Pat DiBiase

Part time swimming stroke consultant.

[The Race Club @theraceclub]

Well Said.

[Metabolic Uncle @MetabolicUncle]

ZONE 2 TRAINING: A WASTE OF TIME FOR PEOPLE WHO AREN'T RACING

A new analysis just torched the zone 2 hype. The conclusion? Current evidence doesn't support zone 2 as optimal for mitochondrial function or fat oxidation.

This matters because the biggest health influencers have been pushing zone 2 as some kind of metabolic sweet spot. Turns out the data doesn't back that up. Not for regular people, anyway.

Zone 2 gets defined as exercise where lactate stays under 2 millimoles per liter. That's the technical version. The practical version is the talk test: you can hold a conversation while moving.

The supposed benefits? Better mitochondria and improved fat burning. Two things worth caring about, sure. But zone 2 isn't the magic bullet people claim it is.

THE MITOCHONDRIAL MYTH

Proponents say zone 2 builds mitochondrial capacity better than anything else. The evidence says otherwise. When researchers looked at the actual signaling pathways that trigger mitochondrial growth, zone 2 barely registered.

Your cells need stress to adapt. Zone 2 doesn't provide enough stress. Not unless you're doing it for hours at a time, which most people aren't.

One study found meaningful cellular stress from zone 2 exercise. After two hours. If you've got two hours a week total for exercise, spending it all in zone 2 means you're leaving serious gains on the table.

High intensity work triggers stronger mitochondrial responses in less time. Multiple studies confirm this. A meta-analysis showed that for non-endurance athletes, zone 2 intensity didn't improve mitochondrial function at all.

High intensity training did.

THE FAT BURNING CONFUSION

What about fat oxidation? The research is thin. One study found zone 2 training increased maximum fat oxidation rates after a year. A year.

Other studies comparing intensities gave conflicting results. Some showed low intensity winning, others showed high intensity winning. A recent meta-analysis of 13 studies found both intensities improved fat oxidation equally.

So zone 2 isn't superior for fat burning either. At best, it's equivalent to higher intensities. At worst, it's a waste of time you could spend on training that delivers multiple benefits simultaneously.

THE REAL PAYOFF: VO2 MAX AND INTENSITY

Here's what actually matters for health and longevity: cardiorespiratory fitness. VO2 max measures how much oxygen your body can use during intense exercise.

It predicts mortality quite good, although it is debatable how influencers intepret the data. One study tracking heart disease patients for eight years found those with the best VO2 max scores had 84% lower mortality risk than those with the worst.

The link between VO2 max and mortality crushes the link between mitochondrial health and mortality. And guess what increases VO2 max most effectively?

High intensity exercise. Not zone 2.

SPRINT TRAINING: THE EFFICIENT ALTERNATIVE

You can trigger mitochondrial biogenesis with repeated sprint intervals. No need for hours of zone 2.

Sprint protocols work in multiple formats. Ten seconds on, fifty seconds off. Or work-to-rest ratios of one to four with maximum thirty-second work periods. These short bursts create the metabolic stress your body needs to adapt.

The beauty of sprint training? It improves mitochondrial function, increases VO2 max, and builds power. Three critical adaptations from one type of training.

Zone 2 can't match that efficiency. It only puts stress on your body.

Elite athletes do large volumes of zone 2 because they're already training twenty-plus hours a week.

They need low intensity work for recovery between their high intensity sessions. They're optimizing performance for competition.

That's not your goal.

Your goal is health and functionality. Different objectives require different strategies.

ZONE 2 CREATES STRESS TOO

Even low intensity exercise loads stress on your body. It takes time. It requires recovery. If you're spending four to six hours a week doing zone 2, that's four to six hours you're not spending on strength training or sprint work. Both deliver better returns for longevity and function.

Strength training builds muscle mass, which declines with age and predicts mortality independent of cardiovascular fitness. It improves insulin sensitivity. It strengthens bones. It makes daily tasks easier. Sprint training does all that plus maximizes cardiovascular adaptation in minimal time.

THE PRACTICAL REALITY

Most people struggle to find seventy-five minutes a week for vigorous exercise. The standard recommendation. If you've got limited time, zone 2 crowds out the training that matters most.

The analysis authors acknowledge this. When you're not an elite athlete with unlimited training time, you need to prioritize efficiency.

Focus on high intensity work done safely. Build up gradually to avoid injury. Include power training with heavier weights and explosive movements.

This combination delivers the mitochondrial benefits zone 2 supposedly provides, plus improvements in VO2 max, strength, and power that zone 2 can't touch.

If you've got extra time after hitting your high intensity targets, sure, add some zone 2. But for most people, that's a hypothetical. The reality is choosing between training methods. The data says choose intensity over duration.

FUNCTIONALITY OVER ENDURANCE

Can you sprint if you need to? This practical measure of fitness predicts independence in old age better than your ability to jog for an hour.

Zone 2 training makes sense for ambitious athletes preparing for endurance events. Cyclists, marathoners, triathletes. People who need to sustain moderate effort for hours.

If you're not racing, you don't need that adaptation. You need the ability to produce force quickly and recover from intense efforts. That comes from sprints and strength work, not steady-state cardio.

The zone 2 hype reflects a fundamental misunderstanding of how to translate elite athlete protocols to regular people optimizing for health.

Elite athletes optimize for performance within their sport. You're optimizing for longevity and function across all of life.

PMID: 40560504

[William A. Wallace, Ph.D. @WilliamWallace]

A recent analysis updates the 80/20 principle: not two zones, but six physiological intensity domains.
It distinguishes aerobic, threshold, VO₂max, lactate-heavy, and maximal alactic work, while recognizing that most of the weekly load should still come from low-intensity volume.

The model unifies daily movement and structured training under one metabolic framework.

https://t.co/GnaCTfD8TR

[Greg Berge @GregBerge]

There’s one coaching concept I wish I had understood 15 years earlier:

Your culture is defined by what you allow, not what you say.

[THREAD] 🧵

[The Race Club @theraceclub]

Too often, swimmers use an incorrect arm-pulling motion without even realizing it—whether it’s a dropped elbow, hands sweeping across the midline, or not finishing the pull all the way to the feet. This 4-part sculling drill series helps isolate each phase of the stroke and build better technique.

We start by dialing in the catch, focusing on setting up a strong high-elbow position. Then we move to the mid-pull, emphasizing water pressure and keeping the hands outside the midline (especially helpful for swimmers who tend to sweep across the body). Next, we target the finish of the pull, thinking about driving the water toward the feet—not the hips. Finally, we put it all together with a full underwater pull, without worrying about the recovery just yet.

Give this drill series a try during your next session—we’ve seen great results!

[Greg Berge @GregBerge]

One bitter player can drain a locker room.
One grateful player can shift the whole culture.

Negativity won’t fix itself; leaders have to:

- Call it out
- Replace it with belief
- Model the energy they want

Better > Bitter. Always.

[Andrew Sheaff @AndrewKSheaff]

Great recoveries also keep swimmers in line without disrupting their timing or creating more drag.

When they’re straight, direct, and fast, swimmers are much less likely to wiggle their way down the pool, losing all their speed.

[Andrew Sheaff @AndrewKSheaff]

They need to land right around shoulder width so that swimmers set up their stroke right away.

They need to be straight so that they can swung fast with a lot of speed and not a lot of effort.

That means swimmers can get into the catch in less time.

[Andrew Sheaff @AndrewKSheaff]

Backstroke arm reoveries are simple, but a lot of swimmers mess them up.

Here’s what matters:

It’s all about quickly getting into position to create propulsion for the next stroke.

They have to be direct.

[Pat Basil @pbasilstrength]

Why Your Weight Room Strength Didn't Transfer to the Field

Ever have a kid who could squat a house but only had a 19” vertical jump?

Your strongest weight room kid had no burst on the field?

There’s a reason why all that weight room strength isn’t translating to the field:

This is called Explosive Strength Deficit or ESD.

In "The Science and Practice of Strength Training", Zatsiorsky and Kraemer define Explosive Strength as “the ability to exert maximal forces in minimal time”.

The measure of how fast you can apply that weight room strength in an instant is called Rate of Force Development or RFD.

The name of the game to transfer weight room strength to the field is improving RFD to close the ESD gap.

The reason that weight room strength we mentioned earlier didn’t translate was because the athlete lacked RFD ability.

The good news is that RFD is highly trainable​.

The easiest way to improve RFD is with what we consider to be our main “power” training options:

- Short Sprints
- Jumps and Plyometrics
- Medicine Ball Throws
- Dynamic Effort lifts (for later in the process)

[Sports Psychology @SportPsychTips]

Overcoaching can be just as bad as undercoaching. As a coach, give your players enough instructions and feedback, but never cause them to start overthinking.

[The Winning Difference @thewinningdiff1]

Championships aren’t built on speeches.
They’re built on habits, repeated over time.
When you talk about standards, you’re setting expectations.
When you live them, you’re building culture.

[Steve Magness @stevemagness]

A new meta-analysis on the impact of goal setting on performance found:

1. Process goals had a large effect on performance
2. Performance goals had a moderate effect
3. Outcome goals had a negligible effect

[Andrew Sheaff @AndrewKSheaff]

Most drills are done without any fatigue and that’s a mistake.

It’s a mistake for two reasons.

First, swimmers needs to learn to execute their skills when they’re tired.

Second, fatigue forces swimmers to find more effective and more efficient solutions.

[Sports Psychology @SportPsychTips]

Just because your teammates have a bad attitude doesn’t mean you have to have one as well. To succeed as an athlete, you need to resist peer pressure, rise above the negative influence of others, and maintain a positive attitude.

[Sports Psychology @SportPsychTips]

Every player on a team can make a positive impact, no matter how much playing time they get. If they work hard and put the team first, they are valuable contributors to their team's success.

[Sports Psychology @SportPsychTips]

The most important factor of an athlete’s performance is their mental game. With a strong mental game, an average athlete can play like a champion. With a weak mental game, a physically gifted athlete can play like a beginner.

[Joey Yochheim @joeyyochheim]

Recovery isn't just rest days.

It's:

• Quality sleep
• Proper hydration
• Stress management
• Adequate nutrition
• Active movement

You don't grow in the gym.

You grow in recovery.

[Sports Psychology @SportPsychTips]

When under pressure, athletes often revert back to their old habits. This is why it's important to train new skills and techniques until they're fully ingrained into your muscle memory.

[Andrew Sheaff @AndrewKSheaff]

Creating speed in breaststroke is all about the line.

The better the line swimmers can create, and the more they can stay on that line, the faster they go.

There is so much drag in breaststroke, that any success in reducing it is going to pay off big time in terms of speed.