Zone 2 Base Ride

40–50 min at a conversational pace, nose breathing if you can hold it. 3×/week.

Difficulty 2 of 56.8 METs · Vigorous

Equipment

Stationary bike

Muscle groups worked

Glutes
Calves
Core

What it buys you

Builds the aerobic floor every long session stands on. Raises the intensity you can hold before you have to stop and recover.

Capacity trained

Endurance. Aerobic capacity and vascular function. The single best-evidenced physical input to sexual performance.

Train it · Deep Base Test your limiter

Energy

Modelled kilocalories

Modelled energy cost for Zone 2 Base Ride at 10, 20, 30 and 45 minutes for both reference bodies
Reference body	10 min	20 min	30 min	45 min
Male reference · 82 kg	98 kcal	195 kcal	293 kcal	439 kcal
Female reference · 68 kg	81 kcal	162 kcal	243 kcal	364 kcal

Energy figures are modelled from standard activity MET values (Ainsworth Compendium, 2011) and the ACSM equation, not measured on you. They scale linearly with your own body mass, so a body 10% heavier burns about 10% more at the same intensity.

kcal = METs × 3.5 × bodyweight(kg) ÷ 200 × minutes (ACSM)

Load is effort, not pain. If a movement hurts rather than works, stop and see a clinician. Lifting another person is strength training with a person-shaped load — build the pattern unloaded first.

Cross-reference

Positions this workout helps · 50

It serves Seated Astride, Standing, Elevated / Bridged and Kneeling. Every position in those families is listed below, hardest first.

Honest framing

Training makes a posture available and sustainable. It is capability work, not a treatment for anything, and no single session changes a number. Consistency over eight weeks does.