myphysiology.io

If the last time you exercised was before the first iPhone was released in 2007 or you’re just starting your journey

Grab this FREE 4-week Strength & Cardio Program right on our app

Fully planned out schedule
Video demonstrations and form notes
Track weight and reps
Structured cardio
Progression suggestions and exercise swaps
Daily notifications and tips
And more

Comment START and receive access 100% free

Approximately 47% of U.S. adults (aged 18 and older) met the federal guidelines for aerobic physical activity in 2024

So where do I start?

If you’re just beginning a good place to start can be with 3 days per week for 20-30 minutes

As you progress increase up to 5+ days per week and adding time based on your goals

Is starting with 5 days for 15 minutes wrong? Absolutely not, it’s about consistency and creating the habit to build your base

Whether walking outside, walking on a treadmill, riding a bike the modality isn’t the most important. It’s about choosing an activity that gets your heart rate into the proper range and it’s something you don’t hate doing

The next step would be adding more vigorous training through more interval based training

Takeaways: 3-5 days per week at for least 15 minutes is a good place start and find something you enjoy doing that gets your heart rate into the minimum range

Visit the link in bio or DM ZONE2 to join our pre-launch waitlist for access

Establishing your Zone 2 Heart Rate is done most accurately with a CPET or VO2Max Test

Wearables use 60-70% of your predicted Max Heart Rate (220-Age) to estimate your Zone 2 Heart Rate range

Though simple, it is not the most precise measurement as it affected by many factors. The main one being your minute ventilation or the amount of air you take in across a minute

During a VO2Max test when your minute ventilation increases “dramatically” it becomes one of the data points in establishing the first ventilatory threshold, the beginning of increased air needed as the lungs begin to build up “acidosis” due to increased demand of oxygen

This is near or at the beginning of your Zone 2 HR range, which can be less or more than the simple estimations created from the previous formula

This more accurate range allows for optimal training parameters to enhance body comparison and performance

DM VO2 to get early access to the most advanced testing for Heart Rate Zones and more

Everyone is talking about Zone 2 Cardio but why?

DM Zone2 to join the waitlist to learn your Heart Rate Zones

The fitness industry sold you intensity. The research didn’t get the memo.

Most people start a fitness routine by going as hard as they can, as often as they can. They get sore, exhausted, and injured — and they quit within 6 weeks.

The problem isn’t their willpower. It’s that nobody told them about Zone 2.

Zone 2 is the low-intensity aerobic range — roughly 60–70% of your max heart rate — where fat is your primary fuel and your mitochondria are getting a serious upgrade. It’s the foundation that elite endurance athletes build everything else on, with research showing they spend roughly 80% of their training volume right there.

The science behind it is solid: mitochondrial biogenesis (San Millán & Brooks, 2018), improved fat oxidation (Volek et al., 2016), and enhanced lactate clearance (Brooks, 2020) — three independent mechanisms that compound over time into a genuinely different metabolic engine.

For beginners, it’s even more important. Not because it’s easy — because it’s sustainable. It builds the aerobic base, reduces injury risk, and improves metabolic health within 4–8 weeks in previously sedentary individuals. Three 25-minute walks per week at a conversational pace is a legitimate Zone 2 protocol. Start there.

Swipe through to learn what Zone 2 actually is, why it works at the cellular level, and exactly how much of it you should be doing based on where you’re starting from.

📩 DM “ZONE2” to join the waitlist for a CPET & VO₂Max Test — get your exact Zone 2 range, not a formula estimate.

Doctors have a cholesterol number. A blood pressure number. A blood sugar number.

None of them predict how long you’ll live as well as this one.
VO₂Max — your maximal oxygen uptake — is the single strongest predictor of all-cause mortality in the peer-reviewed literature. Not a risk factor. Not a correlation. The strongest independent predictor they’ve found.

The numbers above come from a 2018 JAMA study of over 122,000 patients. The findings were blunt: moving from Poor fitness to just Fair fitness cuts your risk of dying from any cause by 49%. Getting to Excellent cuts it by 76%. Superior? 80%.

The wild part is that most people have never had their VO₂Max measured. They’ve had their cholesterol checked a dozen times.

Swipe through to find your age group, your gender, and see exactly where you land — and what category you should be aiming for.

📩 DM “VO2” to join the waitlist for a CPET & VO₂Max Test at myphysiology.io