Knowing your zones can be one of the most important factors to creating and following a proper training plan. By understanding how your body reacts to the stresses of training, you can tailor your workouts to just the right intensity that you need to achieve your goals.

To determine your zones, you'll need to perform either a functional threshold test, or max heart rate test. As with any training program, you should consult with your physician before participating in one of these tests.

Once you know your functional threshold or max heart rate, you'll be able to easily calculate your energy zones using this Energy Zone Calculator. You can decide if you want to do the max heart rate test, or the functional threshold test, but I like the functional test best.

Why You Need to be in the Zone...

I harp on it all the time in spin class and to my clients ...more Zone 2! But why is Zone 2 so important and how does it get you into aerobic shape?

As you may, or may not, remember from previous ramblings, our bodies work best when their able to utilized oxygen. Oxygen helps us clear lactic acid, tap stored fat to burn as fuel, and much more (physiologists, I know that's a somewhat watered down and ignorant statement, but we're keeping it simple here).

This post isn't meant to be an in depth review of Zone 2 physiology  or give you all the science ( you can find that online), but trust me...if you train in Zone 2, the benefits outlined below are real.