Fitness programs can be built around anything. Crossfit is based on philosophy that the constantly varied movements carried out with moderate intensity improve physical competence. Yoga is built around oriental principles to connect to universal consciousness. And Hit is based on the idea that the alternation of short gusts of very intensive exercises with brief periods of recovery will increase endurance and capacity.
Zone 2 cardio is the latest exercise trend, and is based on the long -standing concept that keeping your heart rate in a specific fork can help you make the most of training.
Here is how zone 2 works and if there are real advantages to obtain … in the area … with this fitness trend.
What is zone 2 training?
In the world of the science of exercise, there are five areas of heart rate. They are supposed to help individuals measure progress, achieve specific fitness goals and make the most of their training. Zone 1 is the softest and easiest target zone to maintain and zone 5 is the most intense.
Cardio training in zone 2 is somewhere between the two and is “Aerobic exercise Who is considered light to moderate in terms of intensity, “explains Dr. Carrie Jaworski, doctor of sports medicine and exercise at Intermountain Health in Salt Lake City. It is a type of exercise that aims to raise your heart rate, which is important to strengthen your heart muscles and in the same cardiovascular period while obtaining more oxygen to support you for the same period. explains Jaworski.
To ensure that you are “in the area”, participants in the cardio in zone 2 aim to “maintain their heart rate at 60% to 70% of their Maximum heart rate“Explains Dr. Michael Fredericson, Director of the Division of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation of the University of Stanford.
While lounge is the most popular activity in which people engage in the practice of cardio in zone 2, you can also be in this area by doing many other activities such as “rowing, jogging, swimming And the bicycle, ”explains Jaworski.
Is it good for you? Experts say that these are all the advantages of this simple exercise
Is the cardio of zone 2 the best for fat loss?
One of the main reasons why people choose to determine in this way is that the cardio in zone 2 is known as the fat combustion zone Because it reaches a heart rate which cells start to burn fat. At the same time, a heart rate in this beach “will not specifically target the loss of body fat”, explains Jaworski. “Although the fuel that your body uses in zone 2 understands fatty acids, that does not equivalent to a decrease in percentages of body fat,” she said. “Instead, zone 2 training helps the body to become more effective in using fats for fuel.”
Cardio in zone 2 is also a type of exercise that “has proven to improve lipid levels and Insulin sensitivity In addition to reducing the risk of cardiovascular events in those who already have cardiovascular disease, “explains Jaworski. She adds that the exercise frequently in this area is also good for improving aerobic capacities and the creation of endurance without punishing your body as much as certain training with higher intensity.” The training of zone 2 is easier to burn, which can do it more regularly.
Fredericson adds that the level of cardio in the intensity zone 2 requires is also good for improving contraction and muscle function. And its cardiovascular advantages “include a Cardiac cat at lower restReduction of blood pressure and improving the regulation of vascular tones, “he adds, the latter improving blood coagulation and immune function.
These advantages are among the reasons American college of sports medicine Recommends “that a moderate intensity exercise, such as zone 2, is carried out for at least 150 minutes per week to obtain important benefits for health”, explains Fredericson.
What is a heart rate at healthy rest? Experts explain why this counts.
How to find my zone 2?
To keep your heart rate from 60% to 70% of your maximum heart rate, you will first need to determine your maximum heart rate. To do this, Fredericson explains, simply subtract your age from number 220; “60% to 70% of this number is the level of intensity you need to target during a cardio training in zone 2,” he said.
Once you know this target range, “you can use fitness monitoring or a heart rate monitor to stay in this area during the exercise,” he said.
And if you don't want to wear an instructor or calculate your heart rate, another way to make sure you are staying in this target area is to use the “discussion test”, explains Jaworski. This test is “where continuous discussions become difficult, but still possible,” she explains. A way you know you adhere to this method is that if you need to breathe all three to five words that you speak during the exercise, notes Mayo clinic.
Whatever way you choose to get there, once you have mastered to be able to exercise in this target range of heart rate, Jaworski says: “You can start challenging your body in different ways while the cardio of zone 2 prepares you to more difficult training. “”
This article originally appeared on USA Today: What is zone 2 cardio?
