What is Vigorous Exercise?

What is Vigorous Exercise?

Vigorous physical activity is any bodily activity that expends more energy than passive activities. For adults, it’s typically an intensity of 3-5 METs or metabolic equivalents (a measure of the energy cost of physical activity). The figure below shows how much energy you use during different activities. Climbing stairs is a vigorous activity, whereas golfing is a light to moderate activity. You can also see that running on a treadmill is more strenuous than walking at the same speed.

Vigorous activities done long enough and frequently can help you meet current physical activity guidelines and extend your life expectancy. One study found that people who engaged in higher physical activity levels, including vigorous exercise, had a significantly lower risk of death than those who reported less activity.

What type of vigorous exercise do you recommend?

When you think about vigorous activities, I’m sure some come to mind more readily than others. Some common examples include jogging, biking, swimming laps, and playing tennis. But you can get a great workout by taking on any new, engaging, challenging activity. Many options exist, whether racing your friend in the backyard or signing up for an indoor rock climbing class at the gym (which I recommend) when it comes to vigorous exercise.

A recent study found that when women who were overweight and obese began a program of regular physical activity, they tended to prefer activities such as walking and strength training. This is excellent news because you don’t have to run for an hour or spend long hours in the gym to achieve health benefits from exercise. For many people, physical activity may be more fun and motivating when it’s an activity they enjoy.

What about moderate-intensity exercise?

Moderate-intensity physical activity is any bodily activity that expends less energy than vigorous activities. For adults, this is typically an intensity of 3 METs or less. Examples include leisurely biking, easy swimming, and doubles tennis.

In terms of health benefits, both vigorous and moderate-intensity exercise has been shown to reduce risks for many leading causes of death, such as heart disease and stroke. Physical activity has also been linked with a reduced risk of developing certain cancers, type 2 diabetes, depression, and a host of other chronic conditions.

And if you’re wondering about your ability to exercise, even if you’re elderly or have chronic conditions, you might be surprised by how much physical activity can still benefit you.

How much vigorous and moderate-intensity activity should we aim for?

The Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans recommend that adults engage in at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic physical activity per week (or 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity aerobic physical activity) and strength training exercises two or more days per week.

For adults who wish to lose weight or prevent weight gain, these guidelines recommend increasing their MVPA (moderate and vigorous-intensity) to 300 minutes per week, focusing on building muscle.

The Guidelines recommend that children and adolescents engage in at least one hour of moderate—to vigorous-intensity physical activity each day.

Of course, you don’t have to do all your physical activity in one session. You can “trick” your body into burning more calories by breaking up the amount throughout the day. For example, if you’re sedentary most of the day, you might consider taking a 10-—to 15-minute brisk walk every two hours.

What are the types of vigorous exercise?

Vigorous activities done long enough and frequently can help you meet current physical activity guidelines and extend your life expectancy. One study found that people who engaged in higher physical activity levels, including vigorous exercise, had a significantly lower risk of death than those who reported less activity.

Which types of vigorous exercise work best?

Determining the ideal type of physical activity for your needs is a personal choice. Finding an activity you can stick with and fit into your life, whether playing soccer on the weekends or biking to work, is essential. While some people prefer activities they can do alone, others prefer those that they do as a group.

There are also many options regarding how vigorous activity sessions should be structured. For example, scientific research has shown that interval training may help preserve muscle mass during weight loss, especially for older adults who tend to lose muscle mass as they age. Other studies have found that circuit-type training burns more calories than moderate-intensity continuous training.

Research has also shown that high-intensity interval training (HIIT) can help you meet current physical activity guidelines regardless of how much time you must devote to exercise, even if it’s less than 10 minutes per session. For example, one study found that when adults aged 25–45 performed just one minute of HIIT three times a week for six weeks, they improved their aerobic fitness and blood sugar regulation.

What type of activities should I avoid?

Regarding intensity, steady-state activities like walking at a moderate pace are considered low intensity, whereas running or playing soccer would be classified as vigorous intensity. Moderate-intensity continuous exercises typically utilize large muscle groups throughout the body and require oxygen to burn fat for energy for extended periods. In contrast, high-intensity interval training (HIIT) alternates short bursts of intense activity with recovery periods.