The Importance of Zone 1 and Zone 2 Training
Zone 1 and Zone 2 training help you build endurance, durability and strength. In addition, these easy training sessions help build capillary pathways that transport oxygen to your muscles and carry waste (lactate) away from your muscles. The more capillary pathways that you can build, the more efficient you will be. Efficiency is equal to free speed.
If at first you can't keep your HR under Zone 2, then you need to slow down. If that means you run for three minutes and walk for two minutes to keep your HR down then, by all means, do it. For a fit athlete getting back into training, I recommend training without a heart rate monitor for two weeks. Put it back on once you have a sense of fitness coming back. You may feel that training in Zone 2 and under is a step back, but you will see the progress over time and you will be thankful you were patient during this important phase.
Adaptation for everyone will be different. Some people will see changes right away, and for others it may take months. Just this year I had an athlete drop about 40 seconds a mile on his long runs after two months of Zone 2 training, and he's been racing and training for over 20 years. So, at any level, improvement is possible. You just need to have faith in the philosophy and, above all else, be patient.
| RPE | Zone | HR | Description |
| 0 | Z1 | Resting HR | Complete rest. |
| 1 | Z1 | Very Easy | Light walking. |
| 2 | Z1 | Very Easy | Light walking. |
| 3 | Z1 | Very Easy | Walking. |
| 4 | Z1 | Still Easy | Maybe starting to sweat. |
| 5 | Z2 | Starting to Work | You can feel your HR rise. |
| 6 | Z2 | Working but Sustainable | Can talk in full sentences. |
| 7 | Z3 | Strong Effort | Breathing labored, but can still maintain pace for some minutes without slowing. |
| 8 | Z4 | Olympic-Distance Race Pace | This is your lactate threshold / your best effort for one hour. |
| 9 | Z5 | 10K Effort | Very hard. |
| 10 | Z5 | 5K Effort | Cannot hold effort for more than a minute or two. (almost max effort). |
Recent Articles:
- 13 Bodyweight Exercises For Triathletes
- What I Wish I Knew Before My First Race
- 5 Keys To Improving Your Swim Technique
Connect with us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram or Pinterest for more tips, recipes and ideas to fuel your ACTIVE life.
Put your mental strength to the test. Sign up for a triathlon.
- 2
- of
- 2
Discuss This Article