Understanding Aerobic Exercise and the 180-Age Formula

Aerobic Exercise: Understanding the Nuances

Aerobic exercise is often thought of as any activity that boosts your heart rate and engages your cardiovascular system. However, the broad definition doesn’t account for how easily one can shift from genuine aerobic activity to anaerobic, nor why it’s crucial to know which you’re performing. By the end of this piece, you’ll have a solid grasp on aerobic exercise and its benefits for health and weight management.

Maximum Aerobic Function

Aerobic vs. Anaerobic Exercise

To grasp the distinction, let’s define the terms. ‘Aerobic’ means “with oxygen,” indicating that during activities like cycling or swimming, your body uses oxygen to fuel sustained efforts. This leads to deeper breathing, increased oxygen in your blood, and enhanced blood flow to your muscles, keeping you in the optimal fat-burning zone.

Aerobic activities enhance endurance, aid in weight loss, burn fat, lower blood pressure, improve mood, promote longevity, and reduce the risk of chronic conditions like heart disease and diabetes.

However, there’s a sweet spot. Exceed this, and you enter anaerobic exercise territory. Here, the intensity is high, and your body demands energy fast. Since your lungs can’t supply enough oxygen, your body switches from burning fat to burning glucose and glycogen, entering the carb-burning zone. You’ll feel this through the muscle burn caused by lactic acid.

Anaerobic Exercise

True anaerobic activities like HIIT, sprinting, plyometrics, or heavy lifting not only burn fat but also build muscle, increase endurance, and fortify bones. It’s beneficial to occasionally venture into this realm to tap into those energy reserves, pushing your limits.

However, moderation is key with anaerobic exercises because they’re taxing on the body, require correct form, and can verge on excessive if not managed properly.

The Black Hole of Exercise

Most people neither stay in the aerobic zone long enough nor reach true anaerobic intensity, instead, they hover in “the black hole” – an effort level that’s too hard for aerobic benefits but not hard enough for anaerobic gains. It’s not entirely comfortable, giving the illusion of a good workout, but it’s not so intense that you can’t maintain it for a while. Post-exercise, you might feel good, but your body might not see the same benefits.

This zone can hinder your aerobic capacity, slow recovery, and condition your body to burn carbs over fats, keeping sugar metabolism active for days after, leading to carb cravings and potentially contributing to fatigue, weight gain, brain fog, and insulin resistance.

Staying in the Aerobic Zone

To stay in your aerobic threshold, your heart rate should increase, but you should still be able to speak comfortably. Exceeding this threshold is easy, which is why understanding your aerobic limits is vital.

We suggest using Dr. Phil Maffetone’s 180-age formula (MAF 180 Formula) to find your maximum aerobic function, paired with a heart rate monitor to ensure you stay in this zone. For a 45-year-old, that’s a maximum heart rate of 135 beats per minute.

Adjustments to this formula can be made based on health conditions, recovery status, or training experience:

  • Subtract 10 from your max if recovering or on medication.
  • Subtract 5 for minor health issues or subpar fitness.
  • Add 5 if you’ve been consistently exercising for over two years without issues.

Is It Really That Simple?

Using the MAF 180 Formula has proven to be a straightforward and effective way to enhance your aerobic fat-burning system, leading to better endurance and performance, especially with a low-carb, high-fat diet.

Monitoring Heart Rate

For accurate monitoring, choose between electrical chest strap monitors or optical sensors in wearables. While chest straps are more precise, wearables are more convenient but less accurate. If you lack a monitor, nasal breathing can help keep you aerobic; keep your mouth closed, and slow down if you feel the need to gasp for air.

Reserve breathlessness for your anaerobic sessions, and enjoy how much more manageable and effective your workouts can become.