Exercise Intensity & Duration for Best Looking Body

Introduction

Most of all, to get the best looking body possible, exercise with intensity for as long as you want or can. Furthermore, you can use fitness guidance provided by the US Government. And these federal guidelines give you fitness guidance on how much time and intensity is best for your situation. Finally, there are new recommendations on stretching before exercising.

Fitness Guidance for Adults Under 65 Years of Age

Most of all, the fitness guidance below apply to adults under 65 years of age and are generally fit. In addition, they have no limiting health conditions.

Important Health Benefits

First of all, at least 150 minutes of moderate intensity aerobic activity, such as brisk walking. Otherwise, 75 minutes of vigorous intensity activity, such as jogging and swimming.

On the other hand, an equivalent mix of moderate and vigorous intensity aerobic activity each week. In addition, moderate or high intensity muscle strengthening activities on 2 or more days a week. Furthermore, the muscle strengthening activities work all major muscle groups. Also, the muscle groups include legs, hips, back, abdomen, chest, shoulders, and arms.

Even Greater Health Benefits

First of all, at least 300 minutes of moderate intensity aerobic activity, such as brisk walking. Otherwise, 150 minutes of vigorous intensity activity, such as jogging and swimming.

Fitness Guidance for Adults 65 Years of Age and Older

Most of all, the fitness guidance below apply to adults 65 years of age and older, are generally fit. In addition, they have no limiting health conditions.

First of all, at least 150 minutes of moderate intensity aerobic activity, such as brisk walking or gardening. Otherwise 75 minutes of vigorous intensity activity, such as jogging and swimming.

And, the muscle strengthening activities work all major muscle groups. Also, the muscle groups include legs, hips, back, abdomen, chest, shoulders, and arms.

Other Guidelines

First of all, when older adults cannot do 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity a week because of chronic conditions, they should be as physically active as their abilities and conditions allow.
And, older adults should do exercises that maintain or improve balance if they are at risk of falling
Also, older adults should determine their level of effort for physical activity relative to their level of fitness
Finally, older adults with chronic conditions should understand whether and how their conditions affect their ability to do regular physical activity safely

Fitness Guidance on Exercise Intensity

Most noteworthy, use a 10 point scale where 0 is sitting and 10 is working as hard as you can.

First of all, moderate intensity is 5 or 6 if it makes you breathe harder and your heart beat faster. Also, you’ll notice that you’ll be able to talk but not sing.
And, vigorous intensity is 7 or 8 if your heart rate increases quite a bit. In addition, you’ll be breathing hard enough that you won’t be able to say more than a few words without stopping to catch your breath.
Finally, if you want to do mix of vigorous and moderate intensity exercise, follow the following fitness guidance. Most noteworthy, 1 minute of vigorous intensity activity is about the same as 2 minutes of moderate intensity activity.

Fitness Guidance on Stretching Before Exercise

Especially, relevant, the latest guidance no longer recommend stretching before starting your exercise. Rather, the recommendation is that you start your exercise routine with a warm-up. And, an easy walk or a sport specific activity such as easy serves or ground strokes in tennis will do. Furthermore, do the warm-up for five to 10 minutes. As a result, the warm-up gets the blood flowing through your muscles and warms them up. And then you can stretch your muscles. Otherwise, you can stretch them after your exercise routine is over.

Fitness Guidance on Heart Rate Targets

Yet, another method to figure out how intense you are exercising, is to use the heart rate table below. First of all, the table shows target heart rates for different ages in beats per minute (bpm). Also, the maximum heart rate is about 220 minus your age. Furthermore, the High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) column id sourced from the American College of Sports Medicine. Yet, HIIT should be approached with caution – it is meant for those who are in excellent physical condition. Furthermore, even though the column has numbers for those over 60 and especially over 70, HIIT may be inappropriate for you.

Age (years)	Target Heart Rate (bpm) Moderate Intensity (50-70%)	Target Heart Rate (bpm) Vigorous Intensity (70-85%)	Target Heart Rate (bpm) HIIT Intensity (80-95%)	Average Maximum Heart Rate (bpm) 100%
20	100 - 140	140 - 170	160 - 190	200
30	95 - 133	133 - 162	152 - 181	190
35	93 - 130	130 - 157	148 - 176	185
40	90 - 126	126 - 153	144 - 171	180
45	88 - 123	123 - 149	140 - 166	175
50	85 - 119	119 - 145	136 - 162	170
55	83 - 116	116 - 140	132 - 157	165
60	80 - 112	112 - 136	128 - 152	160
65	78 - 109	109 - 132	124 - 147	155
70	75 - 105	105 - 128	120 - 143	150
75	73 - 102	102 - 123	116 - 138	145
80	70 - 98	98 - 119	112 - 133	140

Most noteworthy, you can monitor your heart rate by taking your own pulse or using any of the wearable devices that are widely available. Especially relevant, is that if you are just starting out, aim for the lower number in the “Moderate Intensity” column (50 percent).

Conclusion

Most noteworthy, exercising within guidelines will get you the maximum health benefits. Yet, that doesn’t mean you can’t exceed the guidelines. Most of all, those who are into sports, training for athletic competitions, or are really into working out hard, may exceed the guidelines. In conclusion, always listen to your body, use caution, and protect your body.