Heart Rate Zones and Training: Zone 1

Heart-rate training is divided into five zones, and work in each zone produces different effects on the body. Here, Chris Cooper of Catalyst Fitness provides the rundown on Zone 1.

Zone 1—50-64 percent of max heart rate—is low level and doesn’t produce huge physical changes, but it’s a great starting point for people who have never exercised before. You’ll burn some calories, improve digestion, improve circulation and metabolize glucose.

The last part is important: You won’t just store all the food that you eat as fat. It’s not about just burning calories: You’re actually training your metabolism to use glucose or get rid of it, not store it long term. For example, a short walk after dinner will burn off some energy but also prevent storage of glucose as fat.

Zone 1 also generally gets you outside and into “flow state,” where your body is occupied and your mind is free. It’s like the old proverb: “thinking body, dancing mind.” This is great for mental health and productivity!

It’s easy to skip Zone 1 exercise, but you shouldn’t! If you spend 50 minutes total per week in Zone 1, you’ll reduce all-cancer risk by about 23 percent! Even elite athletes can benefit from the recovery provided by Zone 1.

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[bestfitnessli]

This is a really good breakdown, I use heart-rate with every one of my clients. Having some simple explained videos is great for people to understand the importance of this type of training. These videos will become part of my orientation, I will send them to all of my clients. Well put together and great information.

[christopherpalmer]

I alternate Zone 1 LISS and Zone 5 HIIT

[Shevock]

This week I've been jogging in zone 1, with a few minutes in zone 2. These are great videos.

[MrXrisd]

I do marathons with some ultras sprinkled in here and there and I can say I see some of my biggest gains after doing zone 1.

[michaelcorcoran]

Hi there like the videos.

I was wondering what you meant by "use up glucose or get rid of it instead of storing".

[gamleskalle]

Cramp in my calf after 8 min in zone 2. 143 in pulse. On the couch watching the Olympics now😂

[klaasdeboer]

I am running three times a week, most of it in zones 2, 3 and 4, and I try to get one entire day on the bike. Those rides are long, covering between 120 and recently from my house in Amsterdam to my mom's where I grew up near Groningen. 190 kilometers, I think I do most of the riding in zone 1, because that is the zone in which my legs seem to keep on turning forever. When there are hills or headwinds I shift down and ignore my speedometer saying that I am doing13 K/h maintaining the same cadence as I have doing 32 kilometers per hour with a tailwind over water.

[tritondriver]

Running Ultras since 2017 and Zone 1 and Zone 2 is " It". 100 plus mile wks on end no injuries with so much volume. Pays

[mvw]

So if I understand correctly, if you reach zone 3, you stop running or slow down to get your heart rate down again, right? And vice-versa

Or is a certain pace always equal to a certain heart rate, with more training you extend the time you can run in a certain zone?

[hansschenker]

you can also run before eating and the body will likely not store the calories for fat.

[jessejordan]

Wow. You’re literally making most of this up. Feel free to make a video about de novo lipogenesis once you’ve googled the term.

[jeremiahnj]

Dude I don’t think this sounds 100 percent true. Zone 1 burns proportionally more fat than zone 5, zone 5 uses the glucose system almost entirely. What are you talking about burning calories from dinner? Dinner is easily 1000 calories, zone one is burning closer to 100.