Are you working out “in the zone?” – BodyFit By Amy

ZONE CARDIO 

Last week we talked about heart rate training in the BodyFit Athletic Club. Many of you have probably heard of “Zone Training,” especially if you’re a runner or cyclist or athlete. Some of you have probably followed your heart rate zones on your smart watch or heart rate monitor or have calculated your maximum and target heart rate numbers on your own. And lots of us have wondering how important training “in the zone” or getting super specific about your heart rate actually is…

The good news is, if you’re following my workouts, you’re likely already working out in different zones and challenging your heart rate and stamina in different ways. In my opinion, while zone training can be beneficial in certain circumstances, we don’t need to get super into the numbers (as I would remind you with ALL numbers) but paying attention to how we feel in workouts can be helpful. 
Heart rate zones are typically divided into 5, 4 or 3 zones, and can serve different purposes. The idea that we have to be going as hard as we can, as fast as we can for as long as we can in our workouts is just not accurate or realistic when it comes to reaching our goals, and can lead to burnout or even injury. While being so completely out of breath and feeling like you have to throw up during every workout might be trendy and look impressive, the reality is it’s not really supportive for our overall fitness journey.

 Getting the most from our workouts is a combination of working our way up, pushing ourselves out of our comfort zone, AND recovery. This Zone Cardio workout from this past week takes us through zones 1, 2 and 3 (although, as I point out, it’s more like zones 2,3 & 4 on the most common charts) and gives you options to progress as it feels right for you. Your Zones and my Zones may look and feel different, and that’s okay! 

Have you tried this workout yet? How did it feel?

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