Aerobic training, also known as cardiovascular exercise (cardio) or aerobic exercise, is dreaded by many, yet it’s so important. Your heart is the most vital organ you can work on. As someone who performs aerobic training on a daily basis and has utilized it ALONG WITH diet to lose fat many times, I stand by how important aerobic training is.
Aerobic training is something that many people despise and avoid doing, but it can be such an important tool to aid in fat loss. Not only that, it can help keep your heart healthy! I’ve used it on multiple occasion to lose fat, fifty pounds twice, in fact!
So what is the meaning aerobic training (or aerobic exercise or cardio), it’s when your body is performing an exercise(s) that require it to use an increased amount of oxygen. It’s when you are exercising at about 50 to 70% of your maximal heart rate according to the American Heart Association.
This post is all you need to know about aerobic training and why it is so beneficial for staying healthy and losing fat!
Aerobic Training
1. Aerobic Training Benefits – Health1,2,3
These benefits don’t just apply to aerobic training, but any form of cardiovascular exercise, but it’s very important to know about these. First and foremost, it’ll help you to keep some extra pounds off or lose weight coupled with a healthy diet. You’ll experience increased stamina as your body is able to handle more physical stress.
Aerobic exercise can help to decrease low density-lipoprotein (LDL), which is considered “bad cholesterol”, so it doesn’t clog up your arteries and lead to other medical problems. Aerobic exercise can also help strengthen your immune system so you’ll be less susceptible to viruses.
You’ll be less likely to experience conditions such as high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes (type 2), strokes and more. Aerobic activity can also boost your mood, which means you’ll feel happier in general! It can help fight against osteoporosis, reduce signs of aging, and improve digestion!! So many!
Almost everyone should perform cardio. You can’t live without a heart. I know a lot of people want to focus on other parts of their body (get your mind out of the gutter), but the heart is the most important. You can have huge biceps, triceps, butts, but they just aren’t as important.
2. What Form of Aerobic Training Should You Do?3
There is no correct answer to this. The best from is the one that YOU enjoy the most.
If you hate them all, it’s the one you hate the least! If you enjoy the elliptical, do that. If you like walking and are able to do so, then do that.
You might be asking me what do I do? Well, I like to either put an elliptical at 10 resistance or set a treadmill to 12 incline and 3 speed and do that.
You don’t even need a gym to perform anaerobic exercise, just get outside and go for a walk! Get that heart rate up!
These are just some types of aerobic activity. It’s obviously not a comprehensive list, there many more different types of aerobic activity.
- Going for a walk (at a pace of 2.5 miles/hour as recommended by the American Heart Association, but do what you can!!!)
- Light jog
- Bungee Cord Workout
- Pedaling on an elliptical
- Just riding a bike
- Gardening
- Stationary bike at home or the gym
- Water aerobic workouts
- Naruto running (briskly)
- Walking to McDonalds for some french fries, pies, Mcflurry, a few sandwiches and a diet coke
3. How Much Aerobic Exercise Should You Do?3,5
I just make sure to get in 150 minutes total cardiovascular activity throughout the week. The American Heart Association recommends 150 minutes of moderate-intensity cardiovascular activity throughout the week. You can do more if you want to or enjoy it, of course!
You can build up to that 150 minute a week as well, you don’t have to shoot straight to it. For example, if you can only do 30 minutes a week, then do that and increase by 10 minutes every week. Or however much you can increase it by!
Just have your heart rate in the 50-70% of your maximal heart. To get this number, you subtract your age from 220. Then you multiply that number by 0.5 to get the lower end of your range. Then you multiply the number you got from subtracting from 220 by 0.7 to get the upper end of your range. Here’s an example for a 30 year old.
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- Average maximum heart rate: 220 – 30 = 190
- Lower end of maximal heart rate: 190 x 0.5 = 95
- Upper end of maximum heart rate: 190 x 0.7 = 133
Here’s A Rough Table to Your Convenience
| Age | Average Maximum Heart Rate | Lower End of Maximum Heart Rate | Higher End of Maximum Heart Rate |
| 10 | 210 | 105 | 147 |
| 20 | 200 | 100 | 140 |
| 30 | 190 | 95 | 133 |
| 40 | 180 | 90 | 126 |
| 50 | 170 | 85 | 119 |
| 60 | 160 | 80 | 112 |
| 70 | 150 | 75 | 105 |
| 80 | 140 | 70 | 98 |
| 90 | 130 | 65 | 91 |
| 100 | 120 | 60 | 84 |
| 110 | 110 | 55 | 77 |
4. What’s the Ideal Time to Perform Aerobic Exercise?
A few things to touch on, on timing of your aerobic exercise. A lot of people talk about fasted cardio. Is this a requirement to lose fat? No, it’s not. You just need to be in a caloric deficit at the end of the day (or even the end of the week, month or even year if you want to look at it like that).
If you feel like you need energy while performing cardio, you can eat something prior. Don’t overcomplicate it. You’ll find people online saying it’s better, it’s really not. “But..but I watched all these professional body builders online who do cardio first thing in the morning”, ok big guy. Do that then. Maybe when you’re on an elite level like that, it might make a difference. Keep things simple and get in the gym or wherever and get the work done.
I’ve lost 50 pounds twice and weight other times without taking into account when I was doing my aerobic exercise. Sometimes I did it in the morning (get your mind out of the gutter) and other times in the afternoon or even in at night!
Whatever time fits your schedule, is the best time!
Now for cardio before or after lifting weights. As I mentioned, I do 10-15 minutes of cardio before my lifting to warmup. Now, if you plan do extended periods of cardio, do it after your liftings session if you’ll be lifting. Otherwise, you’ll be depleted while trying to lift.
5. Aerobic Training Will Cause Muscle Loss
No. If you’re going to be starving yourself and performing hours on end of aerobic exercise per day, sure. If not, you’ll be fine.
This post was all about the everything you need to know about aerobic training and how it can be used to live a healthy life style and lose fat coupled with a healthy diet.
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Disclaimer: I’m not your doctor. Please consult your doctor, nutritionist or any health care professional before making any changes in your own lifestyle. These blogs are just me sharing my knowledge for you reading entertainment purpose only. None of this is medical advice.
Resources
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- “10 Great Reasons to Love Aerobic Exercise.” Mayo Clinic, 17 Feb. 2022, mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/fitness/in-depth/aerobic-exercise/art-20045541.
- (2023, May 9). Cardio exercises benefit more than just your heart. Cleveland Clinic. https://health.clevelandclinic.org/the-many-benefits-of-a-cardio-workout/
- The American Heart Association. (2022, July 28). American Heart Association recommendations for physical activity in adults and kids. www.heart.org. https://www.heart.org/en/healthy-living/fitness/fitness-basics/aha-recs-for-physical-activity-in-adults
- The Johns Hopkins University. (2021, August 8). 7 heart benefits of exercise. JHM. https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/7-heart-benefits-of-exercise
- American Heart Association. (2023, May 15). Target heart rates chart. www.heart.org. https://www.heart.org/en/healthy-living/fitness/fitness-basics/target-heart-rates