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> From what I gather, aerobic exercise... That was my impression as well after doing some research in this area a while back. Although I looked specifically at

> From what I gather, aerobic exercise... That was my impression as well after doing some research in this area a while back. Although I looked specifically at longevity and cardiovascular studies there was a peak benefit at about 2hrs per week after which virtually no more benefits were observed.

copperx 8y ago
2 hrs a week of intensive aerobic exercise sounds like an easy to remember target if that's what research shows.
- taeric 8y ago
  What constitutes "intensive"? I finally got a heart monitor. So far, I get into "zone 4" for a few minutes every day. Zone 5? Not so much...
  - copperx 8y ago
    Personally, I define vigorous exercise when I hit 95% of my maximum heart rate (220-age) non-stop for 30 minutes. 100% is doable but a bit too extreme. I think I've seen similar definitions in health literature.
    - lostapathy 8y ago
      Worth noting that the various "max heart rate formulas" are just guidelines. Plenty of people routinely hit above their predicted rate, and plenty of people cannot get there.
      - taeric 8y ago
        Yeah, the "based on age" makes it tough. I would love for there to be something more prescriptive. That said, I suspect just trying already puts me in a decent position.
    - bitexploder 8y ago
      I am pretty sure that is very extreme and 70-80% of MHR is fine to consider "vigorous", especially for someone who is untrained.
  - strig 8y ago
    Mayo clinic says 70-85% of your max heart rate [1] counts as "vigorous". Not sure what the zones on your monitor are set at. [1]: https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/fitness/in-depth/exercise-intensity/art-20046887 https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/fitness/in-dept...
    - taeric 8y ago
      That would mean heart rate around 126 to 153 for me, evidently. Which, actually sounds low. Which I guess is good for me? :) I was using "zones" per the Strava app lingo. I rarely make zone 5, which would be 174+ heart rate. I spend a fair bit of time in the 160 range, though.
      - jonathansizz 8y ago
        If you're just using a formula your heart rate zones could be quite far out. For example, 220-age suggests my maximum HR is 178 and my threshold HR (85% of this) is 151, but in fact my max HR (determined empirically) is 188 and my threshold HR (based on an actual threshold test) is 162.
        copperx 8y ago
        How do you do a threshold test? Do you need a doctor?
        jonathansizz 8y ago
        For cycling, I do a long warmup then ride as hard as I can (uninterrupted) for 30 minutes and take the average HR for the last 20 of the 30 minutes. There are online calculators you can plug this value into to give you the 5 zones.* I do a test every 3 months, as the zones can shift as you get fitter. Running might use a different protocol, but the same principle applies. * These days I base my training on a 3-zone system: low intensity, below aerobic threshold; medium intensity, between aerobic and anaerobic (lactate) threshold, and high intensity, above lactate threshold. This is the system preferred by researchers, as it's based on real physiological markers. Translating the 3 zone system into the 5 zone: low intensity equates to zones 1-2, medium is zone 3 and zone 4 up to your (lactate) threshold value, and high intensity is everything above this, i.e. the top part of zone 4 and all of zone 5. So 'vigorous' per the Mayo Clinic would be medium intensity on the 3 zone system.
- wild_preference 8y ago
  I wouldn't stop at two hours just because there's no additional benefit that manifested in a study on some super-specific outcome. You probably care about other benefits as well.
  - copperx 8y ago
    Sure. But there are also risks associated with exercise; you want to minimize those too.
09bjb 8y ago
Weight training tends to be moderately cardiovascular. Not an out-and-out replacement for cardio, but your heart will be pumping hard at higher weights/reps. Same thing for a long session in a hot sauna. Just throwing some nearly-as-good alternatives out there for people who hate treadmills.
- soperj 8y ago
  I hate treadmills, but going for a bike ride or a walk is awesome. I don't know why people go to the gym to run...
  - tdesilva 8y ago
    Sometimes the weather blows.
  - wild_preference 8y ago
    Probably for the same reason people go to the gym to exercise yet don't do any pushups at home: we pathologically avoid exercise, so we often must compartmentalize it away from our life to actually do it.
  - makemoniesonlin 8y ago
    You can watch TV on a treadmill, something that is much harder (and more dangerous) while running outside.
  - ntlk 8y ago
    Because it’s easy to set targets and measure them while in the gym, but it’s not easy to fit that kind of exercise into the day to day. People often live too close to work for the bike ride to really be considered exercise, or too far, where they couldn’t feasibly fit it into their day. I get it, doing exercise for free seems like a no-brainier, but not everyone’s life and exercise needs converge neatly to make it easy.
    - photojosh 8y ago
      > easy to set targets and measure them while in the gym The cost of the gym will pay for a GPS watch and heart-rate monitor pretty quickly. But I understand that some places might be too high density or unsafe to run, or the weather is too hostile. I'm fortunate enough to live 10km from work, so I switch up between running AND riding the distance.

copperx 8y ago

2 hrs a week of intensive aerobic exercise sounds like an easy to remember target if that's what research shows.

taeric 8y ago
What constitutes "intensive"? I finally got a heart monitor. So far, I get into "zone 4" for a few minutes every day. Zone 5? Not so much...
- copperx 8y ago
  Personally, I define vigorous exercise when I hit 95% of my maximum heart rate (220-age) non-stop for 30 minutes. 100% is doable but a bit too extreme. I think I've seen similar definitions in health literature.
  - lostapathy 8y ago
    Worth noting that the various "max heart rate formulas" are just guidelines. Plenty of people routinely hit above their predicted rate, and plenty of people cannot get there.
    - taeric 8y ago
      Yeah, the "based on age" makes it tough. I would love for there to be something more prescriptive. That said, I suspect just trying already puts me in a decent position.
  - bitexploder 8y ago
    I am pretty sure that is very extreme and 70-80% of MHR is fine to consider "vigorous", especially for someone who is untrained.
- strig 8y ago
  Mayo clinic says 70-85% of your max heart rate [1] counts as "vigorous". Not sure what the zones on your monitor are set at. [1]: https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/fitness/in-depth/exercise-intensity/art-20046887 https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/fitness/in-dept...
  - taeric 8y ago
    That would mean heart rate around 126 to 153 for me, evidently. Which, actually sounds low. Which I guess is good for me? :) I was using "zones" per the Strava app lingo. I rarely make zone 5, which would be 174+ heart rate. I spend a fair bit of time in the 160 range, though.
    - jonathansizz 8y ago
      If you're just using a formula your heart rate zones could be quite far out. For example, 220-age suggests my maximum HR is 178 and my threshold HR (85% of this) is 151, but in fact my max HR (determined empirically) is 188 and my threshold HR (based on an actual threshold test) is 162.
      - copperx 8y ago
        How do you do a threshold test? Do you need a doctor?
        jonathansizz 8y ago
        For cycling, I do a long warmup then ride as hard as I can (uninterrupted) for 30 minutes and take the average HR for the last 20 of the 30 minutes. There are online calculators you can plug this value into to give you the 5 zones.* I do a test every 3 months, as the zones can shift as you get fitter. Running might use a different protocol, but the same principle applies. * These days I base my training on a 3-zone system: low intensity, below aerobic threshold; medium intensity, between aerobic and anaerobic (lactate) threshold, and high intensity, above lactate threshold. This is the system preferred by researchers, as it's based on real physiological markers. Translating the 3 zone system into the 5 zone: low intensity equates to zones 1-2, medium is zone 3 and zone 4 up to your (lactate) threshold value, and high intensity is everything above this, i.e. the top part of zone 4 and all of zone 5. So 'vigorous' per the Mayo Clinic would be medium intensity on the 3 zone system.
wild_preference 8y ago
I wouldn't stop at two hours just because there's no additional benefit that manifested in a study on some super-specific outcome. You probably care about other benefits as well.
- copperx 8y ago
  Sure. But there are also risks associated with exercise; you want to minimize those too.

09bjb 8y ago

Weight training tends to be moderately cardiovascular. Not an out-and-out replacement for cardio, but your heart will be pumping hard at higher weights/reps. Same thing for a long session in a hot sauna. Just throwing some nearly-as-good alternatives out there for people who hate treadmills.

soperj 8y ago
I hate treadmills, but going for a bike ride or a walk is awesome. I don't know why people go to the gym to run...
- tdesilva 8y ago
  Sometimes the weather blows.
- wild_preference 8y ago
  Probably for the same reason people go to the gym to exercise yet don't do any pushups at home: we pathologically avoid exercise, so we often must compartmentalize it away from our life to actually do it.
- makemoniesonlin 8y ago
  You can watch TV on a treadmill, something that is much harder (and more dangerous) while running outside.
- ntlk 8y ago
  Because it’s easy to set targets and measure them while in the gym, but it’s not easy to fit that kind of exercise into the day to day. People often live too close to work for the bike ride to really be considered exercise, or too far, where they couldn’t feasibly fit it into their day. I get it, doing exercise for free seems like a no-brainier, but not everyone’s life and exercise needs converge neatly to make it easy.
  - photojosh 8y ago
    > easy to set targets and measure them while in the gym The cost of the gym will pay for a GPS watch and heart-rate monitor pretty quickly. But I understand that some places might be too high density or unsafe to run, or the weather is too hostile. I'm fortunate enough to live 10km from work, so I switch up between running AND riding the distance.