08/10/2025
Here is the simplest way to build real fitness.
And also one of the most important things to understand if you want to burn fat.
Breath through your nose.
When I’m doing cardio, nasal breathing is how I know I’m in heart rate Zone 2.
That’s the zone where you build endurance, train your body to burn fat more efficiently, and recover faster.
But here’s the thing most people miss — Zone 2 isn’t just about heart rate.
It’s about how well your body can clear lactate.
You know when you get a stitch in your side when exercising.
That’s often a sign lactate is building up faster than your body can clear it.
You’re pushing too hard and you’ll need to stop unless you slow down
Another sign that you’re generating a lot of lactate is needing to breathe through your mouth.
And at this point your body starts to rely more on glucose instead of burning fat as energy, and cardio becomes harder to sustain.
Now, breathing through your nose, signals that you’re clearing lactate as fast as you’re making it and your body will be burning mainly fat as energy and you’ll be able to keep going for longer.
And this is exactly where you want to be if improving fitness and teaching your body to burn fat is the goal.
But here’s the thing - if you’re untrained.
You’ll probably need to slow right down.
Maybe even to a walk.
Train below the pace that forces you to breathe.
And accept that at first…
Zone 2 might feel way too easy.
But that’s how you build fitness and teach your body to become better at burning fat.
Over time?
Your lactate threshold rises.
Nasal breathing gets easier.
And your Zone 2 pace gets faster — with less effort.