The Motor Unit

Zone 2 cardio at home with minimal equipment

This is a hack that I’ve been working on for a while and I’d like to mix this with outdoor running if I find myself wanting or having to stay indoors.

Before I get into that, I’d like to give a brief dive into the principle behind zone 2 cardio work - the key here is to move in a way that prioritizes aerobic metabolism to help sustain that movement for several minutes continuously, in other words, select a pattern here that is cyclical, sustainable, and uses fat stores as fuel in the presence of oxygen such as walking, jogging, cycling, rowing or using the elliptical trainer.

One way to make sure the intensity is sustainable is to use the conversation test. If you’re able to speak clear sentences for a short duration during your exercises then that intensity is what you need to stay at. Imagine a sprinter and an easy jogger or a cycler - the jogger/cycler will have a much easier time speaking than the sprinter during the activity.

Now, onto the point of programming minimal equipment zone 2 work at home. You might need a jump rope and/or a kettlebell but I’ve got you covered even if you don’t have them. Now, keeping the zone 2 principle mentioned above in mind, here’s what the program would look like - perform 30 to 60 seconds of each of the following exercises in a circuit covering 3 to 7 minutes followed by a one to two-minute break between circuits:

1. Jumping jacks/Jump rope

2. Mountain climbers

3. Jogs/run in place

4. No push-up burpee

5. Jogs/run in place

6. Kettlebell swings/hinge squat jumps

If you’re feeling adventurous, you could squeeze in a bodyweight strength training or a core exercise at the end of each circuit before heading into the break too. Now, this sort of training might be a bit more intense than a slow jog but you could scale the intensity in such a way you can maintain an average heart rate at zone 2 throughout the workout. For example, you could perform each of the movements above for 20 to 30 seconds, take a 10-second break, and then move to the next movement in the circuit. You could then build on the duration or even intensity of the exercise (no push-up burpee to push-up burpee) as you build more endurance.

This hack is something I find to be a lot more interesting and, dare I say, fun than going for a jog and I can also squeeze in some low-intensity strengthening exercises to make it a bit more efficient.

Give this a go and reach out to me if you need more hacks or would like to work with me one-on-one. Until I reach out next time!