# Zone 2 Training Sources: See also: - [[My Zone 2 Training]] ## Summary ## Notes ### Purpose 1. Aerobic efficiency: Make the body more energy efficient by teaching it to spare glycogen. We want it to preferentially use a higher percentage of fat for energy. 2. Endurance: During Zone 2 training, stressing Type 1 slow-twitch muscle fibers improves clearance of lactic acid and transport back to the mitochondria for energy. ### Health Benefits 1. increase in the number of mitochondria 2. increase in mitochondrial efficiency 3. increase in “metabolic flexibility” by increasing lactate transport protein, Monocarboxylate transporter 1 (MCT-1). 4. lower resting heart rate 5. decrease in blood pressure 6. lower risk of injury 7. improve insulin resistance ### Calculation #### Traditional method calculation - For example, assuming a maximum heart rate of 165 BPM and resting heart rate of 45 BPM. - Target = [(max - resting) x %intensity] + resting - At 60%: [(165–45)*60%]+45 = 117 BPM - At 70%: [(165–45)*70%]+45 = 129 BPM - Using this formula, the target Zone 2 is 117 - 129 BPM, or rounded to 120 - 130 BPM. #### Ballpark calculation If you can speak easily and in complete sentences without pausing, you are probably in Zone 1. If you can talk or sing but pause occasionally to breathe, you are in Zone 2. If you cannot speak more than a few words before pausing, you are in Zone 3 and above. #### Realtime measurement _Detrended Fluctuation Analysis (DFA Alpha 1)_ is an index of heart rate beat to beat, fractal-related self-similarity. Although your heart rate may be 60 bpm, the beats do not occur exactly every 1.000 seconds. The pattern of self-similarity changes as exercise intensity rises, from values well above 1.0, moving down to 0.75 near the aerobic threshold and dropping even further above this exercise intensity. Exercising at intensity resulting in DFA A1 above 0.75 is zone 2 training. DFA A1 of 0.75 is a proxy for Aerobic Threshold — the lower point that marks a shift in your energy sources from fat and more markedly toward carbohydrates.[^DFAa1] [^DFAa1]:[Muscle Oxygen Training: DFA a1 and exercise intensity FAQ](x-devonthink-item://8B8B7814-A3F4-413A-9436-388C19059982)