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What heart rate zone should I be in for cardio?
Answered by Nikkiey Stott and her guests · Updated
The short answer
For cardio, aim for zone two. That's 60 to 70 percent of your max heart rate, where you're working but could still hold a good conversation. Nikkiey says it's the zone to focus on for treadmill walking, jogging, cycling, swimming or the elliptical, and it's where she usually sits during her own cardio.
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Nikkiey on why zone two is the cardio zone and what it feels like
Plays from 4:34 · Ep. 36: What Are the Heart Rate Zones and How Do I Find Mine?
Where Nikkiey's heart rate sits during lifting versus cardio
Plays from 8:31 · Ep. 36: What Are the Heart Rate Zones and How Do I Find Mine?
How zone three differs from zone two and why lifting lands there
Plays from 5:06 · Ep. 36: What Are the Heart Rate Zones and How Do I Find Mine?
Why watch heart rate zones are only estimates
Plays from 9:14 · Ep. 36: What Are the Heart Rate Zones and How Do I Find Mine?
The full answer
On Ep. 36 of The WarriorBabe Show, Nikkiey walks through all five heart rate zones so you can see where cardio fits:
Each step up asks more of you than the last.
- Zone one: 50 to 60 percent of max heart rate
- Zone two: 60 to 70 percent, the cardio zone
- Zone three: 70 to 80 percent, a threshold zone for building endurance and overall fitness
- Zone four: 80 to 90 percent
- Zone five: 90 to 100 percent
Zone two is a bit more intense than zone one, and Nikkiey calls it ideal for aerobic work. The simple check is the conversation test. If you could still talk comfortably with someone, you're in the right place for a walk or a steady session on the bike or elliptical.
Not every workout belongs in zone two. Nikkiey explains that strength training, supersets and straight sets usually land in zone three, and that's where she spends most of her training time. She dips briefly into zone four when going for a PR or a heavy set of three or six reps, then comes back down. So if your lifting days look different on your watch than your cardio days, that's expected.
One caution: the zones on a Garmin or Apple Watch are estimates, not exact numbers. Nikkiey still finds them a more useful, objective read on effort than the calorie burn figure, and she pays attention to her heart rate during and after sets and over the whole workout. She also mentions hearing that Apple Watches can be updated with a test that gives you your own personal zones, which she plans to look into. Use the numbers as a guide, and let the conversation test keep you honest.
From Nikkiey Stott and WarriorBabe's coaching. For education, not medical advice: talk to your doctor about your own health.
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13 minWhat Are the Heart Rate Zones and How Do I Find Mine?
Episode 36 · Mar 31, 2023