'Aerobic exercise'... a myth..?

Charlton_King

As they say, if you can't measure it, it doesn't exist.

'Right now, Mr X', says the doc, 'it would be peachy if you could do 30mins of aerobic exercise per day.'

'Great,' says Mr X, 'so kindly tell me what device/gadget/chart/scale will tell me whether what I'm doing is "aerobic"'.

'Ah...' says the doc...

'Er...' says the doc...

'Umm...' says the doc...

'Gee, thanks Doc,' says Mr X and stamps off out of the surgery to calm down the blood pressure for which he's supposed to be doing the aerobic exercise...

Angry_Bear

Am I missing something - is that not the very point about heart rate monitors (built into a lot of equipment in gyms) and "heart rate zones"?

Charlton_King

Angry_Bear wrote: »

Am I missing something - is that not the very point about heart rate monitors (built into a lot of equipment in gyms) and "heart rate zones"?

Oh, I have a pulse meter.

I just don't know what it should read for me to know for certain that I am doing 'aerobic exercise'...

fairy_lights

Isn't any exercise that elevates your heart rate aerobic? I don't quite understand the problem

Charlton_King

Nope, I want to do this 'aerobic exercise' because I'm a recovering heart patient.

It's just that nobody, the medics included, can tell me what that should be in terms of heart rate.

Has anyone here seen or heard of a guaranteed, for certain, way of telling for any given individual..?

No? Nor have I...

bsms1147

If it makes you out of breath you've gone too far. There is essentially no way of telling you for sure whether you are doing aerobic or anaerobic exercise.

Charlton_King

bsms1147 wrote: »

If it makes you out of breath you've gone too far. There is essentially no way of telling you for sure whether you are doing aerobic or anaerobic exercise.

... and how, pray, does one tell if one has gone far enough..?

[Deleted User]

You can measure it, but it takes a lab full of expensive equipment.

Aerobic means you're exercising below your anaerobic threshold, the point at which your heart and lungs can no longer produce enough oxygen to metabolise all the glycogen your muscles are using. When you metabolise glycogen anaerobically the process produces lactic acid as a by-product, which produces the familiar screaming pain in your muscles and prevents you from continuing at the same pace.

If you want to estimate your AT, you can run or cycle at a constant heart rate and see if you're able to maintain a constant speed. If you are, then try increasing your heart rate a little at a time and wait to see if it's sustainable at each level. When you get to a heart rate that is too high to sustain a constant speed without slowing down, then you have just passed your AT.

[Deleted User]

I was busy typing whilst the OP said they are a recovering heart patient, I wouldn't try to measure your AT without checking with your doctor first.

Charlton_King

Fascinating... but of limited use to someone who just has an exercise bike and a chest band pulse meter.

I'm guessing that, for all practical purposes, this idea of 'doing 5 x 30mins moderate intensity aerobic exercise per week' is a dead duck...

... because nobody can say what 'moderate' means for any given individual...

... and nobody can measure it.

It's as good as a myth...

Voltaire7

Follow the guidelines, it's not rocket science:

Moderate intensity aerobic exercise is where you're working hard enough to raise your heart rate and break into a sweat. You're working at a moderate intensity if you're able to talk but unable to sing the words to a song.
Vigorous intensity aerobic exercise is where you're breathing hard and fast and your heart rate has increased significantly. If you're working at this level, you won't be able to say more than a few words without pausing for a breath.