665: Is Zone 2 training a waste of your workout time? | Kristi Storoschuk, exercise scientist

“As your time commitment goes down, the importance of intensity goes up,” says Kristi Storoshuk. Storoschuk is a PhD candidate in Muscle Physiology at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario. Her research focuses on the relationship between skeletal muscle metabolism and whole-body metabolism, with an emphasis on how nutrient–exercise timing influences physiological adaptations to exercise. Storoschuk has contributed to peer-reviewed publications and is passionate about translating complex scientific findings into practical, evidence-based recommendations. Outside of her academic work, Kristi is the founder of a women’s health coaching program focused on improving metabolic health through sustainable nutrition and exercise, particularly in the context of preconception health. 00:00 - What is Zone 2 training? 08:14 - The limitations of Zone 2 training 11:18 - Prioritizing intensity when time is limited 15:56 - All about interval training 19:16 - The truth about building your aerobic base 21:02 - We shouldn’t train cardio like elite athletes 24:48 - Fat burning & Zone 2 26:10 - Talking weekly cardio protocol 30:03 - Storoschuk’s habits 33:03 - Unpacking exercise culture & trends 37:22 - Recovery, wearables, & intuition 43:10 - HIIT above all else Referenced in the episode: Read Storoschuk’s research about Zone 2: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40279-025-02261-y For more about Storoschuk, visit her website: https://krististoroschuk.com/ We hope you enjoy this episode, and feel free to watch the full video on YouTube! Whether it's an article or podcast, we want to know what we can do to help here at mindbodygreen. Let us know at: podcast@mindbodygreen.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices