Aerobic Exercise Recommendations

 10/24/21

The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) recommends 150-300 minutes per week of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise or 75-150 minutes per week of aerobic exercise. To determine your level of intensity, subtract your age by 220. The answer is your maximal heart rate. Once that is complete, multiply your maximal heart rate by 85% if you wish to proceed with vigorous-intensity exercise and 70% for moderate-intensity exercise. Your answer is the minimal heart rate you want to reach to achieve that level of intensity while exercising. However, be sure to not surpass your maximal heart rate as this is bad for your heart health and can actually decrease muscle mass. In case anyone is curious, light-intensity exercise would be your maximal heart rate multiplied by 60%, and very light would be 55%. A good rule of thumb to keep in mind is that every minute of vigorous-intensity exercise equals two minutes of moderate-intensity exercise. So, an hour of moderate-intensity exercise equates to half an hour of vigorous-intensity aerobic exercise.



Bushman, Barbara. American College of Sports Medicine: Complete Guide to Fitness and Health.

2nd edition. Human Kinetics. 2011. Revised 2017.

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