 20+ minutes (ideally 30-60 minutes) 3-4x/week

  • Zone 3: Tempo Zone

    • 70-80% maximum heart rate

  • Zone 4: Lactate Training Zone

    • 80-90% maximum heart rate

  • Zone 5: VO2 max Training Zone **speak with your healthcare provider before doing this training

    • Heart rate target is 90-100% of maximum (e.g. if 45 years old with a max rate of 175 beats per minute, heart rate is between 158 and 175 beats per minute).

    • This is near or at your maximum effort

    • Do this once per week (you can add it to the end of a 30 minutes Zone 2 workout). Warm-up before doing zone 5 training

    • Sample workout protocols for zone 5:

      • i) 30 seconds of full effort followed by 5 minutes of rest. Repeat 4 times

      • ii) after warming up, do a) 2 minutes of maximum effort and take note of how far your went (e.g. 600 meters); rest for 2 minutes; then b) go as fast as you can to make it to the distance you did in part a (e.g. 600 meters) even if that takes you longer (note the time); rest for 2 minutes; then c) go as far as you can in the time it took you to do part b; then cool down

      • iii) 3 minutes Zone 2 followed by 1 minute full effort, repeat for 20-30 minutes