Aerobic training for specific needs

We already know that regular aerobic training brings us many great advantages, but to reap the best benefits, we must first know what we are training for.

Training for optimal physical health

The Surgeon General of America recommends regular moderate activity of 150 calories per day or 1000 calories per week. The American College of Sports Medicine suggests 50 more calories per day which adds up to 200 calories per day. Other authorities suggest a weekly activity of 1500-2000 calories.

Training for fat loss

The USDA recommends 60 to 90 minutes of daily moderate physical activity. Some studies suggest 30 to 45 minutes, but for optimal weight loss or weight management, you really can’t go wrong if you do your own calculations and just stick to those numbers.

Training for cardiovascular fitness

For best results a varied heart rate between 55 and 90% is recommended. I know this is a realy rough number, but if you want to get the maximum out of your workouts then I would suggest you would do a high intensity interval training of 4 minutes and 30 seconds at around 60-70% of the maximum heart rate, followed with a 30 second, high intensity interval. As you get better then you can shorten the time between high intensity intervals to one minute or even 30 seconds.

Training for sports performance

The best exercise for a specific sport is the sport itself. Any additional exercises, if not planed or executed correctly, pose a great risk of interfering with your sport performance. For instance, a runner would do better if he has a good training planed, but would actually do worse in races if he over trained his muscles. Periodization can be applied for long distance sports like marathon training or triathlon training. Look at the picture at the beginning of this post and tell me which one is the sprinter and wich one the marathon runner.

Until next time stay strong and be kind.