What do Brisket and Cardio Have in Common?

What do brisket and cardio have in common?

I’ve good news if you’re considering starting an exercise program. And I’ve got bad news if you’ve been making excuses about beginning an exercise program. The news is the same: low and slow is the answer to the question above when it comes to best practices. Mostly. As usual, it’s complicated, but this is the simplified version.

Allow me to introduce you to the concept of “zone training.” Zones are heart rate zones, and training in the second lowest zone, zone 2, is a huge advantage. There are five to seven zones, depending on who you read. Peloton uses seven (and most cycling apps do, too), whereas other sports tend to use either five or six. A six-zone breakdown would look like this:

• Zone 1
  • Energy source mainly used: fat
• Zone 2
  • Energy source mainly used: fat trending into carbohydrates
• Zone 3
  • Energy source mainly used: fat trending into carbohydrates
• Zone 4
  • Energy source mainly used: carbohydrates
• Zone 5
  • Energy source mainly used: carbohydrates
• Zone 6
  • Energy source mainly used: carbohydrates trending into creatine phosphate

The easiest way to know you’re in zone 2 is the “talk test,” where you could have a normal conversation while working out, but the person you’re talking to would know you’re doing something more challenging than couch surfing. Zone 2 will have you in a heart rate range of 60-70% of your max. 

To determine your max heart rate is a moving target, but the classic formula is 220 minus your age. While writing this, I looked at my max heart rate for a hard bike ride, and I hit 164 BPM at the peak. 220 minus my age is 167, so the formula works well for me.

But here’s why you want to stay in zone 2: mitochondrial health. You remember ol’ mitochondria, don’t you? The powerhouse of the cell? This is a good place for a meme:

Here’s what you need to know–mitochondria make energy, and zone 2 training helps you make more mitochondria. So, doing more low and slow zone 2 training will eventually increase your ability to go all out. 

A helpful way to think about it is that adding more mitochondria to your system by going low and slow is like building more turbochargers into your muscles. Once you get enough, going faster is much easier.

This entire concept contradicts most people’s intuition (including mine).

I only went hard for short, intense rides when I started using the Peloton. And I made a lot of progress doing that. But going all out all the time has risks. It’s a lot easier to hurt yourself, for one thing. And it takes a certain amount of willpower to go for it every time you get on the saddle.

Then I got hip to zone 2 and started taking longer, much slower rides. I’ll admit that it’s harder to find the time (45 minutes is the recommended lowest time necessary to get the benefits), and I’m still getting used to that amount of time on the saddle (padded bike shorts have helped). 

Peloton has a test you can take (the FTP test) where you go all out for 20 minutes to determine your zones. Once you take the test, you get a meter on the bottom of the screen that shows you what zone you’re in at any given time.

I started reading more about zone training after taking the test for the first time. So, I did an experiment and did much longer and slower rides for about three months and then retook the test. 

Keep in mind that most of my shorter, more intense rides were in the 15-20 minute range. When I’d hit a personal best, it would be by only a point or two (and by “point,” I mean kilojoules, the total output metric used by Peloton).

When I retook the test, I set a new personal best by 20 points. That’s a lot for me. And the best part was that I wasn’t killing myself doing the training to retake the test. Low and slow. Like smoking a brisket.

So, if you’re worried about getting started and all the pain and soreness that usually accompanies beginning an exercise program, think zone 2. For most relatively deconditioned people, that usually looks like a decent walking pace. Having a heart rate monitor will be helpful to keep yourself in the correct zone. The Apple Watch has that kind of thing built in, as does the Fitbit. There are plenty of other options for cheap on Amazon.

And to be clear, I still lift weights 3-4 times a week, and you should, too. But I knew I needed to add cardio to the equation for the many health benefits. Another point of clarification is that even though zone 2 is in the “fat-burning zone,” the goal should not be to try and burn off extra fat stores through cardio. 

Fat loss is more about diet. Zone 2 training will burn calories, but your main focus is increasing your overall metabolic health. Those with more mitochondria working for them will have better insulin sensitivity and lower resting heart rates, which means your heart won’t work as hard throughout your lifetime and will last longer.

And I still do some shorter, more intense bike runs, too. But I’m going for the 80/20 split, with 80% of my rides being longer. Getting a fierce 15-minute ride now and then is fun, and they feel like they go by super fast after doing the longer ones most of the time.

I hope you found this helpful.

Until next time, 

Doc G.