ZONE 2 CARDIO HAS A RECENT BUZZ AROUND IT, with posts appearing on social media and podcasts. While it certainly has health benefits, one myth confuses many: Zone 2 cardio will not help you lose more body fat than other cardio forms.

Some background: As I age, I am toying with different approaches to physical activity.

Moreover, I am preparing for a spring physique competition in the Seattle area.

When properly performed, heart rate zone training has tremendous health benefits.

Heart rate zone training can help me lose or maintain body weight, improve overall fitness, reduce cholesterol, triglyceride, cholesterol, and blood sugar levels, improve insulin sensitivity, and help lower blood pressure.

Zones

Exercise zones are different intensity levels at which you can engage in physical activity.

These zones are often categorized based on your heart rate or perceived exertion.

Details – Fat-Burning Zone

The most common zones include:

1. Resting Zone: This is the baseline, where your body is at rest, and your heart rate is at its lowest.
2. Fat-Burning Zone: A moderate-intensity zone where you burn more calories from fat. This typically falls within a specific heart rate range.
3. Cardio Zone: A moderate to high-intensity zone where you work on improving cardiovascular fitness and endurance. You’ll likely break a sweat in this zone.
4. Anaerobic Zone: A high-intensity zone where your body relies on anaerobic metabolism, often associated with sprinting or high-intensity interval training (HIIT).
5. Maximal Effort Zone: The highest intensity, usually sustainable for only short bursts, such as during sprinting or very high-intensity exercises.

Go!

The zone system allows me to tailor my workouts based on my fitness goals.

Do I want to burn fat? Build strength? Or improve endurance?

Moreover, I can target specific heart rate ranges, recognizing my age (now 60) and fitness level.

Next, I want to share more about the zone system.

Fat

Let’s return to the zone system and see how much fat you burn each. The Cleveland Clinic (USA) explains it this way:

• Zone 1: You are at 50 to 60 percent of your heart rate. Approximately 85 percent of the calories you burn are fat. While that represents fewer calories than I would burn at a higher intensity, I can sustain this zone longer. You can easily have a conversation in this zone.
• Zone 2: About 65 percent of the calories burned are fat. In zone 2, you should be able to have a light conversation but may need to stop chatting for a moment to catch your breath occasionally. In zone 2 cardio, you are at 60 to 70 percent of your maximum heart rate.
• Zone 3: About 45 percent of the calories you burn are fat. Talking in this zone takes some effort. In zone 3, you perform at 70 to 80 percent of your maximum heart rate.

• Zone 4: You no longer burn fat as fuel. In zone 4, you won’t be able to go for more than about 15 minutes. While you can talk if necessary, you prefer not to chat. After all, you are at 80 to 90 percent of your maximum heart rate.
• Zone 5: You can only keep up this effort for a few minutes. Talking? No way. This very high-intensity zone puts your heart rate at 90 to 100 percent of the maximum.

Given that you are using more fat (and fewer carbohydrates) in zone 2 cardio, some think it is the “fat-burning” zone.

Heart rate

To figure out the right heart rate for your workout, you first need to estimate your maximum heart rate.

A quick way to calculate your maximum heart rate is by subtracting your age from 220. For instance, if you’re 40, your estimated maximum heart rate would be 180 beats per minute (220–40 = 180).

You use a percentage of your maximum heart rate to find your target heart rate during exercise.

Let’s say you want to be in the “zone 2” range, 65 percent of your maximum heart rate. For the 40-year-old example, that would be 117 beats per minute (180 * 0.65 = 117).

So, in simple terms, if you’re 40 and want to be in a good exercise zone, aim for a heart rate of around 117 beats per minute.

Here’s a handy table:

Zone 2 – Fat-Burning Zone?

So if you do zone 2 cardio — working at 60 to 70 percent of your maximum heart rate — will you burn more body fat or weight than in the other zones?

Nope.

Using fat for energy does not mean getting rid of more fat (or losing more weight) than if you are in the other zone.

Researchers compared various cardio approaches, analyzing their impact on body composition (fat loss). Here are the results:

Different intensity types can lead to body fat loss, depending on the total number of calories you burn in a workout.

Zone 2 cardio burns more energy from fat, but because it is lower intensity, it burns fewer calories overall.

On the other hand, higher-intensity cardio burns more energy from carbohydrates but burns more total calories per minute of exercise.

Start

If you are just getting into exercise, please take it easy at first.

Whether it’s a single workout or a warm-up, starting at a lower intensity is usually better.

As you begin a regular exercise routine, it’s important to begin slowly and gradually increase the intensity as you get more comfortable.

Using tools like monitoring your heart rate during exercise can be helpful, but it’s not helpful for everyone.

Heart rate monitoring can be like having an extra tool in your toolbox that might give you useful information about your workout. Some people find it beneficial, while others may not need it.

The key is to stay active and move more. How you choose to do that is up to you.

Listen to your body, start at a level that feels right for you, and progress at your own pace.

Thoughts – Fat-Burning Zone

Please don’t get me wrong.

Much of the physical activity I do is in zone 2. My go-to zone 2 cardio activity is a brisk walk.

This morning, I took a 65-minute walk at a fairly fast pace. I walked at around 3.5 miles per hour.

But walking may not be your thing. Some prefer cycling or running. If you swim, row, or do elliptical training, there is a good shot you are in zone 2.

While I need to spend more time in zone 2 (than higher levels), it is my preferred place.

And you? Do you prefer high-intensity cardio and spending less time exercising? Or are you like me, a Forrest Gump kind of person?

Thank you for reading “Fat-Burning Zone.”