The Best Exercise For Health, Fitness, and Longevity

Summary

This video delves into the essential role of Zone 2 training for enhancing fitness and overall health. It underscores the importance of steady-state cardio for building an aerobic base, improving heart muscle strength, and developing slow twitch muscle fibers. The discussion also addresses the physiological benefits, such as increased capillary growth and mitochondrial efficiency, which contribute to metabolic health and reduced risk of chronic diseases. The video clarifies misconceptions about lactic acid, highlighting its role in energy production and muscle recovery. Practical advice on finding and maintaining one's personal Zone 2 is provided, along with insights on incorporating it into a balanced fitness routine.

Takeaways

• 🏃 Exercise can be adapted to various goals and interests, but certain principles should be staples in a fitness routine for overall health and longevity.
• 🔍 The video discusses the importance of Zone 2 Training, a steady-state cardiovascular exercise at moderate intensity, for building an aerobic foundation.
• 💓 Zone 2 Training strengthens the heart muscle, potentially improving resting heart rate and blood pressure, reducing the risk of cardiovascular conditions.
• 🏋️‍♂️ This type of training specifically targets slow twitch muscle fibers, enhancing their endurance and aerobic capacity.
• 🚀 Zone 2 Training promotes the development of new capillaries, improving nutrient and waste exchange in muscle tissues.
• 🔬 The training increases the size and number of mitochondria in slow twitch fibers, boosting their efficiency in creating ATP, the energy currency for cells.
• 🧬 There are long-term metabolic benefits to enhancing mitochondria, which can help reduce the risk of societal health issues.
• 🤔 The video clarifies misconceptions about lactic acid, explaining its role in anaerobic metabolism and its conversion back to energy during recovery.
• 📝 To find one's personal Zone 2, the talk test is suggested, where maintaining a conversation indicates the correct intensity.
• 📊 Heart rate zones and lactate testing are alternative methods to determine Zone 2, with the latter providing precise blood lactate levels for accurate training.
• 📆 For maximum benefits, Zone 2 Training should be done consistently, ideally spread throughout the week with 45-60 minute sessions, 3-4 days a week.

Q & A

What are the benefits of exercise mentioned in the script?

Exercise can be adapted to fit individual goals and interests, and it can optimize fitness, overall health, and longevity.

What is Zone 2 Training and why is it important?

Zone 2 Training is a form of steady-state cardio at a moderate intensity, designed to build an aerobic foundation. It's important for improving fitness, heart health, and creating physiological adaptations beneficial for overall health.

How does Zone 2 Training affect the heart muscle?

Zone 2 Training strengthens the heart muscle, which can lead to improvements in resting heart rate and blood pressure, reducing the risk of cardiovascular conditions.

What are slow twitch muscle fibers and how does Zone 2 Training benefit them?

Slow twitch muscle fibers are fatigue-resistant and utilize oxygen more aerobically. Zone 2 Training promotes the development of these fibers, enhancing endurance and overall fitness.

How does Zone 2 Training impact the development of capillaries in muscles?

Consistent Zone 2 Training promotes the development of new capillaries, which are tiny exchange vessels that improve the exchange of nutrients and waste products between the bloodstream and muscle tissues.

What is the role of mitochondria in muscle fibers during Zone 2 Training?

During Zone 2 Training, the mitochondria in slow twitch muscle fibers increase in size and number, enhancing their efficiency in creating ATP, the energy currency of cells, especially in the presence of oxygen.

What is the significance of lactate and how is it related to anaerobic glycolysis?

Lactate is a metabolic byproduct from anaerobic glycolysis, a process where glucose is broken down to form ATP in the absence of oxygen. It's important for understanding muscle fatigue and recovery during high-intensity exercise.

How can lactate be beneficial during recovery from high-intensity exercise?

During recovery, lactate can be transported into mitochondria to make more ATP, aiding in replenishing energy levels and supporting the recovery process.

What is the talk test and how can it be used to determine Zone 2 Training intensity?

The talk test is a method where Zone 2 Training is performed at an intensity level where one can still maintain a conversation. It's an effective way to gauge if you are within the correct training zone without needing equipment.

How can heart rate monitoring be used to find and maintain Zone 2 Training?

Heart rate monitoring can help find Zone 2 by targeting a specific percentage of one's max heart rate (commonly 60-75%). It's important to stay within this range for the duration of the exercise session for optimal benefits.

What is the recommended frequency and duration for Zone 2 Training?

For beginners, at least one to two hours per week is recommended, ideally building up to three to four hours. Spreading these sessions out over 3-4 days with 45-60 minutes per session is suggested for maximum benefits.

Outlines

00:00

🏃‍♂️ Introduction to Zone 2 Training

The script introduces the concept of exercise that can be tailored to individual goals and interests, but highlights the importance of certain non-negotiable forms of exercise for overall health and longevity. The focus is on Zone 2 Training, a steady-state cardiovascular exercise that builds aerobic foundation. The video promises to discuss the health and fitness benefits of this training, how to incorporate it into a weekly routine, and to debunk myths about lactic acid's role in muscle function.

05:03

💓 Benefits of Zone 2 Training for Heart and Muscles

This paragraph delves into the physiological adaptations that occur due to Zone 2 Training, emphasizing its benefits for the heart muscle and slow twitch muscle fibers. It explains how this training can improve resting heart rate and blood pressure, thus reducing the risk of cardiovascular conditions. The script also discusses the development of new capillaries, which enhances the exchange of nutrients and waste products in muscle tissues, and the indirect benefits to fast twitch muscle fibers.

10:05

🚴‍♀️ Enhancing Mitochondria and Lactic Acid Clarification

The script explains the importance of mitochondria in slow twitch muscle fibers and how Zone 2 Training can increase their size and number, leading to more efficient ATP production. It also clarifies misconceptions about lactic acid, explaining that it primarily exists as lactate in the body and is not a toxic waste product but can be used to produce more ATP when oxygen is available. The paragraph uses an exercise example to illustrate how the body manages lactate during and after high-intensity exercise.

15:08

🌡 Methods for Finding and Maintaining Zone 2

This section provides various methods to find and maintain Zone 2 Training intensity. It starts with the 'talk test', which suggests exercising at a level where conversation is possible but labored. It then discusses using heart rate zones, with a note on the variability of max heart rate calculations. The paragraph also mentions lactate testing as a more precise method, with options ranging from professional lab testing to personal lactate meters.

20:12

🏋️‍♂️ Incorporating Zone 2 Training into a Fitness Routine

The script advises on how to incorporate Zone 2 Training into a weekly routine, suggesting starting with one to two hours and building up to three to four hours spread across multiple sessions. It also touches on the importance of steady intensity during Zone 2 sessions and the value of combining this training with strength training and high-intensity cardio for a well-rounded fitness program. The paragraph concludes with a reminder to stay within the Zone 2 intensity for maximum benefits.

🌟 Metabolic Efficiency and Health Benefits of Zone 2 Training

The final paragraph underscores the role of Zone 2 Training in creating metabolic efficiency or flexibility, teaching the body to maximize the use of macronutrients effectively. It contrasts this with conditions like metabolic syndrome, pre-diabetes, and diabetes, where the body does not process fats and carbohydrates properly. The script positions Zone 2 Training as a potential 'magic bullet' for reducing the risk of these metabolic dysfunctions and even aiding in remission for some individuals.

Keywords

💡Exercise

Exercise refers to physical activities that are performed to improve health, fitness, and overall well-being. In the context of the video, exercise is discussed as a means to optimize fitness, health, and longevity, with a focus on the importance of incorporating specific forms of exercise into a routine for maximum benefits.

💡Zone 2 Training

Zone 2 Training, also known as steady-state cardio, is a type of cardiovascular exercise performed at a moderate intensity level. The video emphasizes its importance in building an aerobic foundation and the various physiological adaptations it induces, such as improved heart muscle strength and enhanced mitochondrial function in slow-twitch muscle fibers.

💡Aerobic Foundation

An aerobic foundation refers to the body's capacity to perform prolonged exercise that relies on oxygen. The video discusses how Zone 2 Training is designed to strengthen this foundation, which is crucial for endurance athletes and anyone looking to improve their cardiovascular health.

💡Slow Twitch Muscle Fibers

Slow twitch muscle fibers are muscle cells that are fatigue-resistant and primarily used for endurance activities. The script explains how Zone 2 Training specifically targets these fibers, leading to improved fitness and work capacity by increasing the size and number of mitochondria within these fibers.

💡Capillaries

Capillaries are the tiny blood vessels that facilitate the exchange of nutrients, oxygen, and waste products between tissues and the bloodstream. The video describes how consistent Zone 2 Training promotes the development of new capillaries, enhancing the delivery of oxygen and nutrients to muscle tissues.

💡Mitochondria

Mitochondria are the cellular organelles known as the 'powerhouses of the cell' because they generate ATP through oxidative phosphorylation. The script highlights the increase in both the size and number of mitochondria in slow-twitch muscle fibers due to Zone 2 Training, which improves metabolic efficiency.

💡Lactic Acid

Lactic acid, or more accurately lactate, is a byproduct of anaerobic metabolism that occurs when glucose is broken down without oxygen. The video clarifies misconceptions about lactic acid, explaining its role in energy production when oxygen is scarce and its conversion back to glucose in the liver.

💡Anaerobic Glycolysis

Anaerobic glycolysis is the metabolic pathway that produces ATP quickly in the absence of oxygen. The script discusses how increasing exercise intensity leads to a reliance on anaerobic glycolysis, resulting in lactic acid production, and how the body manages this during and after exercise.

💡Metabolic Efficiency

Metabolic efficiency refers to the body's ability to effectively utilize macronutrients for energy production. The video explains how Zone 2 Training can improve metabolic efficiency, teaching the body to maximize fat and carbohydrate utilization, which is beneficial for preventing metabolic disorders.

💡Talk Test

The talk test is a simple method to gauge exercise intensity, where one should be able to maintain a conversation during the activity. The script uses the talk test as an initial, cost-free way to estimate Zone 2 Training intensity, suggesting it is fairly accurate compared to more technical methods.

💡Lactate Testing

Lactate testing involves measuring the amount of lactate in the blood to determine the intensity of exercise. The video describes lactate testing as a more precise method to find one's personal Zone 2, with a target blood lactate level of 1.9 to 2.0 millimoles.

Highlights

Exercise can be adapted to fit individual goals and interests, but certain principles should be staples in any routine for optimizing fitness, health, and longevity.

Zone 2 Training, a form of steady-state cardio at moderate intensity, is essential for building an aerobic foundation.

Zone 2 Training benefits everyone, not just endurance athletes, by promoting physiological adaptations that improve universal fitness and health.

This training strengthens the heart muscle, potentially improving resting heart rate and blood pressure, reducing the risk of cardiovascular conditions.

Zone 2 Training specifically targets slow twitch muscle fibers, enhancing their endurance and aerobic capacity.

The training promotes the development of new capillaries, improving nutrient and waste exchange between the bloodstream and muscle tissues.

Increased capillary density aids in the removal of metabolic byproducts from muscles, benefiting all fiber types.

Zone 2 Training increases the size and number of mitochondria in slow twitch fibers, boosting their efficiency and ATP production.

Lactic acid, often misunderstood, is primarily lactate in the body and plays a role in energy production when oxygen is available.

Lactate produced during anaerobic activity can be utilized for ATP production in the presence of oxygen.

Zone 2 Training improves the body's ability to process lactate, aiding in recovery and enhancing performance.

The training can create a metabolic efficiency, teaching the body to maximize the use of macronutrients effectively.

Metabolic flexibility, a key outcome of Zone 2 Training, can help reduce the risk of metabolic dysfunctions like type 2 diabetes.

Finding one's personal Zone 2 can be done through various methods, including the talk test, heart rate zones, and lactate testing.

For beginners, starting with 1-2 hours of Zone 2 Training per week and gradually increasing to 3-4 hours is recommended.

Incorporating Zone 2 Training into a weekly routine can be done effectively by spreading sessions across multiple days.

Zone 2 Training complements other forms of exercise, such as strength training and high-intensity cardio, for a well-rounded fitness regimen.

Brilliant.org is recommended as an interactive online learning platform for STEM, enhancing educational journeys with engaging lessons.

Transcripts

One of the beautiful things about exercise is  that it can be done in so many different ways  

and molded to fit your goals and interest but  are there some forms of exercise and principles  

that should be non-negotiable or absolute  staples in your exercise routine? Well,  

if you're not only trying to optimize your fitness  

but also your overall health and  longevity, then, the answer is yes.

So, in today's video, we're going  to discuss some of these incredible  

health and fitness benefits that comes with  this form of exercise and this will help us  

a why almost everyone should consider it  and of course we'll talk about how to do  

this form of training and how to incorporate  it into your weekly routine. We'll also have  

a little bit of a fun discussion dispelling  some of the myths around lactic acid and what  

lactic acid actually does to your muscles. It's  going to be an awesome one. So, let's do this.

[Intro]

So, what is this all important type  of exercise? Well, it's a form of  

that dreaded cardio and maybe I should  say dreaded only for some because there  

are definitely plenty of you out there that  can't get enough of this type of training  

but this type of cardiovascular training is  designed to build your aerobic foundation  

or your aerobic base and it's often referred  to as Zone 2 Training and the zone two type  

of training is a form of steady state cardio  done at about a moderate level of intensity.

And again, we're going to definitely talk  about how you can find your own personal  

zone two as well as how to incorporate it into  your routine. Well, let's first answer this  

question of why should everyone consider this  type of training because it makes sense for  

somebody like an endurance athlete or people  who are interested in long-distance running  

or long-distance cycling make sense for them to  do this type of training but what about somebody  

like a powerlifter or maybe even someone like  me who likes to play a lot of basketball because  

I can tell you, we didn't do a lot of zone  2 training to get in shape for basketball.

Well, we're going to answer this by talking  about the incredible physiological adaptation  

and changes that occur within your body due  to zone 2 training and how that translates  

to what I would consider universal fitness  and health benefits. Zone 2 training will  

strengthen the muscle of the heart which  obviously will help to improve fitness and  

this can also lead to improvements in resting  heart rate as well as even blood pressure which  

that can help to reduce your overall risk of  cardiovascular conditions over the long term.

Zone 2 training also has an amazing  effect on your muscles. Specifically,  

the slow twitch muscle cells or the slow twitch  muscle fibers. Now, if watch this before you've  

likely heard us talk about slow twitch versus  fast switch muscle fibers and even some of the  

intermediate fibers but if you're new to this,  let me give you a quick synopsis on fiber type.

If you were to look at a whole muscle you would  see that it was made up of thousands and thousands  

of muscle cells or muscle fibers and some of those  muscle fibers will be classified as slow twitch  

and these would be fatigue resistant. Think  of them as your endurance type fibers because  

they utilize oxygen or more aerobically based  whereas the fast twitch fibers don't utilize as  

much oxygen, are more anaerobically based  but they can contract with more velocity,  

produce more force but they tap out quicker,  meaning they don't have as much fatigue resistance  

and activities that would engage your fast twitch  fibers are things like sprinting, jumping, or  

even heavy resistance training and it's actually  good we brought up the fast twitch fibers because  

again, we're talking about why should everyone  consider this type of training especially if zone  

two is mostly going to cause physiological  adaptations directly with the slow twitch.

Well, we're going to make the case that  developing those slow twitch fibers  

through zone two training is going to also  have some indirect benefits for these fast  

twitch fibers. Consistent zone 2 training  helps to promote the development of new  

capillaries which are tiny exchange vessels  that exchange nutrients and waste products  

between the bloodstream and the tissues and  muscle tissue would be included in this.

So think we're literally growing more  of these tiny tubes or tiny capillaries,  

they're going to penetrate into the muscle  tissue bringing in more blood and more oxygen  

which those slow twitch muscle fibers are  going to be more than happy to gobble up  

that extra oxygen during those aerobic activities  and you could see how that could improve fitness.

Not only can we bring in more oxygen, but  if we have more capillaries and more blood,  

we can bring in more of other substances  like fats and carbohydrates which could be  

utilized to create the energy currency  of our muscle cells or muscle fibers,  

that ATP. And fat is going to be more important  in just a second because we're going to talk about  

how zone 2 primarily utilizes is fat but bringing  in more carbs can also be beneficial to those fast  

twitch muscle fibers because they primarily  utilize glucose or carbohydrate and so, you  

can see that's one of our indirect benefits to the  fast twitch fibers through this zone two training.

Now, we also want to think it's not just about  bringing in more substances to the muscle tissue  

with this increased capillalization, it's  also about being able to more effectively  

pull things out and away from the muscles. Things  like metabolic byproducts. So, for more effective  

at removing metabolic byproducts from the muscle  that could benefit any of the muscle fiber types.

And my favorite physiological benefit  that occurs with zone 2 training is that  

the mitochondria within the slow twitch  muscle fibers will increase in size and  

therefore their work capacity becoming more  efficient plus the overall total number of  

mitochondria will increase in those slow  twitch muscle fibers and all of us who  

have taken biology are probably trained to  think mitochondria, powerhouse of the cell  

because it creates ATP in the presence  of oxygen and that is absolutely true.

And from an exercise perspective, again, we're  just building more upon this. We've increased  

the blood flow already. We've increased  the amount of oxygen we can bring in and  

now that oxygen can be funneled into more  mitochondria and creating more ATP which  

would increase our fitness in our work  capacity but improving on an increasing  

the mitochondria is more than just about  improving our fitness and work capacity.

There are tremendous metabolic long-term benefits  that occur from developing mitochondria that can  

help reduce our risk of conditions that plague  our society and I'm definitely going to talk  

about those in just a second but first, I do  need to clear some things up with lactic acid.

Lactic acid is a metabolic byproduct from a  form of anaerobic metabolism called Anaerobic  

Glycolysis and maybe you've heard of anaerobic  glycolysis before but as the name implies,  

this is when the cell or in this case, the  muscle fiber would break down glucose to  

form ATP in the absence of oxygen and in  general, as exercise intensity increases,  

this would cause the muscle fibers to rely more  on anaerobic glycolysis and would therefore  

result in a build up or an accumulation of  more lactic acid within the muscle fibers.

There are two things that we need to address  or clarify with lactic acid. One is that  

lactic acid under physiological conditions  primarily exist as lactate in our bodies. Yes,  

you could likely get away with using lactic  acid and lactate interchangeably as most  

people in the exercise physiology know what  you're talking about but they technically  

are different because as you're going through  anaerobic glycolysis and building up lactic acid,  

it actually quickly dissociates into lactate  and the hydrogen ion and it's that hydrogen  

ion that contributes to the acidity that's  building up within the muscle fiber and this  

acidity does need to be dealt with because  this could potentially impair or slow the  

overall function of the muscle fiber and this  build up of lactic acid or what we should more  

appropriately say lactate and the hydrogen  ion can sometimes give lactate a little bit  

of a bad rap or mischaracterize it which  is the second thing we need to address.

Lactate is sometimes referred to  as a metabolic waste product. Yes,  

we have to manage the accumulating levels that  can occur during exercise but it's not like it's  

this toxic substance that our body is trying  to rid itself of or excrete. It is a metabolic  

byproduct because we're going to find that when  oxygen becomes more readily available again,  

say like when you decrease your intensity or  maybe there's some cells or tissues that are  

close by to those exercising muscles that have  more oxygen available. What we're going to see  

is that that lactate can be transported  into the mitochondria to make more ATP.

So, let's use an exercise example to  illustrate how cool this is. Let's say we  

start off exercising at a light to moderate  intensity and at that level of intensity,  

we should have enough oxygen available to  produce ATP for our working muscles through  

mostly aerobic pathways - which means we're  primarily going to be recruiting those slow  

twitch muscle fibers and mostly using fat  in the mitochondria as our energy source.

But as we increase the intensity, let's say we're  jogging and we increase our running speed or this  

could even be applied to certain weight training  scenarios, maybe we're doing multiple repetitions  

of heavy squats. The point is we're increasing  the intensity and as we increase that intensity,  

we're going to have to start recruiting some of  those fast twitch muscle fibers and starting to  

shift to more of those anaerobic pathways  like anaerobic glycolysis and we know that  

we can only maintain a certain level of  intensity for a certain amount of time.

The higher the intensity, the less amount of time  that we can sustain it for before we either have  

to back off, slow down, or even just rest  and what's happening is is we're depleting  

our ATP while we're accumulating more lactate.  So, what is our body going to do about this?

So, you'll likely notice that when you pull back  from a bout of high-intensity exercise or enter  

this rest and recovery phase that you'll  be breathing heavy. And you might think,  

why would I need to breathe heavy  if high-intensity exercise is mostly  

requiring anaerobic pathways or anaerobic  metabolism that doesn't require oxygen?

Well, it's not like the aerobic pathways  just shut down. You're essentially getting  

to this point of intensity where you just  can't bring the oxygen into the muscle,  

the mitochondria and process it fast enough  so then you have to shift to and rely on  

other energy systems that are faster like the  anaerobic glycolysis but the drawback of that  

is they're fast but they don't produce much ATP  and so you can only sustain that for a short  

amount of time and we get to this problem that  we mentioned earlier where we've diminished the  

ATP within the muscle and also accumulated  lactate and this is one of the main reasons  

why you're breathing heavily during those rest  periods because you're trying to deal with this.

One of the things you're going to do is  actually replenish the ATP by breathing  

in all that oxygen and replacing it  aerobically by utilizing fats and even  

carbohydrates but also we can utilize  that lactate that we mentioned earlier.  

It's almost like hitting two birds with one  stone. We need to bring down the lactate and  

we can do that when oxygen is present because  we can funnel it into the mitochondria like I  

mentioned earlier and help to bolster up ATP  even further, which is ridiculously amazing.

So, we're going to talk about two pathways  that we can deal with this lactate. One,  

right at the local level, at the muscle we just  exercised as systemically throughout the body. So,  

let's say you consistently participate in  zone 2 training. You improve the size and  

quality of your mitochondria and even increase  the overall number within those slow twitch  

muscle fibers. Based on that, you could see  that that would make you better equipped to  

process increasing levels of lactate that occurs  during exercise and even aid in recovery. And yes,  

it's those slow twitch muscle fibers that  primarily benefit or have those physiological  

adaptations from zone 2 training like creating  these higher quality and higher number of  

mitochondria but again, that doesn't mean that  the fast twitch fibers cannot benefit from this.

The fast twitch fibers actually produce the  majority of lactate but they don't have a lot  

of mitochondria. So, they're going to need  a little bit of help processing the lactate  

they produce and one of the cool things  that can happen is the lactate produced  

in say like a fast twitch fiber could be  transferred to a neighboring slow twitch  

fiber within the same muscle. Therefore,  making it easier for the fast twitch fibers  

to also recover more quickly and effectively  between bouts of higher intensity exercise.

Now, there are going to be limitations to  this and what I mean by that is limitations  

on how much lactate we can process at the  local level within that actual muscle. Yes,  

if somebody is more fit and they have higher  quality and a greater number of mitochondria,  

they could process more of that lactate but  eventually, no matter who you are, you'll get  

to a point where it's too much and you'll get some  spill over and what we mean by spill over is when  

that excess lactate that can't be processed in  the muscle alone will spill over and move into the  

bloodstream and you can actually measure lactate  levels going up as exercise intensity increases.

I actually have a lactate meter at home where I  can poke my finger, get a little blood, and see  

what my lactate levels are at and that's one way  to figure out your zone two. We'll get into that  

in just a second but once it's in the bloodstream,  you now have the ability to have multiple  

other cells and tissues help you process this  lactate and one of those is the amazing heart.

And yes, I'm a little ashamed of this because  we are in an anatomy lab and I tried to draw  

real heart, just didn't work well. So,  this is what we get but the amazing heart  

has these cardiac muscle fibers that also  can improve their mitochondrial number and  

their quality through consistent training  and so that lactate can go into the muscle  

cells of the heart, get into the mitochondria  of the heart muscle fibers and make more ATP.

We can also send that lactate the liver.  Now, the liver does something a little  

different. Instead of funneling it into  mitochondria and creating more ATP out of it,  

it will actually convert that lactate  into glucose through a process called  

Gluconeogenesis which is pretty beneficial  because that can help maintain blood glucose  

levels and that glucose could be utilized  later on for future production of ATP.

So, how do you actually do zone two training  and find your own personal zone two? Well, at  

the beginning of the video, we mentioned zone 2 is  a form of steady state cardio done at a moderate  

intensity and that steady state is important. When  you're doing zone 2 training, you don't want to be  

bouncing between the different training zones or  different training intensities and just average it  

out to zone two. You actually want to stay just  within that zone two throughout the duration of  

the exercise session and that will give you the  most physiological benefits and adaptations.

Now, if you've never heard of the different  training zones, that's okay. The endurance  

athlete world talks about these training  zones a lot. Sometimes they have five zones,  

six zones, seven zones. I personally like  the five but one would be the easiest,  

five would be the hardest and again,  we're going to mostly focus on this  

zone 2 obviously and we're going to talk  about how to find it with the cheapest way,  

just by yourself all the way up to paying  people and buying your own equipment.

So, let's start with the least expensive way and  actually one of the most effective ways to find  

your zone 2 and by least expensive, I mean free  and that is the talk test. Zone 2 should be done  

at a level of intensity where still maintain a  conversation with someone. Not at this level of  

conversation, it needs to be more difficult than  that but if you are on the phone with someone  

while you were doing zone two training, they could  tell that you are exercising. They could tell  

that you are breathing more heavily but you could  still maintain the majority of that conversation.

You might have to take a few breaths in  between sentences but you could get full  

sentences out and the nice thing about this  is it's actually fairly accurate when you  

compare it to laboratory testing which we'll  talk about some of those tests after we get  

to my favorite method of checking for zone  2 and that is based upon heart rate zones.

Using heart rate zones or I should say  a percentage of your max heart rate to  

find your zone 2 isn't my favorite at least  initially because there's some variation in  

this. Some will say that 60 to 70% of your max  heart rate is where you'd find your zone two.  

Others will say 65 to 75%. So you can  see there's a wide range there. Plus,  

you would need to know what  your true max heart rate is.

There are crude equations to help you with  this like 220 minus your age and some other  

equations. There are plenty of people where  these calculations are quite a bit off and so,  

if you just don't have any of that data and  you're just basing it off these percentages,  

you may not be in your true zone two.

Now, if you were to go to a lab and find your  actual max heart rate, that could start to  

narrow it down and make this way of finding your  zone 2 a little bit more accurate but taking it a  

step further to the next testing method to get  what we call lactate testing is even better.

Lactate testing is when you test the  amount of lactate in your blood and we  

know that zone 2 occurs at a blood lactate  level of about 1.9 to 2.0 millimoles. So  

you'd want to stay in that 1.9 to 2.0 range  throughout the duration of your exercise. Now,  

are you going to go to a professional lab  and have this done or you're going to buy  

your own blood lactate meter? Those are  questions you would have to answer for  

yourself but the limitation of going  to a professional lab is it would tell  

you your blood lactate on that day in that  moment and you could correlate your 2.0 or  

your 1.9 or 2.0 with the heart rate that  it occurred at and you could use that as  

somewhat of a training protocol but lactate  levels can change and vary from day to day.

For example, if you're more fatigue,  you had a really intense exercise week,  

you're more fatigue, that could change your  blood lactate level and how it correlates  

with your heart rate and even improvements in  fitness could change this a little bit. So,  

the most accurate way, you could maybe  even consider it the craziest way,  

3 to $400 crazy I guess because that's what  lactate meter would cost and you could just  

test yourself while you're exercising in  zone two periodically throughout the week.

And just to reiterate, if you're just  starting out with the zone 2 training,  

that talk test is a really good place  to start. I've actually done some nerdy  

testing on my own where I've run in zone  2 while talking and just trying to see if  

I can stay in it doing the talk test and  I've used my lactate meter alongside with  

it and actually it's pretty close to that  two millimole. So, good place to start.

And then, if you're using wearables with heart  rate monitors, you can start to narrow in about  

that range of where your heart rate would  be with your zone 2 but one of the things  

you're probably also wondering is frequency  - how often should I be doing this? Well,  

when people are first starting off and  they haven't done much exercise at all,  

we try to get them to at least one to two hours  starting off with the ideal of them getting to  

three to four hours a week. I like to at least get  four hours a week and then the next question is,  

people sometimes say "Well, can I lump that  time into one or two session?" especially if  

they're starting out that one to two hour  range and if that's all you're going to  

give me is like one to two days a week then we  would definitely take it but the ideal way of  

doing this for the maximum physiological  changes and benefits would be to spread  

it out throughout the week with 45 minute to 60  minute sessions about three to four days a week.

Now, clearly zone 2 training isn't the only  form of training that would be recommended if  

someone's concerned about their overall fitness  health and longevity. You'd want to incorporate  

strength training as well and ideally even  adding one higher intensity cardio day,  

like a Vo2 max day that we've actually done  a video on and we'll link that to this video  

and people who are just concerned about  this overall general health fitness and  

longevity and they're just wanting to have  good strength, good cardiovascular fitness,  

you can get a pretty good split by doing say like  three weight training or strength training days,  

three cardio days and you can almost have your  cardio and strength training on different days  

but if you're throwing a Vo2 max session  in there as well, sometimes you're going  

to have to double up some of the cardio  and the strength training on the same day.

Now, if you were to do a workout where  you did like strength at the beginning  

and your zone two right after it or vice  versa, would you make gains in both of  

those areas if you consistently maintained  your routine over the long term? Absolutely,  

but if you're one of those that's extremely  concerned about maximizing your strength gains  

and maybe even hypertrophy training  - getting a little bit bigger, then,  

it would be best if you actually separated the  workouts by a few hours or at least maybe you  

did your strength training in the morning  and your cardio training later afternoon.

I do want to repeat one thing that I mentioned  earlier. When you're doing zone two, you really  

want to stay steady within zone two. When people  sometimes figure out their heart rate range for  

their zone two, they'll sometimes get into  this workout where their heart rate spikes,  

goes down, goes above zone two, below zone 2  but then when they look at their data after,  

they're like, "Oh, my average  heart rate was within my zone two."

You don't want to be doing that, that's not  nearly effective, you want to stay right  

within that zone too. I kind of think of it as  this churning and this constant stimulation to  

your mitochondria. Teaching those mitochondria  to utilize and metabolize fats more effectively  

and creating this metabolic efficiency or even  metabolic flexibility and what you can kind of  

think of that meaning is that you get really  good at teaching your body how to maximize the  

use of your macronutrients. You're using the fats  how you need to use the fats. You're using the  

carbohydrate how you're supposed to be using the  carbohydrates which is pretty much the opposite  

of what occurs with things like metabolic  syndrome, pre diabetes, and even diabetes.

And this is one of the most important health  benefits with zone 2 training. Creating this  

metabolic efficiency or flexibility and I  apologize it took me so long to get here  

but unfortunately, these metabolic dysfunctions  are pretty prevalent in our society and someone  

with like type two diabetes, the body  is not processing or metabolizing fats  

properly. It's not metabolizing carbohydrates  properly and then you get insulin resistance.

So, if there is anything close to a magic  bullet to help reduce our risk of these  

metabolic dysfunctions like type two diabetes  and even push some of them into remission,  

zone 2 training would be one of the items  right at the top of the list and of course,  

it wouldn't be an institute of human  anatomy video if I didn't get a chance  

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Thanks for watching our crazy anatomy  videos everyone. Like and subscribe if  

you feel the need and of course, leave  some comments below. Let us know what  

you thought of the what you think of  zone two training and if you're going  

to incorporate it into your weekly  routine and we'll see you next time.