{"id":487918,"date":"2026-02-20T15:41:21","date_gmt":"2026-02-20T15:41:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/487918\/"},"modified":"2026-02-20T15:41:21","modified_gmt":"2026-02-20T15:41:21","slug":"experts-reveal-what-actually-works-in-midlife","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/487918\/","title":{"rendered":"experts reveal what actually works in midlife"},"content":{"rendered":"

When it comes to zone 2<\/a> vs HIIT<\/a> training, it feels like there\u2019s a new study published every other week about which method trumps the other for fitness. So, we consulted the experts for their final verdict on which training approach midlife women should prioritise.<\/p>\n

What is zone 2 training?<\/p>\n

\u2018Training zones are a great way to determine the benefit and amount of effort required for your goals,\u2019 says Sam Quinn, Nuffield Health\u2019s personal training lead. Said zones are based on your maximum heart rate (which is generally thought of as roughly 220 minus your age) and are numbered 1 to 5.<\/p>\n

Zone 1: 55-65% heart rate (warm-ups and light jogging)Zone 2: 65-75% heart rate (comfortable\/conversational pace)Zone 3: 75-85% heart rate (moderate intensity)Zone 4: 85-88% heart rate (medium to high intensity)Zone 5: 90% + HR max (maximum effort) <\/p>\n

Zone 2 training isn\u2019t confined to running<\/a> \u2013 brisk walking<\/a>, cycling<\/a>, swimming<\/a>, rowing<\/a> and cross-training can all be used, too.<\/p>\n

Related Story\"hiit<\/p>\n

Luis Alvarez\/\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

What is HIIT training?<\/p>\n

Short for high-intensity interval training, this method \u2018involves alternating short periods of high-intensity exercise with periods of low-intensity movement,\u2019 says Quinn. \u2018Intervals are an effective method of building anaerobic fitness and burning fat, but place high physical demands on the body.\u2019<\/p>\n

Which is best for women over 40?<\/p>\n

Younger women, says Quinn, will typically have a higher stress tolerance and be able to recover more quickly from higher intensity workouts, potentially making HIIT more time-effective. \u2018Older women will generally have busier lives, more responsibilities, potentially family stressors such as children or elderly parents, and could be going through (peri)menopause<\/a>, which can lead to fluctuations in hormones, decreased joint or bone strength and compromised recovery time,\u2019 he adds. <\/p>\n

These factors may result in midlife women finding zone 2, low-intensity cardiovascular training to be most suited to their lifestyle and health goals, says Quinn. That said, he adds that \u2018Exercise prescription should be based on the individual; their current fitness, overall health, and exercise experience. Generally, a combination of different types of cardiovascular training can yield the best results.\u2019<\/p>\n

Indeed, Dr Vonda Wright, a world-renowned orthopaedic surgeon specialising in sports medicine recently waded into the debate to highlight how women might approach combining the two training types. <\/p>\n

\u2018I now use an 80\/20 method \u2013 80% of the time, I am in a lower, base-training heart rate zone, which is very metabolically efficient. It helps my mitochondria be flexible with what fuel source I’m using, whether it’s protein, carbs or fat. And it burns more fat than middle-intensity exercise,\u2019 she says on Dr Rangan Chatterjee\u2019s Feel Better Live More podcast<\/a>. \u2018That\u2019s three hours a week broken up into 45-minute sessions. I choose to do mine either by walking home from work, which is 2.5 miles, or I have a treadmill in my room upstairs.\u2019<\/p>\n

Then, twice a week, Dr Wright sprints<\/a> \u2013 30-second bursts followed by complete recovery, however long that takes her (usually 2-3 mins), repeated four times. \u2018Sprinting is a heart rate function, meaning getting it [your HR] up as high as it can go,\u2019 she explains. \u2018It\u2019s so good for your muscle-derived stem cells, mitochondrial function, and for your brain.\u2019 If you\u2019re not a running fan, you could try cycling or rowing sprints<\/p>\n

\u2018Middle-zone training\u2019, which Dr Wright says she sees many women doing, is \u2018not low intensity enough to allow for recovery and it’s not high intensity enough like sprint intervals to really change physiology.\u2019 In other words, the most efficient use of exercise time in midlife is likely a lot of zone 2 and a little bit of HIIT. <\/p>\n

If you have any cardiovascular issues, HIIT might not be suitable, so it\u2019s always best to consult a medical professional if you\u2019re unsure.<\/p>\n

Related Stories\"Headshot<\/p>\n

Hannah Bradfield is a Senior Health and Fitness Writer for Women\u2019s Health UK. An NCTJ-accredited journalist, Hannah graduated from Loughborough University with a BA in English and Sport Science and an MA in Media and Cultural Analysis. \u00a0She has been covering sports, health and fitness for the last five years and has created content for outlets including BBC Sport, BBC Sounds, Runner\u2019s World and Stylist. She especially enjoys interviewing those working within the community to improve access to sport, exercise and wellness. Hannah is a 2024 John Schofield Trust Fellow and was also named a 2022 Rising Star in Journalism by The Printing Charity. \u00a0A keen runner, Hannah was firmly a sprinter growing up (also dabbling in long jump) but has since transitioned to longer-distance running. While 10K is her favoured race distance, she loves running or volunteering at parkrun every Saturday, followed, of course, by pastries. She\u2019s always looking for fun new runs and races to do and brunch spots to try.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"When it comes to zone 2 vs HIIT training, it feels like there\u2019s a new study published every…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":487919,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[37],"tags":[49,48,181853,181517,4671,196395,784,407,84,783,196394,190081],"class_list":{"0":"post-487918","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-fitness","8":"tag-ca","9":"tag-canada","10":"tag-collection-fit-at-any-age","11":"tag-collection-fitness-app","12":"tag-content-type-default","13":"tag-contentid-75a1d53f-4637-4ef3-9e40-e5046dc3ec55","14":"tag-displaytype-standard-article","15":"tag-fitness","16":"tag-health","17":"tag-locale-gb","18":"tag-shorttitle-zone-2-vs-hiit-for-women-over-40","19":"tag-subsection-fat-loss"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/487918","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=487918"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/487918\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/487919"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=487918"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=487918"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=487918"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}