By Arun AgrahriLast reviewed 2 timecoded sources
Short answer
No weekly Zone 2 target has enough evidence behind it yet. Two researchers on tape are counted, and both back about 3 to 4 hours a week only in part; one suggests two or three moderate sessions of at least 30 minutes. No study Precis has read tests Zone 2 as defined.
Zone 2 exercise is worth doing.
The verdict on Zone 2 Cardio overall. 10 sources: 8 positive, 2 partly
positive partly neutral negative Each researcher and each study counts once per claim, however often they come up.
About 3 to 4 hours of Zone 2 cardio a week is the right amount.
2 sources: 2 partly. Fewer than 3 sources so far.
Researchers say
2 partly
Peter Attia, 4 mentions on this claim
Partly Video
on The Drive, at 02:21 · positive
“i think three to four is probably where you want to get to”
on The Drive, at 05:04 · positive
“i do about three to four hours a week of zone two and for my patients i believe that three hours should be the target”
on The Drive, at 02:33 · partly
“I want to spend at least 3 hours a week in this Zone”
on The Drive, at 33:17 · partly
“not going to throw them in three hour 4 hour a week training um we're going to start them much lower”
Dr. Benjamin Levine, on FoundMyFitness, at 42:17
Partly Video · Opinion
Open the tape at 42:17 →“do two or three sessions of that moderate intensity at least 30 minutes”
Studies show
No study counted yet.
Peter Attia Video · partly · 4 mentions
on The Drive, at 02:21 · positive · Opinion
“i think three to four is probably where you want to get to”
on The Drive, at 05:04 · positive · Opinion
“i do about three to four hours a week of zone two and for my patients i believe that three hours should be the target”
on The Drive, at 02:33 · partly · Opinion
“I want to spend at least 3 hours a week in this Zone”
on The Drive, at 33:17 · partly · Opinion
“not going to throw them in three hour 4 hour a week training um we're going to start them much lower”
Dr. Benjamin Levine, on FoundMyFitness, at 42:17 Video · partly · Opinion
“do two or three sessions of that moderate intensity at least 30 minutes”
Precis is not affiliated with or endorsed by YouTube or by any researcher, show or publisher we quote. We take no sponsorship, ad or affiliate money, and every verdict is our own review of what was said. How we stay independent
A claim from podcasts on this question, checked against the studies that test it.
Of 10 studies that test it, 5 agree and 5 partly agree.
The figure most often named for Zone 2 is 3 to 4 hours a week, but the evidence behind it is thin. The verdict on this claim is not enough evidence. It rests on two researchers on tape, and both back the figure only in part. No study counts toward it.
Peter Attia, on his own show, says he does about three to four hours a week and that three hours should be the target for his patients. He also says he would start a beginner much lower. Benjamin Levine, a guest on Rhonda Patrick's show, sets a lower bar: two or three sessions of moderate intensity, each at least 30 minutes.
A host on another show cites research for at least 150 and probably 200 minutes a week. The study is not named, so it does not count.
Precis read the studies it found on weekly exercise volume for this claim. None tests Zone 2 as defined, so none is attached. They measure general moderate activity, which is a broader thing. Until a study tests Zone 2 itself, any weekly total is a working figure.
Attia defines it by blood lactate: the pace where lactate stays under about 2 mmol/L. Without a lactate meter, his check is talking: if he has to talk, he can. He says most people train in a "garbage Zone", too hard to build an aerobic base and too easy to stress the body at high intensity.
Attia, citing Iñigo San Millán, puts about 45 minutes as the shortest useful session. He keeps about 80% of his own training in Zone 2 and 20% in the VO2 max range. For beginners he starts well below 3 to 4 hours a week, and uses 180 minus your age as a first heart-rate target.
Martin Gibala, a guest on Patrick's show, pushes back. He says shorter, harder exercise can bring similar VO2 max gains, so a time-pressed person does not need three to four hours of Zone 2 a week.
Precis membership
The answer above is the whole answer: the verdict, every counted mention, where the sources disagree, and the receipt behind each one. Nothing on this page is held back.
A free account adds
Pro adds
Full Zone 2 Cardio evidence report
The verdict on every claim, and where the sources disagree