Intensity of Cardiovascular Exercise

Which is more beneficial - exercise at a high intensity for a short duration, or low intensity for a longer duration?

There are two different types of exercise - aerobic and anaerobic.

The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) defines aerobic exercise as "any activity that uses large muscle groups, can be maintained continuously, and is rhythmic in nature." Typically, this is done on the treadmill, bike or elliptical and you're working up a sweat, breathing hard, your heart is pumping hard, and blood is flowing through your veins to deliver fresh oxygen to muscles to keep you moving. And oxygen is the key word. Aerobic exercise requires a lot of oxygen.  Every heart beat sends a volume of blood circulating through the body, allowing your muscle access to the oxygen.

Anaerobic exercise literally means 'without oxygen' and usually refers to higher intensity exercise for a shorter duration; such as weight lifting or sprinting. The key to anaerobic training is to build lean muscle mass, which burns fuel at a much higher metabolic rate than fat mass.

Muscles are like engines that run on fat and carbohydrate as fuel (instead of gasoline like your car), with oxygen availability a primary factor. Muscles more efficient at consuming oxygen can burn more 'fuel' and can exercise, or work, for a longer duration. The good news is that your body becomes more efficient at using oxygen and burning fat when you do regular aerobic exercise.

Remember, aerobic exercise is riding your bike on the boardwalk at the beach and anaerobic exercise is sprinting your bike to catch up with Lance Armstrong. Now, if you add the two together: sprint, cruise, sprint, cruise, you have Interval Training; aerobic and anaerobic exercise combined!

The idea is to burn fat while building lean muscle mass. When training with your personal trainer, you are working in an anaerobic state and increasing lean muscle as well as speeding up your metabolism. Cardiovascular exercise burns off fat. By combining high and low intensity intervals into a cardiovascular workout, you are burning calories more quickly than in a low intensity, long duration workout. Additionally, interval training helps to improve the strength of your heart in a shorter amount of time.

Next time you are on the bike, treadmill, or elliptical try this: warm up at a comfortable pace, pick up the speed and intensity to the point where you feel an intense challenge, and then take the intensity back down for enough time that your heart rate comes down around 120 beats per minute. Continue this process for 20 - 30 minutes per workout and over a period of time, you will see your heart rate recover more quickly and you will be able to work at the higher intensity for longer intervals.

"How Many Calories Can I Burn on A Treadmill?"

There are a number of factors that can affect how many calories you burn, including: body weight, intensity of workout, fitness level. metabolism, posture during exercise, etc.

General Estimates of Calories Burned per 30 minutes of exercise:

     Weight in lbs.  130   155   190
Walking, 2.0 mph,  74    103   117
Walking, 3.0 mph,  104   223   151
Walking, 4.0 mph,  118   240   172
Running, 5.0 mph   236   281   345
Running, 5.2 mph   281   316   352
Running, 6.0 mph   295   352   431
Running, 7.0 mph   340   404   496
Running, 8.0 mph   369   440   539
Running, 9.0 mph   442   528   647

There are currently about 24 million people in the United States, or almost 8% of the population, who have diabetes. While an estimated 18 million have been diagnosed with diabetes, unfortunately, 6 million people are undiagnosed and are unaware that they have the disease.

There are two types of diabetes: type 1 and type 2.

Type 1 diabetes is usually diagnosed in children and young adults, and was previously known as juvenile diabetes. In type 1 diabetes, the body does not produce insulin. Insulin is a hormone that is needed to convert sugar (glucose), starches and other food into energy needed for daily life and "unlocks" the cells of the body, allowing glucose to enter and fuel them. It is estimated that 5-10% of Americans who are diagnosed with diabetes have type 1 diabetes.

Type 2 diabetes is the most common form of diabetes. In type 2 diabetes, either the body does not produce enough insulin or the cells ignore the insulin. Insulin is necessary for the body to be able to use glucose (blood sugar) for energy. When you eat food, the body breaks down all of the sugars and starches into glucose, which is the basic fuel for the cells in the body. Insulin takes the sugar from the blood into the cells. When glucose builds up in the blood instead of going into cells, it can cause two problems:

1. Your body's cells may be starved for energy.
2. Over time, high blood glucose levels may hurt your eyes, kidneys, nerves or heart.

There is also a condition known as pre-diabetes that occurs when a person's blood glucose levels are higher than normal but not high enough for a diagnosis of type 2 diabetes. These people are prime candidates to develop diabetes. There are 57 million Americans who have pre-diabetes, in addition to the 24 million with diabetes.

A common myth is that eating too much sugar causes diabetes. It does not. Diabetes is caused by a combination of genetic and lifestyle factors. However, eating a lot of sugar and sugary foods does lead to being overweight, and that does increase your risk for developing type 2 diabetes. If you have a history of diabetes in your family, eating a healthy meal plan and regular exercise are recommended to manage your weight and reduce the risk of getting diabetes.

The American Diabetes Association has an online diabetes risk calculator that you can use to determine if you are at risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
Here's a link to the Diabetes Risk Calculator.

From a caloric standpoint, it seems that fat (at 9 calories per gram) should be a much better source of fuel for exercise than carbohydrate (at 4 calories per gram). However, carbohydrate is the most important fuel source for exercise and the only fuel source used proficiently in both aerobic and anaerobic (weight lifting) exercises.

The body prefers carbohydrate to fat during endurance exercise for two major reasons: First, the metabolic pathways for carbohydrate breakdown (glycolysis) are much more efficient than those for fat breakdown  (lipolysis). Second, more oxygen is required to burn fat. The energy obtained from 1 liter of oxygen is 4.69 calories from fat, as compared with a yield of 5.05 calories from carbohydrate. So, carbohydrate is approximately 7% more efficient as a fuel, and that is why it is hard to get your body to burn its stored fat instead.

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Fitness Together 951-302-2995

            Ed Ferrell

As owner, manager and head trainer of Fitness Together - Temecula, I have found that there is nothing more rewarding than helping my clients reach their personal fitness goals. It goes far beyond helping them to lose weight and feel better about themselves. I have seen lives completely changed when clients learn and apply proper nutrition and exercise to their lifestyles.
No one I know has ever regretted losing weight and getting in better shape. The improvements and enjoyment that clients experience in their daily lives as a result of their personal training is why I do this. I may work with each client less than an hour a day, but I known they are enjoying the benefits of their improved energy, health and fitness all day long -- and that's what its all about. Without your health, nothing else matters.

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31045 Temecula Parkway #103
Temecula, CA 92592

951-302-2995
www.fttemecula.com

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