Once you've gotten used to exercise (and are up to 30 minutes of continuous movement) you can start working on your intensity. How hard you work is a crucial factor in your workout because:
- How hard you work is directly related to how many calories you burn
- Raising intensity is the best way to burn more calories when you're short on time.
- It's an easy part of your workout to change--all you do is work harder
- It's easy to monitor with a heart rate monitor or perceived exertion scale
So how hard should you work? That depends on several factors including your fitness level and your goals. There are three different levels of intensity you can focus on during your workouts, and you can even incorporate all of these levels into the same workout:
- High Intensity Cardio: This falls between about 75-85% of your maximum heart rate (MHR) if you're using heart rate zones, or a 7 to 8 on this perceived exertion scale. What this translates to is exercise at a level that feels challenging and leaves you too breathless to talk much. If you're a beginner, you may want to work up to this level or try beginner interval training so that you work harder for shorter periods of time. Advanced exercisers can try high intensity interval training for more strenuous workouts.
- Moderate Intensity Cardio: This level falls between about 60-70% of your MHR (a level 4 to 6 on this perceived exertion scale). The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) often recommends this level of intensity in its exercise guidelines. This is the level you typically want to shoot for during your workouts.
- Low Intensity Cardio: This type of exercise is considered to be below about 50-55% of your MHR, or about a level 3 to 5 on this perceived exertion scale. This is a good level to work at during your warm ups or when you're squeezing in other activities, like walking, throughout the day.
Learn more about how to monitor your intensity and how much exercise you really need.
Keep in mind that your target heart rate calculation isn't 100% accurate so you might want to use a combination of perceived exertion and your heart rate to find a range that works for you.
