Zone 2 training on Apple Watch
Short answer: Zone 2 is easy, conversational aerobic work, roughly 60–70% of your maximum heart rate. Apple Watch shows heart rate zones in the Workout app automatically. Most endurance plans put the large majority of weekly training time at this easy intensity.
What zone 2 is
Heart rate zones split effort into five bands by percentage of maximum heart rate. Zone 2 is the easy aerobic band: you can hold a conversation, breathing is steady, and you could keep going for a long time. Elite endurance athletes do most of their training at low intensity like this, with a smaller share of hard work (Seiler, 2010).
Find your zone 2 on Apple Watch
- Open the Workout app and start an Outdoor Run, Cycle or Walk.
- Scroll to the Heart Rate Zones view. Apple calculates zones from your age and resting heart rate automatically.
- Stay in the zone marked 2.
- Afterwards, the workout summary in the Fitness app shows time in each zone.
To set zones manually, go to the Watch app on iPhone → Workout → Heart Rate Zones.
How much zone 2?
There’s no single right number, but many plans put the large majority of weekly time at easy intensity. A practical start is 2–3 sessions of 30–60 minutes a week, with one or two harder sessions on days when your recovery is high.
Zone 2 and recovery
Easy aerobic work adds relatively little load. That makes it a good choice on moderate recovery days. On low recovery days, an easy walk or mobility is usually better than a long session.
Pulse Coach weights each heart-rate zone (each zone up counts about twice as much as the one below) to give a 0–10 exertion score, with a target range set by your morning recovery.
Questions people also ask
What is zone 2 heart rate for my age?
A common estimate is 60–70% of maximum heart rate. With the Tanaka formula, max heart rate is about 211 − 0.64 × age, so a 40-year-old's max is about 185 bpm and zone 2 is roughly 111–130 bpm. The talk test (you can speak in full sentences) is a good real-world check.
Does walking count as zone 2?
For many people a brisk walk, especially uphill, reaches zone 2. Check your heart rate in the Workout app.
Sources
Not medical advice. This article is general information about wellness metrics. It is not a diagnosis or a substitute for professional care. If a reading worries you, or you feel unwell, talk to a doctor.