Zone 2 Training For Female Hikers

Is Zone 2 training less effective for female hikers? Inside this article and podcast we explore the subject and if it is something hikers need to be concerned with.

T
​oday, we are talking about zone 2 training, specifically for female hikers.

This came from a question a hiker sent me after seeing a recent reel from Stacy Sims, saying zone two training is not very effective for women compared to men.

Which raised a bit of confusion (because zone 2 training is recommended to hikers A LOT).​

So lets break this down:

Is Zone 2 Training Important For Female Hikers?

First, a little background.

What is Zone Two training?

If you have not heard of it before, zone two training is simply low-intensity cardio.

It is cardiovascular exercise you can sustain for long periods of time at a relatively low effort.

In hiking terms, this might look like:

• Walking/pack walking
• Hiking
• Cycling

Long, steady movement that feels fairly comfortable

It is something I regularly tell hikers to prioritise because it is very targeted towards the needs of hiking (e.g. developing the ability to for long periods, with minimal fatigue).  

Second, who is Stacy Sims?

Stacy Sims is a very big name in the world of women's training. She puts out a lot of solid information. She has books, podcasts, videos, and articles. She is very well respected in the training space.

The reel that sparked this conversation was a short clip from a longer discussion.

In it, she essentially said this:

• Zone two training provides benefits for men, but not nearly as many for women.
• She specifically mentioned that women do not significantly improve "mitochondrial density" from zone two work.
• According to her, the main benefits for women are stress relief and getting outside in fresh air.

Which is a pretty bold statement!

So when a hiker brought this up to me, I looked into it.

I watched the reel. I read the article she referenced. I dug into the studies she cited.​

And there are a few problems with how this message lands (in the hiking context):

Problem #1: Stacey Sims Speaks To The General Population.

Her content is largely aimed at:

• General health
• General fitness
• Longevity
  
  

That is completely fine.

But training for general health is not always the same as training for a specific outcome like hiking.

Hikers are training for very specific demands.

Problem #2: Short Form Videos Miss Context.

This reel was clipped out of a longer conversation, which removed important nuance.

That alone can distort the message.

Problem #3: The Science Isn't So Clear-Cut

The science itself is not as clear-cut as the reel made it seem.

One of the studies referenced (to show that low-intensity training did not increase mitochondrial density) doesn't actually look at zone-two training or endurance training; it looked at the difference of three types of methods of circuit training...

Another quote in the article came from a journal study done on mice.

Yes, animal studies can be useful, especially when human studies are limited or missing, but you could never consider the final word...

But beyond that, there is one much more glaring issue.

In exercise science, you do not make conclusions based on one or two studies.

You look at the body of evidence.

There is a large review on this topic that looked at 353 research articles on mitochondrial content.

The conclusion was essentially this:

"Generally, responses to exercise training are largely determined by the initial fitness level and are not influenced by age, sex, disease, or menopause"

Both men and women saw benefits.​

That alone puts a big question mark on the idea that zone two training does not benefit women.

Why All Hikers Need Zone 2 Training 

But honestly, let's zoom out even further.

Because getting lost in science debates is exhausting.

And honestly, not that useful for most hikers.

Here is the most important question you need to ask when you see content like this:

"Is this information talking about my specific situation?"

Not just your gender. Not your job. Not your family status. Not your lifestyle.

Your context as a hiker.

If you are reading this, chances are hiking is one of your main goals.
And by definition, a hiker is an endurance athlete.

Hiking is an endurance activity.

It requires:

• Sustained effort
• Long durations
• Fatigue management
• Comfort over hours of movement

Training for endurance sports is different from training for health.

It is also different from training for weight loss, muscle gain or any type of bodycomposition change.

Yet about 95% of the content online focuses on general health, fat loss, or muscle gain.

Not endurance performance.

Even if the science was absolutely indisputable that women gained less from zone two training (which it is not), a hiker still needs to prepare for multiple hours of low-intensity movement.

No amount of interval training, sprint work or strength training will prepare you for this.

That does not mean strength training or high-intensity work is useless. If applied right, they can be incredibly valuable for hikers.

But there is no escaping low-intensity, long-duration training if you want to be comfortable hiking for hours.

It is just common sense.

So if you are a hiker, wondering whether zone 2 training is right for you, just remember:

To prepare for multiple hours of hiking, your body needs exposure to multiple hours of movement.

There is no avoiding it.

And if you need help with this, and finding the right balance between zone 2 training, strength development and higher intensity cardio to best help your hiking, you can check out The Online Summit Program here;

Online Training For Hikers

Yours in trekking,

Rowan