Is Zone 3 or Zone 4 better?

Physiological adaptations are similar as mentioned above for Zone 3, just even more so, especially the ability to clear lactate. Intervals in Zone 4 can really improve your lactate threshold and help you either go faster or closer to your threshold for longer.



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For those wishing to increase fitness or lose weight, exercising in heart rate zones 3 and 4 is sufficient. Such exercises are referred to as aerobic and should be undertaken 3-5 days per week in order to build strength.

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Higher zones like 4 and 5 help to develop efficiency, burn the most calories overall when comparing short bursts of time, but are zones we can sustain for the shortest amount of time. Zones let you know how hard you are working and what energy sources are fueling your workout.

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The theory is that you use Z2 to get in the training without overtaxing yourself and therefore give your body the proper recovery it needs to make your hard days hard. Z3 used to be referred to as “junk miles” because they were not hard enough to stimulate growth/adaptation, but not easy enough to facilitate recovery.

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Can you do zone 2 training every day? If that's what you feel like doing, absolutely. It's low-impact and low-intensity nature means there is no harm in doing zone 2 training every day, but know that you will see results from doing it just 1-2 times per week, as per Vincent's advice above.

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Zone 3 corresponds to lactate threshold intensity. Thinking in “threshold” terms can help you find this zone and stay in it by feel. The feeling of running in Zone 3 is often described as “comfortably hard,” or as the fastest speed that still feels relaxed.

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