Endurance Training
Zone 2 Blood Lactate Assessment
Optimize your aerobic training. Pinpoint your unique Aerobic Threshold (AeT) and define the upper limit of your Zone 2 — the highest metabolic output you can sustain while keeping blood lactate below two millimoles per liter. Measured directly, not estimated from a formula.
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Benefits of Zone 2 training
Improved endurance
Zone 2 training helps build a strong aerobic base, which is crucial for endurance performance.
Enhanced fat burning
By training in this zone, your body becomes more efficient at burning fat for fuel.
Improved mitochondrial function
Zone 2 training stimulates the growth and function of mitochondria, the powerhouses of your cells, which are responsible for energy production.
Enhanced lactate clearance
Zone 2 training helps your body become better at clearing lactate, a byproduct of intense exercise that can lead to fatigue.
Active recovery
Zone 2 training also serves as a great form of active recovery, helping your body recover from more intense workouts.
Increased aerobic capacity
Zone 2 training increases your body’s ability to use oxygen efficiently, leading to improved cardiovascular health.
Reduced risk of injury
By focusing on building a strong aerobic base, you can reduce the risk of injuries associated with overtraining or high-intensity workouts.
Improved performance
By improving your body’s ability to use oxygen and burn fat, you can perform better in endurance events and other activities.
How it works
Warm-up and baseline
A 15-minute warm-up on a bike or treadmill. Blood samples are taken by finger prick at rest and every five minutes through the warm-up, and heart rate is monitored throughout with a Garmin or Polar chest strap.
Staged intensity
Four to five minute stages of increasing intensity, with a sample at the end of each stage. Intensity rises through speed, incline and/or watts depending on your preference and ability.
Your threshold
The assessment ends once 2 mmol/L of lactate is measured — typically inside ten samples. That point is your Aerobic Threshold, and the ceiling of your Zone 2.
Pricing
Zone 2 Blood Lactate Assessment
90 min
A staged lactate test on the bike or treadmill, ending at your Aerobic Threshold.
Book NowVO2max Assessment
45 min
The natural companion: VO2max sets your ceiling and full heart rate zones, while the lactate assessment pins down where Zone 2 actually ends.
Book NowLearn more →Zone 2 FAQs
- What is a Zone 2 Blood Lactate Assessment?
- A staged exercise test that measures lactate in your blood directly, rather than inferring your training zones from age, heart rate or gas exchange. It identifies your Aerobic Threshold (AeT) — the highest intensity you can hold while blood lactate stays below 2 mmol/L, which is the true upper limit of Zone 2.
- How is this different from a VO2max assessment?
- A VO2max assessment is a maximal test using gas exchange to measure your aerobic ceiling and map your heart rate zones. This is a sub-maximal test that measures a different thing — lactate — to place one specific boundary precisely. Many endurance athletes do both: VO2max for the ceiling, lactate for the floor they train on most.
- Do I have to run, or can I walk or bike?
- The assessment runs on either a bike or a treadmill, with walk or run protocols available. Choose the modality you are most comfortable with and that you actually use for cardiovascular training — the results are most useful when they match how you train.
- How much blood is involved?
- Small finger-prick samples only. One at rest, one every five minutes during the warm-up, and one at the end of each stage. We aim to stay under ten samples in total.
- How long does the assessment take?
- Your appointment is scheduled for 90 minutes, which covers the warm-up, the staged test itself, and time to go through what the numbers mean for your training.
- How should I prepare?
- Prep instructions are emailed before your appointment; the standard guidance for our exercise assessments is below.
- Dress in comfortable exercise attire and closed-toe workout shoes.
- Refrain from heavy endurance training for 24 hours beforehand.
- No food, tobacco, alcohol, or caffeine for at least 3 hours prior.
- Continue medications as usual.
Explore the other assessments
DEXA Body Composition Scan
Body fat, visceral fat, lean mass, and bone density from the gold-standard method.
Learn more →VO2max Assessment
Your maximal aerobic capacity and the heart rate training zones that follow from it.
Learn more →Resting Metabolic Rate
Exactly how many calories your body burns at rest, measured rather than estimated.
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