How to find your Zone 2 heart rate
Zone 2 is the easy, conversational effort that builds your aerobic base. There are several ways to find your range, and they do not always agree. Here is how to pick one and check it.
What Zone 2 is
Zone 2 is the steady, mostly aerobic effort between a warm-up and tempo work. You breathe a little harder than at rest but can still speak in full sentences. In lab terms, it sits at or just below your first lactate threshold, the point where lactate in the blood starts to climb above resting levels.
The name comes from five-zone models, where it is the second band. Different sources draw its edges in slightly different places, which is why the methods below give different numbers.
Four ways to find it
1. A percentage of your max heart rate
Zone 2 is 60 to 70% of max heart rate. This is the definition Motionry uses. With a max of 184 bpm, that is 110 to 128 bpm. It is quick and needs no testing, but it is only as good as your max. Use the calculator to work it out.
2. The talk test
In Zone 2 you can speak in full sentences without gasping, but you could not sing. If you have to pause mid-sentence for breath, you are above it. The talk test is free, needs no equipment and works alongside any heart rate number. Its weakness is that it is subjective, and it is easy to fool yourself on a good day.
3. A formula such as 180 minus age
Dr. Phil Maffetone's MAF method suggests 180 minus your age as an upper limit for easy aerobic training, with adjustments for health and training history. It gives a single ceiling, not a range, and it can be higher than the percentage method. For a 36-year-old with a max of 184 bpm, 180 minus 36 is 144 bpm. That is 78% of max, which is Zone 3 by Motionry's bands. Two reasonable methods can sit 15 beats apart.
4. A test
A lab test measures lactate or the way your breathing changes as effort rises, and finds your first threshold directly. It is the most accurate method for you, and also the most expensive and least convenient. It makes most sense if Zone 2 is central to your training.
How to check your number
- Pick a range from one of the methods above. When in doubt, start with 60 to 70% of max.
- Do an easy session of 30 to 45 minutes at the top of that range, on flat or steady ground.
- Run the talk test. Full sentences with no strain means you are in a good place. Pausing for breath means your range is too high.
- Watch for drift. Over a long session your heart rate can creep up at the same effort, especially in heat. Slow down a little to keep it in range instead of chasing the pace.
- Adjust by a few beats and try again. Treat your first range as a draft.
This guide is general fitness information, not medical advice. If you have a heart condition, take medication that affects your heart rate, or are unsure whether hard exercise is safe for you, talk to a doctor first.
How much Zone 2
There is no single prescription. Common coaching advice is to keep most of your weekly training time easy, with sessions of 45 minutes to 90 minutes or more, and to build volume gradually. Start with what you can recover from, and add time before adding intensity.
Zone 2 in Motionry
Motionry shows Zone 2 as colour: your heart rate turns teal and the second segment of the zone bar lights up. Set your max from your age or enter your own, and the app works out the range for you. See the full walkthrough on the Zone 2 training app page.