I Tried Zone 2 Training For 30 Days
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 2 ต.ค. 2024
- ✅ Let me give you 30 ways in 30 days to run faster for longer without training more:
runningequati....
I tried zone 2 training every day for 30 days straight. But I did not expect this...
Disclaimers: Nicklas Røssner is not a doctor or a medical professional. Always consult a physician before starting any exercise program. Use this information strictly at your own risk. Nicklas Røssner will not assume any liability for direct or indirect losses or damages that may result from the use of information contained in this video included but not limited to economic loss, ilness, injury or death.
✅ Let me give you 30 ways in 30 days to run faster for longer without training more:
runningequati.ck.page/30days
Zone 2 training everyday will only make you a superior slow runner. You got to polarize your training. Hard days hard, easy days easy.
100%
The problem is that the polarized training is available only to the really fit ones
@@pilotfitz You have to base build until you become fit. This can take 8-12 weeks. Then after that your body is adapted to handle the stress and impact for hard workouts. It doesn't happen over night.
@@PatrickStar-km1dm rather 8-12 years, starting from young age)
Not true. I literally just started in March this year at 38 years old. Spent 2 months base training at zone 2 and ran a 22.16 5k. The last month I've been incorporating really hard vo2 max sessions and looking to smash 21:30. I'm confident I can do this because of the paces I've been able to hold consistently during my hard workouts. This is just the beginning for me as I plan to eventually break 18 min and faster. To do this takes an enormous amount of drive and consistency but it's proven to work. I can tell by your "8-12" years comment that you are not mentally ready. Also if you want it bad enough it doesn't matter how long it takes, you will make it happen.
Really enjoyed the video. Zone 2 has really helped me improve my base fitness after letting things slide with two young kids. Dropped almost 10kg and VO2max has improved from 38 to 43.
I’m now really enjoying the mindfulness of longer zone 2 runs listening to podcasts and audiobooks.
Oh and it’s really nice to hear a Danish accent. Half my family is from Horsens and Aarhus. I don’t get to see them often as I’m in the UK. Your English is amazing!
Thank you so much, man 😄🙏
Yeah having kids really complicate things. I also had to find a completely different way to train when we had kids.
Got any good audiobooks to recommend? Could use something new for my long runs 😄
@@NicklasRossnerPT I enjoyed these. Likewise, let me know if you have any suggestions.
The Martian - Andy Weir (the book the Matt Damon film was based upon). Fits well with the audiobook format and had me laughing out loud in the middle of trail runs.
The Mixer - Michael Cox - I really enjoy football and this was an interesting listen about different tactics.
Slow Horses - Mick Herron - Apple TV have made a tv series based on these books.
Good luck Denmark tonight. I’ll be cheering on. Especially Joa Anderson as I’m a Palace supporter.
@@tristanhawkins8699 Thanks man!
I’m gonna look into it!
Lately I’ve been listening to Atomic Habits by James Clear - Great for understanding how psychology works with or against habit building.
And then a podcast called “Perform” by Dr. Andy Galpin. It’s super nerdy stuff but fun if you’re into performance.
Thanks man! I think we’re gonna have a hard time against Germany on home turf - But often times we thrive as underdogs, so fingers crossed.
You’ve got Slovakia tomorrow? I always love to follow England closely 😄 Such an impressive fandom surrounding football in your country.
Today is a great day. Tour de France AND European Champs.. Can’t get much better 😄
@@tristanhawkins8699shame 😔. He had a shocker 😔
Great! The Thing with the mental health, and the produktive thoughts is the best- byside feeling like newborn afterwards.Just Industry says: you just lose muscles, you get flat, skinny fat etc
Continental to run!
Two zone 2 and one v02max run per week helped to take my times down as well as improve my health markers. I'd do a mix of zone 2, threshold and v02max runs for races
I agree - Thats a solid training approach 😄
That's how I trained for my last marathon. I got a PR, so it's a really good system if you're a few years older than the normal runner.
That's what I want to do right now as I have built a solid base (I'm a new runner). I've been running with a mix of moderate and easy pace for like 3 months and 4/5 times a week but I want to incorporate speed works. I've heard about threshold and v02max but every video is different. Do you guys have a video for each of these exercice that I can stick to and so that I have the confidance that I'm doing the right thing ? Also, I tried following the 200-age for the zone 2 training but my heartrate is just too high even in slow, conversation-pace. I can even breath trhough my nose without fatiguing so any insight on that ?
@@Superayman13 Never use 200-age 😄 it can be wildly inaccurate. Do a MaxHR session instead to find your real max HR. Or do a 30 min all out effort to calculate your zones and find your threshold 😄 (You can see exactly how in my free running zone calculator: therunningequation.com)
I would start with VO2 max work because that is the most potent of the two. Then see how your body responds and then incoorporate a threshold session later. Putting in both threshold and VO2 max at the same time, would probably be a too high increase in total volume all at once and you risk Injury - Unless you Cut down your distance.
Start simple with a 1-2x4minute with a 3 min break. Then every week add 1 interval (3x4, 5x4 etc) until you hit 7 or 8. Then see how you respond and evaluate 👍😄
@Superayman13 I got my max heart rate off my garmin, asked chatgpt to give me all my zones. For zone two, I keep it under 135. If it goes over, slow down and start walking. It takes a while before you can run fully without it going over. The capillaries need time to develop. Cross training helps to develop it faster, I find it a lot easier to keep it within range while cycling. Definitely shorted the initial run walk phase.
As for the threshold, I follow the Norwegians ideology.
I run 6 days/week. “Effort” days are 2 days 70min steadies, 1 day 40min fast tempo, then 3 40min zone2 after each “effort” day. So far, no fatigue, no aches, etc. i have a plate in my foot so until it gets taken out, not strong enough to do speed work. For now, this 6 day approach works - good volume, building pace (even without speed work), etc - zone 2 definitely helps for recovery while spending time on the feet
@@henryrivero2168 Sounds like a great routine. I like the 1 day hard/1 day easy approach 😄
Thank you for this, i found it very useful. Ignore the negativity, when it comes to running, everyone's an expert, apparently😂! Keep up the good work!
@@garethcooke9842 Thanks man 😄
Yeah I guess anything fitness related, people have strong opinions - I’m just glad I actually live my own advice and use it with elite athletes. So it does not affect me that much.
Most are positive and nice people thankfully 😄🙏
Zone 2 training is just for beginners or for recovery. If we wanna run faster, we cannot stay at that zone, because our body couldn’t understand the faster speed and get familiar with it!
100%. To get fast we need both periodization, progressive overload and different workouts designed to improve different cardiovascular systems + strength training for efficiency and running drills to work on our form 😄
Untrue. Many believe up to 80% of your runs should be zone 2. Including elites. And me.
@@conradburdekin722 I agree. In fact multiple elite athletes stay in zone 2 for up to 90%. But they still do periodization, progressive overload and different types of hard runs as well including hill sprints, VO2 Max workouts and threshold training for the remalnder 10-20%. And it is also very different depending on their macro cycles.
@@NicklasRossnerPT yup. There definitely needs to be harder efforts in there for sure.
Really enjoyed your video 😊.
Also: is there any difference between running nearer the bottom end of zone 2 versus the top end?
@@conradburdekin722 I disagree. Many real elite runners (sub 2:20 marathon) all say it's more like a 60-40 split of zone two. This what the Kenyans train at btw. The 80-20 is for beginners.
This may sound stupid, but I think maybe the reason you don't get very good readings from your GPS watch is because you wear it too far down on your arm. From the video it looks like you wear it right on top of the wrist bone. I wear mine just behind the wrist bone (closer to my elbow) and I get great results. I'm not saying it is 100% accurate but it is within 2 or 3 beats of right on. The most surprising thing about the watch is its consistency. I'm not saying this will work 100% but it might be worth a try. Loved the video and I have been doing zone 2 training for about 11 months with great results.
Thanks for the tip! I'm gonna try that :)
It always helps to have a lovely trail or path to run. Denmark seems to be an ideal place for running, not too hilly and not too hot or cold.
Great test and I think you showed some definite benefits with the results. Variability is the best I think as u say , and I have found personally if I focus on zone 2 too much I end up avoiding the longer or tougher exercises, I just turn everything into a zone 2 day 😅 to slow down in thought and think of the present, I often go through the mindful approach of focusing on each of our senses one at a time . What am seeing then hearing then smelling then touching . Works for me often 🙂
@@Foxtrottangoabc Thanks 😄
Thats actually a great tip about the senses. I’m gonna try that next time 👍
Another great piece of content. I think you hit the nail on the head towards the end of your video because zone two is not the magic bullet it’s being made out to be by the wider influencer community. Zone 2 is just a new label for Base training. It’s always been there. Perhaps made opaque by the rise of the HIIT influencer generation?
Eg: Doing 60 to 70% of all of your endurance training at 60 to 70% of your MHR equates to about 12 weeks of base training on a 20 week marathon program. Not including taper.
Thanks man :)
And you're 100% right IMO.
unless you are new to running, you are not supposed to only do zone 2 training. they say you should do zone2/maf 80%, and 20% tempo/interval training. i started more or less brand new at running quite overweight 3 months or so ago, where i seriously had a hard time running 3km at 8:10min/km and was in so terrible shape i felt i was about to die doing such run and needed 3 days to recover. then i came across this low heart rate training/maf method i thought would be perfect for me a couple of months ago, since i also have a heart condition and being told by my doctor i should be careful training too much at zone 4/5. well, when i started out i couldn't manage to walk/run faster than 10:30-11min/km to stay within my zone, and it was embarrassingly slow, but today i did a 5.5km run at 8:28min/km, so we talking insanely 2-2.5min/km faster after only 2 months training, not to mention I've dropped 10-12kg in that period as well. its still not particularly fast, but now i run 3km at almost the same pace in zone 2 which was practically zone 3/4 only 3 months ago, and that is a mindblowing improvement to me, and far better than i could ever imagine. i also like how zone 2 training makes you able to put in more miles on your shoes, and i really enjoy the fact i can just put on some music or a podcast, and enjoy the run instead of dreading going out.
That's an incredible story and fantastic improvement! You're crushing it :)
Good stuff. I have recently picked up running and am having issues with staying in zone 2. I can stay in zone 2 for the first 2 minutes and then I'm in zone 3 and shortly later zone 4. Even ran in zone 5 for 12 minutes. Yesterday I managed to do 3.5 km in 22 minutes, though 30% of it was in zone 3 and 65% in zone 4. The other 5% was done in zone 1/2/5. Gonna look into maf training, thanks for the tip. I got strength training down 3 times a week so I have no issues doing that, I generally have no issues with pain in any body part, it's the high heart rate that will make me stop running and instead walk for a bit.
@@Fremmy Keep getting out there and you’ll soon find your heart rate will be under control 😄👍
I tried Zone 2 training for 3 mths...the result was I stayed the same, no change. So I'm back to 80:20 and start to see gains again. I guess if you're a new runner, it probably will work better but it's just not for me. I really wamt to believe, 'Train Slow to Race Fast', how nice that will.be but it remains a fallacy at least to me.
@@livegreatalways There is something really nice about the feeling after a hard run also. I like that feeling of having just completely conquered myself. Don’t get that with zone 2.
I work shifts doing a physically hard work in a factory. Zone 2 training is the only way i can rack up the miles without burning out. I push myself harder on days off.
@@harrywood702 Burnout is a real thing. Make sure to listen to your body 😄
It sounds like you have a good plan 👍
With Zone 2 you don't feel exhausted during training, but if you add mileage you will feel it afterwards😅
After a while your heart rate shifts 5 or 10 bpm higher with same performance and you don't feel it at all. You should finish the exercise after 20 to 40 minutes after this so called cardiac drift even if you feel like going for another lap.
Or you go for that extra lap and crab and moan for the rest of the day😅
4:15/km in zone 2 that’s some kipchoge level running
I wish. He can run sooo much faster if he stayed at the top of zone 2.
But it's worth noting I've been a sub 15 min, 5K runner and due to my triathlon career with 30+ hour training weeks have build a very high aerobic base. Which is the primary reason, I'm that effecient in zone 2.
I live on the edge of Sheffield /The Peak District. Every run is a hill run. Zone 2 is only really possible on downhills, otherwise i am going for a walk! Actually just ran the round Sheffield run. Think you would love it, amd probably break the course record. It is a trail Tempo/threshold run. 11 stages with walks in between.
Sounds like a great way to get some polarized training in 😄
I feel like when I run 4 times a week, including a zone 2-3 long run, and just 1 tempo 7-8 mile interval tempo run, I get faster. I can’t run everyday or run tempo more than 1 or twice week or my body breaks down. I feel like running 3-4 times week with a tempo and long run has helped me most as runner. I’m a bigger runner 5,9 190 so running everyday even in zone 2 breaks me down. I respond better less mileage but always include 7-8 mile tempo speed 1 week
@@SuperTreybo That sounds like a great routine!
Most weeks I’ll also put in a tempo run, a day of hill sprints and some VO2 Max work. It trains different systems, but I also find it to just keep things interesting and fun 😄
I spent 20+ years in the Army where on most days we ran anywhere from 3 - 5 miles a few days a week at a roughly 9-minute-per-mile pace. Twice a year we would take our physical fitness tests, which included 2 minutes of push-ups, 2 minutes of sit-ups, and a 2-mile run as fast as possible. Believe it or not most Soldiers would shave 2 - 4 minutes off of their time to run the 2 miles as fast as they could. My opinion is that the zone 2 training is beneficial for shorter-distance runners, but not so much for longer-distance runners- partially because running for longer distances requires mental toughness that I believe limits the potential of some.
@@geraldcrumlinii1467 100 percent. One of my closest friends is an adventure racer with week long races. He was also in the army and speaks highly about the mental toughness required for longer distances.
I salute you 🫡
Would've been difficult running from those unarmed terrorist's
I dont know if I missed it or not but how much faster (minutes/km) did you run?
He felt slower
@@user-fv1576In the beginning he said that his average km/minut bettered with 15 seconds so his Z2 pace increased. But he didnt say with how much it increased at the end of the 30 days
Zone 2 pace stayed at around 15 seconds/km faster than in the beginning. But I felt like I lost a bit of my race speed 😄
So run a 10k race pace, before and after! I predict to improve, you need to be increasing either volume (in TRIMP points) or quality (high intensity), or fixing a weakness. So if you have a very good base, pure zone 2 (unless you ramp up volume significantly) won’t help. If however you are coming from a sport that doesn’t give you a base but you have a good top end (football or high jump), then a period of pure zone 2 will be much less likely to injure you, and will make a difference. Also 30 days is not long, I took 45 s per k off my zone 2 pace over 6 months (80x20 not pure zone 2).
@@jonedmonds1681 Great idea. Could do that in a future video.
I’m well aware of progressive overload😄
Been a professional athlete for 10 years. But sometimes I think it’s fun to experiment and take things to the extreme, just to see how the body responds in a given time frame. I find that this helps get a better understanding of what works specifically for me and how different training protocols work.
with slow runs i dont get the runners high i get from HIIT. i like to to switch it up.
Me too! 😄
you mention in the video hrv drop? isnt that bad or you just mistake? 6:30
Yup that's bad. We want HRV to become higher. So I was actually decreasing a bit. But a lot of factors can play in to that, it's probably not because of the training.
my marathon time is 3:12 but never trained on "zone2" if im running in zone 2 on my apple watch, its like almost walking xD would like to know your Zone2, if im in Zone2 its like a 5:30 ish pace
@@manhunni
3:12? Thats awesome! Are you going for the sub3?
My zone 2 is around 4:15-4:30/km pace.
5:30 aint too bad 😄
@@NicklasRossnerPT gonna try ofc :D Dude that Zone 2 is insane wow. Maybe i work on that zone Keep it going :)
@@manhunni Thanks man 😄
It comes from 10+ years of 30 hour training weeks. 🙂 If you train the same you’ll be even better 😄👍
I think zone 2 is optimal for efficiency and longevity more catering to beginner/intermediate runners to stay injury free. Im doing a rigorous plan now with focus on speed and the Vo2 max improvements have been huge.
@@TheValonquar I also tend to become a lot better, when I do VO2 max intervals 😄
@@NicklasRossnerPT And they are so fun which is a huge motivator. I would lose my mind doing zone 2 continuously.
@@TheValonquar 100% me too. VO2 max and HIIT are the best 😄 Especially on a track
One month? So much residual effect from prior training.
@@Averagebum21 100%
Hmm yes. True polarised training is what you want, but here your “zone 2” millage never really got that high, and long runs not that long. You’d want to ideally be hitting 70-100km a week (with long runs about half marathon) plus hard sessions if training for 5 or 10k and for if trains for a marathon it would need to be more, 100k plus more like 140-150km a week for elite athletes.
@@SMC247 Yeah 😄 Actually as high as 170+ for elite marathoners according to a meta-analysis if the 60 best runners from 2023.
But the goal of this challenge was not to become the fastest runner. It was to see how zone 2 affected my mind and body over 30 days, to better understand the training 👍
@@NicklasRossnerPT Yes, your idea here is a good way of seeing how you feel running in Zone 2. Sometime you need good routes or music playing or something that let's you stay out for longer. To test the training benefits of Zone 2 like you have said, you'd probably need more volume. If you did polarised training with longer runs, and bigger volumes you would see that you would loose weight (you would likely start to drop by 5-8 pounds) and your VO2 max score would eventually start to click up by one or two points over time.
@@SMC247 Most likely 👍
Man, you understand nothing about this Zone.!!
I’m sorry you feel that way.
How old are you? 150 bpm seems high for zone 2. Are you referring to a 5 zone methodology?
@@RycastFitness I’m 33, but have a max heart rate of 211 👍
Yeah, as I explain in the video there are multiple ways to talk zone 2. But for this video I’m using the 5 zone methodology 😄 (With a zone 2 equivalent to below 2 mmol lactate)
@@NicklasRossnerPT Cool, we are the same age. How did you figure out your max heart rate is that high? Did you do a VO2 max test?
@@RycastFitness Cool 😄🔥
Yeah, I do VO2 max testing, lactate testing and Max HR testing at least once per year - often times more depending on my goals and racing 😄👍
2mmol are 163bpm and 4:30min/km by me so can be very different I have my own lactate devise
So basically zone 2 training does nothing for your health in reality. Got it lol
It depends on your starting point 😄I think my take away is that it should not stand alone. At least not for me.
I wanted to ask, if i am a 800m/1500m runner, what my ideal training week should look like? I guess for getting the speed I shouldn’t do Zone 2 workouts very often, right?
@@sargondes There are a couple of different strategies.
Ingebrigtsen (one of the best) do a ton of threshold training and a lot of volume.
Josh Kerr (World champ) does less volume but more of a pyramidal approach (So easy training coupled with tempo and hiit training)
You need top speed first. But to make it to further in the elite you’ll need a ton of volume as well (which will include zone 2) 😄
@@NicklasRossnerPT OK, thank you so much for advice! I guess I shouldn’t do as much workout as Ingerbrigsten does maybe because I am little younger 😁…
Otherwise - your videos are awesome! 🫡
@@sargondes 100% don’t do that until you are very experienced 😄
My best advice is this: Test yourself often. If you are improving, keep doing what you are doing.
If you stagnate. Change things up until you improve again. Repeat 😄
@@NicklasRossnerPT Absolutely! Thanks!! 😁😁
@@sargondes Anytime 😄🙏
Does your HR band work well with the tattoos? I always thought it did not work properly if someone had tattoos... That's one of the reasons I am reluctant to move to arm hr bands.
@@tensorfreitas I always wear mine one my left upper arm where I’m tattooed. Had no issue 😄
I used to run with a chest strap, but it started to irritate my skin, so I switched to the arm band. Highly recommend it 😄
@TerryMcMaster-jw8zr Wooo 😁
Wooo
I just got a chest strap HRM and I am planning to switch my 3 weekly runs to 2x zone 2 and one harder interval session. Interesting to see your experience with it, and honestly good to see that even for an experienced runner like you it’s difficult in the beginning. Good luck for the Danish team against ours tonight, may the best team win 😉 I‘m from the north of Germany near the border and love our Danish neighbors, so I won’t even be that mad in case we lose 😂
Sounds like a great plan!
Yeah it was surprisingly difficult in the beginning 😂 Guess we all have to struggle.
Thanks! And good luck to you too. I raced for a german team in the 1. Bundesliga for years, and have so many great memories of kind people and amazing cities.
I think we will get our butt kicked tonight though 😅😄
@@NicklasRossnerPT Honestly I‘m not so sure 🤣 Both groups were pretty mediocre, so I think it’s hard to tell
@@pero98 Yeah. But meeting Germany on home turf. Gonna be a tough one 😄 The Danes thrive as underdogs though. So hopefully it will be a good match.
What gimble did you use exactly?
The Insta360 Flow 👍
LoL at “best kept secret” - it’s widely known. Also, 30 days on Zone 2 isn’t much - that’s like going on a diet for 5 days
Yeah “the best kept secret right under our noses” was meant in irony 😄 I believe that most people clicking on a “zone 2” video have some sort of idea what zone 2 is.
It’s not much but it was not supposed to be. It was supposed to be a fun experiment to get a feeling for zone 2 with no interference 😄 I want to run fast, so I’m probably not gonna do only zone 2 for longer.
HRV should go up not down 😂
That being said you were def over training
Yeah I know 😄😁
HRV and resting heart rate actually improved.
But yeah, even though I’ve run 100k+ weeks for years during my pro career, I think it was too much at this point in time - And there might have been some effects from previous training months as well dripping into the final results.
Still a fun experiment though 😄👍
👍
🙏
Strange - no heart rate data. So what was your mysterious zone 2 heart rate? Sorry if I missed it.
No mystery. Mention it in the beginning 😄 Below 150.
@@NicklasRossnerPT Sorry, missed that.
@@bobkrogh1670 No worries 😄
Now try zone 1 for everyday
@@Yellow_Afryca 🤣 I’ll probably go insane
What is the heart rate range usually for a Zone 2?
@@LIANZAGO It varies extremely between individuals, but mine are around 70-75% of HRmax.
@@NicklasRossnerPT how does one generate/calculate this range tailored for their own? Does the estimations from a sports watch help?
@@LIANZAGO The best way is to get a Lactate test. Otherwise this guide is a great start: joefrieltraining.com/a-quick-guide-to-setting-zone/ 😄
Don’t trust the watch. It can be highly inaccurate.
I have tried to run in zone 2 but its soooo slow its barrly running i dont really know ehat to do i usually end up in zone 3.
To stay in zone 2 i end up at a 7.20/km pace.
It’s really difficult in the beginning. But if you stick with it, you’ll slowly but surely become able to run faster with the same effort 😄👍
@@NicklasRossnerPT thank you i will keep at it. Training for my first half marathon 13th oktober and then Stockholm marathon may 2025😊
@@nagaser That’s awesome!!!
Your first half and first marathon are so incredible experiences, I envy you. 😄
@@NicklasRossnerPT im realy excited hate restingdays atm tho know i need them to not overwork myself. But the sessions cant come fast enought :)
@@nagaser I know the feeling 😆