Ep. 157: What Is Zone 2 Training, and How to Do It Right
Listen, Rate & Subscribe*
Apple Podcasts // Spotify // Google Podcasts // Stitcher // Amazon Music // YouTube
from left to right: Shaun Francis, Dr. Stephen Seiler
Everyone from Peter Attia to the Global Cycling Network is talking about zone-based fitness training. It’s gaining popularity as a way to optimize your workouts and train like an endurance athlete, all while making sure you don’t work too hard. So we contacted a global expert to determine whether it’s worth the hype. What is Zone 2 training, and how can you do it effectively— no matter your fitness level? Dr. Stephen Seiler is a professor at Norway’s University of Agder, and for decades he’s been researching the concept of the “polarized training” that separates training styles by lactate range and heart rate. Here, he explores the benefits of slowing down with Medcan CEO Shaun Francis.
LINKS
Dr. Seiler wrote this paper about endurance training zones, spoke about optimizing endurance training in this TED talk with 1.4 million views and runs this Twitter feed with 23k followers.
Watch Dr. Seiler’s recent TEDtalk: “How “normal people” can train like the world’s best endurance athletes.
Check out Fast Talk Labs’ Polarized Training collab with Dr. Seiler and hear his short interview.
Watch this YouTube video: Why Riding Slower Makes You Faster: The Secrets of Zone 2 Training
Read The Case for Slowing Down by Shannon Palus in Slate, featuring an interview with Dr. Stephen Seiler.
Read some of Dr. Seiler’s best-known research:
What is Best Practice for Training Intensity and Duration Distribution in Endurance Athletes? In the International Journal of Sports Physiology and Performance, 2010
Quantifying training intensity distribution in elite endurance athletes: is there evidence for an “optimal” distribution? In the Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports, 2004
Check out Zwift, Dr. Seiler’s favourite virtual training app.
INSIGHTS
Meet Dr. Stephen Seiler, and learn how he ended up as an expert in sports science—in Norway. [2:42]
What is Zone 2 training, and how do pro athletes use it to optimize their fitness? [5:04]
Dr. Seiler breaks down the scientifically-proven 80/20 model of training, and what happens in the body as lactate levels and heart rate increase. [10:05]
Why is it so important that you give your body time to rest, no matter your fitness level? [12:46]
Why is resistance training more important for people over the age of 50 than for young people? [14:14]
Where did the concept of zone 2 training come from, and how much time should we be spending in each zone? [15:54]
How is HIIT (high-intensity interval training) incorporated into zone 2 training? [23:59]
How can people who live a sedentary lifestyle use zone 2 training to create a sustainable fitness routine? [27:55]
According to Dr. Stephen Seiler, is there a “magic workout” out there? [33:59]
If you don’t have a way to see your lactate level or heart rate, what are some other ways that you can tell which zone you’re in? [38:05]
*LEGAL
This podcast episode is intended to provide general information about health and wellness only and is not designed, or intended to constitute, or be used as a substitute for, medical advice, treatment or diagnosis. You should always talk to your Medcan health care provider for individual medical advice, diagnosis and treatment, including your specific health and wellness needs.
The podcast is based on the information available at the time of preparation and is only accurate and current as of that date. Source information and recommendations are subject to change based on scientific evidence as it evolves over time. Medcan is not responsible for future changes or updates to the information and recommendations, and assumes no obligation to update based on future developments.
Reference to, or mention of, specific treatments or therapies, does not constitute or imply a recommendation or endorsement. The links provided within the associated document are to assist the reader with the specific information highlighted. Any third-party links are not endorsed by Medcan.