Cardiovascular exercise improves heart function, strengthens blood vessels, and prevents a number of cardiovascular diseases. It also improves well-being and physical fitness.
Many exercise enthusiasts consider aerobics an ineffective form of exercise, as it has virtually no effect on muscle development. However, aerobics has many advantages. Of course, there are also disadvantages, as with any sport. We'll cover all of these in today's aerobics review.
Cardiovascular exercise improves heart function, strengthens blood vessels, and prevents a number of cardiovascular diseases. It also improves well-being and physical fitness.
Literally, “aerobic” means “with oxygen.” Aerobic exercise is low- or moderate-intensity exercise that strengthens the cardiovascular system. Aerobic exercise is considered the best way to burn calories. This means that aerobic exercise helps you lose fat while maintaining muscle mass (unless done in excessive amounts).
Disadvantages of weight training in the gym:
– Cardiac activity is not stimulated sufficiently.
– Strong endurance is not developed.
– Clear muscle definition is not always formed.
It is important to understand that the more a person weighs, the more thoroughly and intensely he must train his heart, since the amount of blood it pumps increases.
Endurance is a bit more complicated. Muscle growth is limited by energy. Muscles require mitochondria to grow. Their number determines endurance and muscle growth potential.
Aerobic exercise stimulates mitochondrial production, so when athletes start going to the gym, they can gain up to 20 kg of muscle in a year.
It's important to remember that muscle definition is determined by both muscle size and subcutaneous fat levels. Strength training is responsible for muscle size, while aerobic exercise and diet are responsible for fat.
Three key tips for those who want to say goodbye to excess weight forever:
1. Make your body feel like it's in a calorie deficit. This is a surefire way to lose weight.
2. Do strength training while on a low-calorie diet.
3. Make time for aerobic exercise to create a calorie deficit.
Often, many people focus on just one of the above points, neglecting the others. But if you implement everything in a comprehensive manner, positive results will come very quickly.
What should aerobics be like?
Most gym-goers with exercise equipment prefer treadmills, exercise bikes, and stationary bikes. These are common and affordable options for cardio training.
A treadmill allows you to control and achieve your desired level of exertion. Furthermore, running is a natural movement for the body. A stationary bike will reduce the exertion, while a stopper will increase it.
Running can be high-intensity or low-intensity. The difference lies in speed. A leisurely run of 3-8 km/h is considered low-intensity, while running faster than 8 km/h is considered high-intensity. Keep in mind that you'll do more work during an intense run.
How should you run?
Much depends on your specific goal. To burn fat, you need low-intensity but prolonged exercise. To stimulate your heart, you need a brisk run.
– For fat burning: run 5-8 km/h for 45 to 60 minutes.
– To stimulate the heart: run 8-12 km/h for 10 to 15 minutes.
If your goal with running is weight loss, keep in mind that weight loss begins after 30 or even 40 minutes of exercise. In this case, you need to run slowly to convert fat into energy rather than carbohydrates, which are essential for muscle growth.
An important point: to burn fat while running, avoid carbohydrates for as long as possible before your workout. They stimulate insulin production, which inhibits fat burning. For this reason, running is most often done in the morning and on an empty stomach.
How to calculate heart rate for different load zones?
During moderate-intensity exercise, your heart rate should be between 50% and 70% of your maximum.
Maximum heart rate after exercise is calculated using the formula: 220 minus a person's age. For example, for a 50-year-old, the maximum heart rate is: 220 – 50 years = 170 beats per minute. Now let's determine 50% and 70% of this figure: 170 x 0.50 = 85 beats per minute, 170 x 0.70 = 119 beats per minute.
Thus, for a 50-year-old person, during moderate-intensity physical activity, the heart rate should be between 85 and 119 beats per minute. Anything within this range can be considered normal.
During high-intensity physical activity, the normal heart rate is between 70% and 85% of your maximum heart rate.
To calculate the maximum heart rate, we'll use the same formula. Let's determine the maximum heart rate for a person's age. For example, for a 35-year-old, the maximum heart rate is 220 – 35 years = 185 beats per minute. Now let's determine 70% and 85% of this figure: 185 x 0.70 = 130 beats per minute and 185 x 0.85 = 157 beats per minute.
Thus, during high-intensity exercise or immediately after physical activity, the heart rate of a 35-year-old person is normally between 130 and 157 beats per minute.
The recovery period after high- and moderate-intensity exercise is approximately 10 minutes. If your heart rate hasn't returned to normal within this time, you should reduce your physical activity.
Negative aspects of aerobics
It's important not to overdo it with aerobic exercise. Otherwise, it can hinder muscle growth. To train your heart and improve endurance, running twice a week is sufficient.