Conditioning
Zone 2 run or walk
- Kit
- No kit
- Works
- calves · quads · glutes
- Also
- hamstrings · hip flexors · core · heart and lungs
Zone 2 is steady, conversational cardio: a run or brisk walk at a pace you could hold while talking in full sentences. It builds aerobic base, helps you recover between harder efforts, and gives your legs volume without pounding. It suits everyone, whether you jog the whole effort outdoors or march on the spot indoors when space is short.
Form
How to do zone 2 run or walk
- 1Pick your route or a clear patch of floor. Stand tall, shoulders relaxed, eyes ahead rather than down at your feet.
- 2Start moving at a pace that feels easy on purpose: you should be able to speak a full sentence without gasping. If you cannot, slow to a walk.
- 3Land under your hips with a light, quick foot strike and let your arms swing from the shoulder, elbows loosely bent.
- 4Breathe in and out through the nose if you can, in a steady rhythm. Switching to the mouth means you are working too hard for this effort.
- 5Hold the same pace for the whole set rather than starting fast and fading. Ease into a walk for the last few strides to bring your breathing down.
Watch for
Common mistakes
Drifting into a hard tempo because easy feels too slow.
Fix: Use the talking test every so often and back off the pace as soon as sentences get choppy.
Overstriding, reaching the foot out well in front of the body.
Fix: Take slightly shorter, more frequent steps so each foot lands beneath your hips.
Hunching forward with tight shoulders and clenched hands.
Fix: Lift the chest, drop the shoulders and keep the hands loose, as though holding a crisp in each.
Variations
Easier and harder
Sessions
Put it in a workout
None of the fixed workouts uses it. Pick a workout for your kit, or start today's session on /gym.