Most people choose activities like running, swimming or cycling in order to boost aerobic fitness and maybe to help lose a little weight. Understanding how your body works can help you choose the right type of exercise for your goals, whether that is improving performance or increasing health and longevity.
The term aerobic means ‘with oxygen’. Aerobic activities (exercises in the aerobic training zone) are therefore, those that rely on oxygen to help in energy production for the working muscles. There are two other ‘systems’ the body uses to produce energy, but these systems do not require the presence of oxygen. These systems or training zones can be called anaerobic, or without oxygen. There are pros and cons to both aerobic and anaerobic zones. One of the biggest advantages of aerobic activities is that you can keep going for a long time. This is important because the primary benefits of aerobic exercise – better heart health – require you to exercise for longer bouts of exercise. The downside is that in order for you to remain aerobic, you have to use a slow enough pace on your run or ride. Anaerobic activities have the benefit of helping you go fast. The downside is you run out of fuel quickly. The table below summarizes the most important differences between aerobic and anaerobic exercise.
It is important to note that the type of activity does not determine whether you are using aerobic or anaerobic energy. It is your pace or ‘intensity’ that determines whether you are exercising aerobically. When it comes to improving aerobic function, slow and steady wins the race. So, how do you know how hard you should work?
There are a few easy ways to help you find the correct training intensity. One common method is to use a heart rate monitor. A heart rate that falls between 120-150 beats per minute (bpm) is usually a good target for remaining aerobic. Aim closer to 120 bpm (or even lower) if you are just starting out, and as you improve you can gradually increase closer to 150 bpm. These numbers can vary person-to-person, but are a great place to start. A simpler method to determine intensity found to be very effective in keeping you within the aerobic training zone is the ‘talk-test’. As exercise gets harder, your body has to breathe harder. Breathing harder will make talking more difficult, so if you can comfortably talk during exercise, you are most likely in the right zone. There is a chance the talk test will result in you going too slow, but by combining heart rate monitoring with the talk test, you can almost guarantee success!
Over time, with practice, you will start to know your pace and get comfortable. For some, the aerobic zone may seem too easy, but it is important to keep the intensity low. Not only will you find a better boost to your fitness, your easier workouts will help you recover faster for your next session, allowing you to train more often and consistently.
Article: James Orsatti, Fitness and Sports Instructor, PSP CFB Kingston
Editor(s): Tyson Staples, Fitness Coord, and Cheryl McKinnon, CFB Kingston