How much aerobic exercise is enough each week?
- Jake Hicks
- Apr 19
- 7 min read
You lift the weights but are you lifting the heart rate? And no the elevated heart rate from lifting doesn't count. Your V02max, a measure of the maximum oxygen your body can use during intense exercise is closely aligned to vitality which reflects your overall physical health and well being. Best way to improve that is to make sure you're no neglecting your aerobic exercise.
I'll be honest it's the only kind of training I really don't enjoy. So before we get into it, I've got a message for coaches out there.
Don't use running and conditioning as punishment.
Zoom out. Take a look around, there is a massive problem with obesity do you really want to create a negative connotation with something that can yield a lifetime of benefits? Not only will the athletes need to have a health relationship with running and conditioning, they also need it to train while they are still competing. You need the running to be productive both in their athletic career as well as their life after sports for health and wellness. Anyone can make someone tired, and I know what you're thinking.... Everyone does it, and you did it as an athlete etc. Be the first to break the cycle. Take away playing opportunities or some other much more productive form of punishment, but don't use running and conditioning.
Negative Stigmas
Aerobic training DOES NOT negatively affect lean muscle mass. EXCESSIVE aerobic training might, but the people that are worried about this are primarily training for strength and size. So if this is you, thinking it's taking away from your gains, it's not you need to get past that. Another reminder, really the only way you're going to lose significant amounts of mass in any capacity is going to be from the nutritional intake more than it would from training your heart.
Ask yourself this, do you want to be training long term as you age? Your ability to continue to gain muscle mass and strength relies heavily on your aerobic system. A weak aerobic system his going to hold you back in at least 4 areas.
1. Recovery: Weak aerobic capacity will reduce cardiovascular efficiency which can mean slower recovery between both sets and entire workouts. Better aerobic capacity improves blood flow, nutrient delivery, and wast removal all of which support muscle repair and growth.
2. Work Capacity: A poor aerobic system lowers your overall work capacity. You need a high ability to struggle and strain enough through high volume strength training protocols which is key to hypertrophy. Improving your aerobic fitness allows you to handle more sets, more reps and even more sessions without excessive fatigue.
3. Energy Availability: Your aerobic system is going to power you through each work out providing stamina to THRIVE. You don't want to merely survive a workout, you want to be able to thrive from it. A poor aerobic system can make you feel lethargic and unmotivated. Both can lead to inconsistency.
4. Hormonal Stress: Poor aerobic systems lead to more stress on the body increasing stress hormones such as cortisol. Cortisol can negatively interfere with protein synthesis which can limit muscle growth and recovery.
Can you improve your aerobic system from just lifting?
Yes. To an extent. But you'd need to do it using high volume sets and circuit style or low rest protocols. Those methods don't always align with other protocols with higher strength muscle building potential. To me it's the same as saying I can use a screw driver to hammer a nail. Sure technically I can turn the screwdriver around and use it as a hammer, but there are much more appropriate tools and hammers available why not just be smart and use each tool for their primary purpose? My position, I'm sure a lot of people are in a lot better shape from just lifting, but why not add some aerobic training to be at your best?
So how much should you be aerobic training each week?
I don't know that exact answer, it's going to differ person to person. But I'm pretty confident it's not zero. ESPECIALLY if you sit at a desk 9-5, you need to make it a priority to move your body. I think gaining size and muscle without also training your heart is counter productive and irresponsible. I work with many accountants, executives and other high performing professionals that have decided to stop putting their health on the side while they work and hustle day in and day out. One of the first things we discuss is an aerobic training plan that they can commit to and execute successfully. Only after that conversation do we then figure out the weight lifting part.
There are some recommendations out there from certain health organizations. The American Heart Association recommends 150 minutes a week of moderate-intensity aerobic activity or 75 minutes of vigorous intensity aerobic activity per week. 150 minutes is 22 mintutes a day or look at it from a 5 day training week and that's 30 minutes 5x per week. It's really not a lot to ask and given the state of the population these days this is an easy way to help avoid being one of the 40% of adults that are obese in the United States.
Here's a poll I posted on X I thought was eye opening
I would love to see these results flip flop where the majority are on the high side and the minority are on the low side. I have some very simple and practical ways I like to incorporate more aerobic training throughout the week.
Drive a car
I use a car analogy to define 3 separate intensities of aerobic training. Let's look at each one.
Prius: When I think of the Prius, I think slower and steady ride that can go for a long time. This is your zone 2 or steady state work. This could be walking, jogging, biking or any other activity that you can do at a moderate intensity for an extended time. The work to rest ratio here can vary, but generally this type of activity requires a goal of sustained effort without planned rest lasting 20-60 minutes or so. There is some interval based Zone 2 protocols that can require some rest intervals, especially for beginers, but let's keep this simple and the concept of the Prius is doing some moderate intensity activity for a sustained amount of time with no or very minimal rest. Little to no rest plays a major role in enhancing aerobic efficiency, fat oxidation, and mitochondrial function which all require sustained efforts. Target heart rates while "driving" the Prius is 60-70% of your max heart rate. You can drive the Prius really every day of the week if you wanted to.
Nascar: When I think of a Nascar, I think of moderate to high intensity with interval rest periods (tires need changing, gas etc). This is typically done at 70-80% of your max heart rate. You don't want to drive this car every day, too much could lead to overtraining. Think about driving the Nascar about 1-2 times per week. This car is going to be best for improving your pace or threshold power and from a well being stand point the Nascar leads to significant improvements to your V02max, increases cardiovascular strength and improved heart rate recovery. You may also be able to lower blood pressure, reduce LDL and decrease the risk of heart disease. Common work to rest ratios here can be 2:1 which is what I use most commonly or a 5:1. Think about aerobic circuits or interval training on a bike etc.
Drag Racer: This is your high intensity exercise performed at 80-90% of your max heart rate. The intensity for the drag racer shouldn't allow you to carry on a conversation while you're doing it. The Prius and the Nascar may strengthen slow twitch fibers, but the Drag Racer strengthens the fast twitch muscle fibers. This can help improve capacity for both endurance and power based activities. Think bike sprint intervals, or one that comes to mind is Versa Climber sprints, high intensity rowing or erg work etc. Like the Nascar, you only want to drive this car 1-2 times a week for the same reasons, too much can lead to overtraining. Work to rest ratios here can be 1:1 or more commonly for me is 1:2.
I think keeping this car concept in mind is a simple way to make each day different and drive different cars while at the same time it can help you create your own aerobic training week to week. This topic, as many topics, can be very complex but this is meant to keep things simple and give you practical ways to increase your aerobic training throughout the week.
I work with many athletes and non athletes by building them a fully custom training plan. The custom plans are usually the ones where the person and the goals really dictate the training plan, especially for their aerobic training. The custom training plan one of my most popular training packages, my custom programs are $180 for each month and these typically require a conversation so if you're interested in a custom plan skip down and click the "schedule a call" and choose a time we can chat about your program! I also offer an executive package if you're looking for the ultimate coaching and accountability experience. This comes with a custom program and daily coaching calls plus other resources to keep you locked in and on track for your goals. If you're interested in the executive package just make a note when you schedule your call. You can find pre written programs at a much less price point in by clicking the "shop programs" button. All programs will come with a free 10 day trial.
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