Confession: I Used to Think Harder = Better
For years, every workout was a war. If I wasn't drenched in sweat, gasping for air, questioning my life choices—was I even trying? High-intensity interval training became my identity. No pain, no gain, and all that.
Then I learned about Zone 2 training. And I realized I'd been doing this whole thing wrong.
The Zone Nobody Talks About
Zone 2 is the intensity where you could hold a conversation, but it would be slightly strained. You're working, but you're not suffering. Most people skip right over this and either go too easy or too hard.
Why does this zone matter? It's where your mitochondria (the energy factories in your cells) become most efficient at burning fat and clearing lactate. It builds your aerobic base—the foundation that everything else sits on.
- The benefits: Better fat burning. Improved metabolic health. Increased mitochondrial density. Recovery without beating yourself up.
- The execution: 45-60 minutes of cycling, jogging, walking, or rowing at about 60-70% of your max heart rate. You should be able to talk, but not sing.
HIIT Is Great. But Not Every Day.
Don't get me wrong—high-intensity training has real benefits. It improves your VO2 max, boosts insulin sensitivity, and it's time-efficient. Twenty minutes of intervals can be incredibly effective.
But here's what nobody tells you: HIIT is extremely taxing on your nervous system. Too much of it leaves you chronically fatigued, cortisol-elevated, and injury-prone.
- The benefits: Great for VO2 max. Excellent for time efficiency. Real metabolic benefits.
- The catch: Once or twice a week, max. More than that and you're digging a hole.
The 80/20 Rule That Changed My Training
Elite endurance athletes spend about 80% of their training time at low intensity (Zone 2) and only 20% at high intensity. I thought this was backwards when I first heard it. But the more I looked into it, the more sense it made.
- 80% low intensity: 3-4 Zone 2 sessions per week. These build the engine.
- 20% high intensity: 1 hard session per week. This revs the engine.
Since switching to this approach, my resting heart rate has dropped, I recover faster, and—here's the kicker—my high-intensity days are actually better because I'm coming in fresh.
Sometimes the smartest thing you can do is slow down.