Does “Zone 2” have a magical level of exercise?

When Podcaster and doctor Peter Attia published his hit book of longevity “Outrive”, in 2023, he introduced a niche concept of training for a much wider audience. Dr. Attia claims that the training “Zones 2”, which refers to long and relatively simple exercises, is of key importance for metabolic health-a closer that is contrary to over a decade of enthusiasm for high-intensity interval training.

Leisurely and stable is not a up-to-date concept, but Dr. Attia and other zone 2 amplifiers introduce a technologically advanced biohacking ethos on this subject. It’s not just about, say, a relaxed bicycle ride; It is about maintaining a very specific level of intensity that is neither too simple nor too complex.

Zone 2 enthusiasts believe that exercises on this effort for at least a few hours a week can assist push chronic conditions, such as type 2 diabetes and heart disease. But some scientists who examine metabolic health are not convinced that this narrow goal is really necessary.

What is zone training 2?

Buzz Around Zone 2 is based on the work of Iñigo San Millan, a professor from the University of Colorado School of Medicine. There was a professional cyclist himself, Dr. San Millan, has long been helping in training cyclists-in this three-time winner of the Tour de France Tadej Pogacar-Okrócz academic research.

His work with cyclists led him to the classification of exercises Six different training zonesPartly based on what type of fuel your muscles burn to explain how the body reacts to various intensity of training. In the easiest zone that can be an energetic walk for an average person, you smoke mainly broad.

When you press harder, you burn more fat – but only to some extent. In addition to a certain level of effort, your body begins to rely more on carbohydrates and is based on fat burning. The levels of lactate in the blood also begin to crawl, which is a sign that your muscles work harder. From a metabolic perspective, Dr. San Millan said: “Something is going on” when you cross this threshold.

Over the years, he noticed that the best cyclists usually spend a lot of training time just below this point. He emphasized that this is not the only type of training – a point that sometimes gets lost in social media with zone 2. But the more time they spend in this zone, the better.

Why can zone 2 be good for you?

There is not much debate that gathering many relatively simple aerobic exercises is good for your health, but the question is whether Zone 2 is extremely beneficial compared to slightly easier or more complex training.

Training at this intensity, according to Dr. San Millan, teaches muscles to most effectively employ both fat and carbohydrates. More precisely, he believes that Zone 2 is the optimal level of starting improvements in mitochondria, so -called “powers” in our cells that employ oxygen to convert food into energy.

If you stay in zone 1, his thinking goes, your mitochondria will not work demanding enough to stimulate a significant improvement. If you approach zone 3, at the point where you start fighting for talking in full sentences, your muscles go to burning more carbohydrates and less fat. So Zone 2 is a sweet place.

It is well established that more mitochondria is associated with positive results, such as better Insulin sensitivity AND Sports performance. But Dr. San Millan with development cohort Other scientists believe that they also act as a sensitive predictor of future metabolic problems: the first place where signs of problems appear on a long way to chronic conditions, such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and even Alzheimer’s disease.

In your theory, the recipe for pulling such ailments is exercise in Zone 2, which forces mitochondria to adapt and develop.

How do you know when you are in zone 2?

Establishing how complex it is to push or how heart rate corresponds to Zone 2, requires a visit to the exercise laboratory, which is not practical for most people. You can’t trust the heart rate zones on the treadmill or other exercise equipment, because Dr. San Millan’s six -speed system is one of several different classification systems, each with different zone boundaries.

Another method that has gained popularity among technical self -optimalizers is the employ of Pinprick Blood to test the level of lactate during training.

Alternatively, you can skip the data and focus on how demanding the exercise seems. In his book, Dr. Attia describes the right effort between the simple and moderate: “Leisurely enough to be able to talk, but quickly enough for the conversation to be a bit tight.” He suggests to start with two half -hour sessions a week and proceed until you spend at least three hours a week in total.

What does science say?

The case of zone 2 is based mainly on observation data, but scientists have not yet accepted these claims in tests in demanding training tests.

Dr. San Millan sees the pace that you can keep in zone 2 as an indirect measure, how many mitochondria you have and how well it works. Over the years, he noticed that those who conduct the most trainings in Zone 2 – professionals are his main example – they see the greatest improvements of this pace.

But when scientists perform muscle biopsies to directly measure how many mitochondria is present, zone 2 also does not advise the subject. Instead, intensive exercises well above zone 2 give the greatest impact on mitochondria. It is also an ending newly published systematic review by scientists in Norway and Denmark, and this is a perspective divided by many scientists in this field.

If interest in Zone 2 leads people to assuming that it is always better, Mrs. Storoschuk warned, they can end with such low intensity exercises that their mitochondria do not employ at all.

It is complex to compare apples between different types of training, which can explain these seemingly contradictory findings. For example, zone 4 hours can bring greater fitness benefits than zone hour 2, but it is also much more complex.

The real magic of the zone 2, said Martin Macinnis, a professor at the University of Calgary, who studies exercises and mitochondria, it may turn out that it allows you to recover quickly and do it again the next day – and maybe even enjoy it. He said that the best training for increasing the mitochondrial health is probably what you want to do regularly.

Indeed, Stephen Seiler, Norwegian sports scientist, observed This best athletes in various endurance sports spend about 80 percent of their time, doing relatively simple training and 20 percent demanding. This model 80/20 seems to produce the perfect combination of how much and how demanding you can train – and it is probably a good recipe for health optimization.

This is a perspective divided even by Dr. San Millan, who never intended to suggest that it is worth doing only one type of training. “Zone 2 is part of it,” he said, “But you also have to do other intensity.”

Alex Hutchinson is a columnist outside and the author of “The Explorer’s Gene: Why are we looking for substantial challenges, up-to-date flavors and empty places on the map” that will be published in March.