As any runner who has attempted zone two training will tell you, keeping your heart rate low and stable when you’re pounding the pavements is hard. It often feels that no matter how slow you plod along, your heart rate will never sit comfortably in that 60-70% of your maximum heart rate range.

It’s frustrating, not least because zone two training has been proven to offer a host of benefits, from enhanced endurance and stamina to improved bone density and muscular adaptation.

Recently, Team Strong Women has been facing this dilemma. As keen runners, we want to embrace everything zone two training has to offer, but our patience has started to wear thin. Having to check your watch every 10 seconds and stopping and starting in an effort to lower your heart rate isn’t exactly the recipe for an enjoyable run, no matter how beneficial staying in that zone may be.  

And this frustration got us thinking: is there any other way to reap the benefits of zone two training? Walking, for example, is a great way to increase your heart rate and get your blood pumping – so, is it possible to reap the benefits of zone two training from walking alone? To find out more, we spoke to Rory Knight, the director of fitness and a coach at the audio fitness app WithU.  

Zone two training is typically defined as an ‘easy’ run or cycle that keeps your heart rate in a slightly elevated zone. Most experts define that zone as somewhere between 60-70% of your maximum heart rate, which usually sits around 120-140bpm (although this can vary).

The reason you need to keep your heart rate relatively low during zone two training is that you’re aiming to keep your body in an aerobic state – ie when your body is producing energy using oxygen alone. Whereas in a normal workout, you might progress through the heart rate zones until you reach zone five (also known as the anaerobic zone), during zone two training, you want to keep things controlled. It’s for this reason why it’s sometimes referred to as steady-state cardio.

If you’re running or cycling by feeling alone, zone two training should feel like low-to-moderate effort. You should be able to comfortably hold a conversation as you run (or cycle) along.  

Whether or not you can reap the benefits of zone two training through walking alone will largely depend on the pace you’re walking at and your overall fitness levels, but the good news is that, yes, you can enjoy the benefits zone two training has to offer by going for a walk around the block.

“The speed required for you to get into zone two is totally dependent upon your current fitness level,” Knight explains. “If you are new to exercise or returning after a hiatus, then it’s certainly possible that a brisk walk could get you into zone two. However, for most people who have a higher fitness level, walking alone is unlikely to get them into zone two.”

Knight adds that people with higher fitness can incorporate brisk walking with other challenges to reach that zone two threshold. For example, you could try power or speed walking, or walk a route with lots of hills. Walking on a treadmill with an incline could also work. For some more ideas on how to make your daily walk more challenging, you can check out our guide.  

Whether you prefer to walk, run or cycle, zone two training can offer plenty of benefits if you do it right. So, what’s the best way to maximise those benefits?

“Implementing zone two training into your routine two to four times per week will improve your running performance – the science and data is there,” Knight says. “Use your wearable or heart rate monitor to hold yourself accountable and stay in zone two on your low-intensity days and save your speed for your interval or tempo sessions.”

He continues: “If you are regularly creeping up into zone three on your zone two runs, you are negating a lot of the benefits. Running requires discipline and pace awareness – zone two runs included.” 

Images: Getty