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Sock Doc WorkshopsSock Doc Training Part I: Aerobic Activity Is the Foundation to Your Health AND Fitness
Building your aerobic system is vital whether you’re in a highly anaerobic sport such as professional hockey, a long distance marathoner, or an average guy or gal looking to be as healthy as possible. But you have to actually develop this aerobic system, which is not done by pushing your heart rate (HR) to extreme levels and holding it for a prolonged period of time. Actually, you want to keep your HR low – such as the 180-age formula or a Zone 2 or Zone 3 heart rate. (Finding your aerobic training zone is discussed here.) This is how you develop your aerobic base for optimum fat burning, overall health, and eventually a strong anaerobic system.
Those who shun aerobic exercise are missing out on these vital benefits – benefits that will not be achieved by interval training alone. I’ve treated several NHL players who stay strong well into the third period because they have effectively developed their aerobic system – not just by skating hard but by doing some prolonged, low HR workouts. Look at another very anaerobic sport such as boxing. I love to watch Manny Pacquio train and fight. He does some 800 meter repeats but he, like other fighters, go out and run long slow distances, just like Rocky. He’s got a superior aerobic system to get him through twelve rounds of a very anaerobic event. In high school, wrestling was my main sport. For those of you who have wrestled, you’ll probably agree that it’s the most demanding six minutes you’ll even endure. Wrestling is very anaerobic, but lasting six minutes and keeping that anaerobic strength is dependent on a strong aerobic foundation.
The amount of aerobic base you need will be dependent on your sport. If you’re interested in all around fitness then your goal is to develop your aerobic system to the max as well as your anaerobic system. If you’re more of a strength and power athlete, then your aerobic conditioning will not need to be as developed as a long distance runner. This may seem obvious to some, but many fail to realize the importance of aerobic for ALL athletes.
Too Much Aerobic?
Aerobic conditioning is best achieved via long workouts several times a week. To some degree, the more the better, (depending on the aerobic capacity you’re seeking to achieve based upon your sport), as long as it is truly aerobic, and eventually anaerobic endurance is incorporated once the base is built. But can you do too much aerobic? You bet you can. There are two main problems I see with those who overdo true “aerobics.” I’ll point out that overtraining the aerobic system is much less common than overtraining the anaerobic system because most people want to go too hard, too fast, too soon in their exercise program. (I will discuss overtraining more in Part IV.)
First are the people who go way too slow and actually never even get into their aerobic training zone. These people train at or below Zone 1 too often, which is best suited for recovery and super-easy days. Running slowly will increase cardiac efficiency but too slowly has what I all “diminishing returns on your investment” – it will take much longer to achieve the same results than if you were training at faster aerobic levels, if you’re able to achieve them at all. It can take years to develop aerobic efficiency, which is why you see many great long distance athletes peaking in the late 30s. If you’re always walking – that’s great – but eventually you need to walk faster, or up and down some hills, or walk/run.
Second, and more common, are distance training athletes who do way too much aerobic for too long and don’t add in some anaerobic training either via intervals or strength work. They fail to maintain an aerobic/anaerobic balance. I have overtrained aerobically twice (that I know of). The overtraining of the aerobic system comes with symptoms a bit different than those of overtraining the anaerobic system. See signs of symptoms of overtraining. Clinically, the thyroid gland gets run down when there is too much aerobic involvement, as opposed to the adrenal glands taking the hit with too much anaerobic (at least initially). Someone overtraining aerobically will lose some body leanness and muscle mass, they’ll be more mentally fatigued, more physically fatigued, and may have a deep chill – “bones are cold.” Anaerobic overtraining may have similar symptoms but typically results in an injury “that just came out of nowhere” or you “woke up with,” as well as frequent illness/infection or getting a cold that will not remedy easily. Interestingly, rest doesn’t correct this aerobic excess problem but rather some anaerobic activity does. So the prescription is often some hard intervals, hill repeats, and/or strength training to get the individual out of the aerobic excess syndrome. (For the therapists out there and others too, you can read my clinical research paper on evaluating the aerobic and anaerobic system.)
HIIT – High Intensity Interval Training: Good & Evil
I don’t want to call this a fad but it sure does seem to be the new “in workout” though interval training is nothing new. High intensity interval training is basically alternating between a period of high intensity activity, say for 5-60 seconds, and then recovering in-between each set, typically by walking, for a period of time. Yes, these workouts can be very effective at increasing your performance AND your health. They can even increase your aerobic capacity – though they are primarily very anaerobic workouts. Despite the aerobic benefits, continued implementation of these types of workouts over time will break you down; your immune system, your hormonal system – all the systems of your body will all suffer. Additionally, oxidative stress (free radical damage) occurs with anaerobic excess and that can lead to premature aging and many diseases, such as autoimmune diseases and cancer.
These workouts will improve your lactate threshold and even improve how well your body uses glucose in tissues – known as insulin sensitivity. Mitochondria, those energy powerhouses of your cells, are most prevalent in the slow twitch aerobic muscle fibers, but anaerobic training will increase them too – that’s called biogenesis. You’ll also burn fat during these workouts, as well as glucose, and you’ll recruit a high amount of Type II muscle fibers leading to development of your anaerobic endurance. So yeah, high intensity anaerobic intervals are super cool, when you’re ready for them.
Now remember that at low intensity aerobic workouts you’ll burn more fat than glucose but at higher intensity you end up burning more calories over the long run, which can lead to more fat loss. These are all good things, but realize that HIIT workouts, being promoted by some as “the only cardio you need to do” can be very harmful to your health and your fitness if done too often or for some too soon in a training program. Let’s not all forget, especially with the huge focus today on Paleo and the health and lifestyle of our ancestors millions of years ago, we didn’t just sprint, lift, sprint, lift, repeat all day long. Hunter-gatherers traveled across vast areas over time – that’s an aerobic quality. They didn’t run as hard as they could, but they maintained a steady aerobic pace. Look at persistent hunting – one had to be in superb physical conditioning, especially aerobic conditioning, to track an animal for so long, and then utilize the anaerobic system for the sprint in for the final kill (and the throwing of the spear).
Although I feel that a person can begin strength training (discussed next in Part III) relatively early in a training program, HIIT workouts should be excluded from any program until there is a sufficient aerobic base. Unfortunately though, many start these workouts immediately due to time constraints as advocates say they’re “more practical.” It’s a time crunch issue, much like a person looking to take a pill for a quick fix rather than address their health problem. Many people don’t want to, or don’t know how to, develop some aerobic endurance. Many of the studies, such as this one from 2006 in the Journal of Physiology, make special note that HIIT workouts are “time efficient strategies.” That doesn’t mean they should replace all aerobic conditioning workouts. Plus, these studies are short – they’re not following participants for months after the study to see how their health and fitness are progressing. And they’re not advocating they continue in such an exercise fashion either.
HIIT workouts dramatically increase stress hormones, such as cortisol and epinephrine, which over time can lead to health problems and injuries. Low testosterone levels in men and low progesterone levels in women occur from training too hard, too often, with insufficient rest. This can come from too many HIIT workouts or too much high intensity “cardio” as discussed in Part I. True aerobic exercise, however, can not only lower stress hormones but increase anabolic hormones such as testosterone, estrogen, and progesterone. Anaerobic sprints are touted as a great way to increase human growth hormone (HGH), but aerobic exercise, when done properly, won’t deplete it. Excessive anaerobic can deplete growth hormone as much as proper anaerobic can increase it.
Essentially, without a sufficient aerobic base, you’ll overtrain (Part IV). Once you are ready to implement HIIT workouts into your training, you should follow common sense anaerobic guidelines – adequate recovery (often 48 hours in between workouts), and adequate breaks (cycle weeks on/off depending on your program). In other words, you should not be doing HIIT workouts 3-4 times a week for several weeks (5-6+) without a change in intensity or a break, or you’re destined for problems. The amount of HIIT workouts you can handle is determined by your health, recovery, aerobic capacity, and overall stress in your life.
So remember – those who want to talk anti-aerobic are often the same groups that bash long slow distance training and unhealthy looking, muscle-wasted “skinny” runners. If done properly, your aerobic workouts should be relatively not too easy but not too difficult; some say you should finish an aerobic workout “pleasantly tired.” But for many it’s not low intensity because their health and fitness sucks (yeah, it’s true) and they’re impatient to develop their aerobic system. Oddly enough, if you’re in a “time crunch” as most are, HIIT workouts can be one of the worst things for your health, (I underlined that for emphasis). Sure you’ll develop some aerobic and anaerobic conditioning faster than if you just logged in a bunch of miles, but when you’re already producing a lot of stress hormones from being in that “time crunch” and also most likely eating poorly and not sleeping well, more anaerobic activity in your already anaerobic life is not a good thing. It’s a great way to soon be injured or develop some health condition. That’s fitness achieved by compromising health. It’s not just [all] about looking buff. You might not care to run a 10K in 40min but you should be able to run one in roughly one hour – and not all out anaerobic, which an unfit person wouldn’t be able to sustain anyway. To me, that’s a level of fitness. You’re not going to get there doing just speed work.
Sock Doc Training Part III: Strength Training – Do It. But Make It Work For You
happyman12 says
Hello Doc,
Thanks for the great article. It all makes sense but one question , please.
My wife, 38 year old mum of two kids, is generally healthy but hasn’t done much sport for 5 years due to the kids. However, she walks a lot every day due to normal living and eats healthily. I would say that in general she lives an aerobic lifestyle. However, she has recently started aerobic classes 3 times a week.
After reading your articles I’m inclined to think that she isn’t doing any or very little aerobic training and only anaerobic as aerobic classes in general are high intensity. She loves to go as it’s a time to workout to music and sweat. It’s also a time only for her, no thinking or worrying about the kids etc as I’m sure is quite typical for working mums. So what you do think, do the cons outweigh the pros??
Many thanks Dave
Sock Doc says
Yes I hear this a lot and my wife is in the same situation – she does Crossfit (anaerobic) but balances it with running (aerobic). Your wife, if she wants to take those ANaerobics classes, needs to balance that with some true aerobics. Walking for a job or daily life chores doesn’t count. She needs to actually walk a sustained 30-60 minutes at an aerobic HR. I move all day long – my job is very physical but I do not count it as 1% of my training/exercise.
Damien Tougas says
How often can I safely do aerobic training? I just recently bought a HR monitor and Maffetone’s endurance book, so I am using his recommendations for finding my Max HR. He doesn’t talk alot about frequency of working out during the base period, as it is quite dependent on the person and the goals.
If during my base building I were to perform an hour of aerobic activity 5 days a week, on the sixth day do a long day hike (i.e. 5-6 hours) in the mountains with my family, and on the seventh day rest, does that sound reasonable? If my legs feel stiff/tired one of those days but I otherwise feel fine, should I take a rest day or can I still go out?
Sock Doc says
Well you can do aerobic a lot if you’re healthy. Remember that moving about all day is (or should be) aerobic, but in regards to aerobic training (180-age or Zone II-III) then that is dependent on factors such as your health, diet, what you’re training for, stress, etc. So much to consider. More is not necessarily better, but to some degree more aerobic is. I’d say that your plan is fine and if your legs are sore one day then you could just train less that day (time or lower aerobic intensity).
Ryan Logana says
Hey Doc I started training at the age of 13 and literally never stopped ever I have had major knee surgeries 5 or so years ago I have had countless stressful jobs I could not stand I finally said enough is enough and pursued by Personal training career I have an unbelievable passion for the fitness/nutrition lifestyle I’m 26 now at the age of 22-23 I achieved body fat percentage of 2 percent while working a back breaking job and literally sleeping 2-3 hours a night due to my hormone imbalance I didn’t have a spoil meal in 8 months I was finally achieving the look I’ve been longing for for the 10 years I was already training and it was due to proper training times and nutrition little did i know I was already deep in a over trained zone for years before that I used to spend 3-5 hours a day in the gym from the age of 14 through 19 years old i just loved it so much and though more was better as I got older I got smarter I studied non stop this all leads to my decline at age 23 I look back and I know every little thing I did wrong basically al all started at work 3 years ago to make a very long story short I had continued dizziness lack of sex drive for years insomnia all of the above to the 10th degree I know I’ve abused my body not many can say they have done the work i have done in gyms over all these years I left work one night with sharp pains in my abdomen got blood work done got called back a week or so later and was notified in A very unprofessional way that at the age of 23 I had a testosterone level of 73.6 I have all the blood work to prove it from then on I was treated horribly by doctors none believing what I havenput myself through in the prior years basically going into every appointment and teaching each person endos euros physicians etc. About what I believed to be happening to myself they all basically gave me the run around consistently I had my blood drawn an easy 50 times in the past 3 years depression took over my life trying to cure myself naturally took over my life I stayed away from TRT because deep down I knew what I had done to myself and I knew there had and has to be a way of fixing myself naturally I said from day 1 it was my adrenals from all of the prior fat burners and caffiene and stress of money and jobs and daily life issues being cheated on etc. To this day I have found no help because I’m not well off with money I know for a fact there are people out there that can help an lead me to recovery I started to slowly heal myself with no help of doctors and recently felt decent enough to try and compete in my first naturaly bodybuilding contest but ended up back in the hole my test levels are shot which absolutely eats away at me every blinking moment my adrenals are shot I know for a fact no matter what anyone tells me I know my body I’m a smart kid who wants to do things the right way I just need guidance I’ve hit breaking points where unjust question how I can even deal anymore I’ve finally decided to take time off from training which is the only component I would never try because of my love for it but that by itself will not fix the problem completely i need help dr. Please pleaseeee If you know of anyone I will do anything to reach normalcy to be honest with you I think I have been suffering for over 10 years now never really knowing how it feels to be “normal” I reside in Syracuse New York I am an aspiring fitness enthusiast/ nutrition consultant I help others day in and day out but sir I need help badly thank you for reading this there is much more but I’d be here for a week typing. Please help if you can. -Ryan Logana-
Sock Doc says
The best advice I can give you is everything on this site and you should try to find a doc that will address your problems – and the link between them – not just compartmentalizing each one.
Robin says
Hello Doc
Do the old fashioned “aerobics” class like step or zumba count as aerobic or anaerobic? I have been using these classes once or twice a week as HIIT. I also do 3-4 regular slow paced runs per week. I am interested in dropping some body fat . My diet is quite good – paleo like with a few more starchy carbs. The fat around the middle does not move while my arms and legs getter leaner.
Sock Doc says
That all depends on your HR. For most, those “aerobics” classes area anaerobic. 1-2X of HIIT a week is fine if you have a good aerobic base. But you can’t do the same routine week in, week out. Intensity and duration need to be adjusted to make it so your body continuously adapts to training.
Juzbo says
So glad I found your site, so much helpful info. I have been trying to work out why despite a pretty good diet and good exercise, I am still experiencing a number of problems. The answer seems to be too much stress on the adrenal system due to too much anaerobic training and a few other things…. Like needing to cut back on coffee and cocoa and recalibrate my low fodmap diet – it was the fodmap article that lead me here btw. Any way, I have heard before about the need to train at a lower heart rate which for me should be 135 but I love running and run comfortably and slowly at 165 hr for up to an hour or so and haven’t been able to change… Until now. Recent neck problems, a shocking flu and generally feeling antsy and agitated and over focused on food which just doesn’t feel normal has made me reevaluate! I can also see that the classes I do at my new gym are much more anaerobic and hiit type than my old gym which has exacerbated the problem further. So very keen to see how a cleaner paleo low fodmap diet and more aerobic exercise and less anaerobic exercise affects my health and stability.
Anyway, I did want to ask but I think you have answered it by way of the previous post….. I used to do body combat classes which I loved- shadow boxing to music- generally my heart rate stayed under 135 nearly the whole class… So for me that would make it aerobic exercise right?
Sock Doc says
Yes if your HR is under 135 then for you it would be primarily aerobic. But if you’re adding in strength (not as much with shadow boxing but if you were hitting a bag – or person), then you’d add in some anaerobic components (Type II muscle fibers).
juzbo says
Thanks Steve, really helpful… I was wondering where boxing classes (against bags/people) fit…
So tell me (please), I like having strong toned arms….. Would swimming be a good aerobic substitute then for the boxing?
And would high rep really low weight arm exercises still be mainly aerobic if heart rate is kept in the aerobic zone?
I’m doing a comp in 4 weeks – 10km obstacle course and need to keep some strength but I want to reduce anaerobic stresses immediately as much as possible for my health.
Thanks again for the great information
Sock Doc says
You can typically assume that lifting weights is going to be more anaerobic and hitting a bag (or person) will be too. Though this is a gross generalization. It all depends on your health, fitness, and the aerobic base you’ve built (anaerobic conditioning too). Weights can be aerobic somewhat. Swimming can be all aerobic or all anaerobic – it depends. If you’re not a good swimmer you will most likely be more anaerobic because you’re inefficient. Swimming and boxing two completely different exercises regardless though as boxing will add strength much more than swimming.
Patrick McKenna says
Maybe your signs/symptoms of overtraining list could note which ones typically are from too much aerobic and which are more typically from too much anaerobic exercise (just a suggestion). In the case of too much aerobic, how long does it take before the addition of some anaerobic/strength training will correct the problem. Thanks for all your help, this is one of my favorite websites.
Regards,
Ultrarunner with cold bones
Sock Doc says
Thanks Patrick, that will be considered for a later topic. Pretty much most of them are from too much anaerobic though (high intensity). Although marathoners and long distance endurance athletes can overtrain the aerobic system, (as I have), it’s not very common. If you “catch” the problem of too much aerobic and add in anaerobic/strength (and stop aerobic long endurance) you can typically get out of that rut in a couple weeks. If you’re in deep (overtraining aerobic for many, many months), it could take much longer. Then the question arises as to what type of anaerobic – do you do sprints? Weights? Hill repeats? Plyometrics? That’s all dependent on the situation.
Glad you like my site; I appreciate it!
Patrick McKenna says
When you open up some left coast office hours (SF Bay Area) please put me in your first slot.
Tommy says
Short question: you write about aerobic overtraining and thyroid gland problems. I have low thyroid function for a while now (I just noticed it 2 years ago duing a blood check up). Since then I take thyroid hormones every day which is not really what I want to do for the next 50 years!
I am age 42 and a runner for 26 years now and have a very good aerobic base, training mostly aerobic (Marathon PB 2h39min).
Could you a bit more explain the interdependence between aerobic overtraining and thyroid gland problems and how to correct it? Thanks!
Sock Doc says
This correlation (aerobic – thyroid) is one that myself and another holistic doc has made since we’ve seen it occur in various patients. It’s not researched otherwise, but a clinical finding/correlation (which is good enough in my book). Some have noticed low thyroid symptoms, some not. I personally noticed feeling a deep chill “bone cold” and low energy, and it was attributed to my thyroid becoming run down. Also not staying as lean, as mentioned.
To correct it though is very individualized – not something I can say “do this or that” with, other than consider cutting back on the aerobic and adding in some strength or HIIT.
Dustin says
Love your principles! How do you know when you have developed a strong aerobic base? What is a good, quantifiable indication?
Sock Doc says
Go by a fitness test such as the MAF test as I discuss here Grasshopper: https://sock-doc.com/2011/03/aerobic-or-anaerobic/
Susan says
I have to say that I’ve sort of become an armchair internet expert over the years, but now I’m beginning to think I don’t know anything. I’ve been trying to lose weight (about 30-40 lbs) for about three years, with minimal success. I even had a trainer 3x/ week doing weights and crossfit type workouts– though I lost a little weight, I think I looked terrible — puffed up face, thick through the neck and upper shoulders. I’ve tried to do intervels/ HIIT type exercise for a while with little result and I’m beginning to think I just need to go back to basics. Although I can run pretty fast for about 1 minute, I can’t run straight at a lower intensity for more than maybe 3 minutes. I bought DDP yoga after a rather famous transformation story that circulated the web (I’m a sucker for that stuff) — some of the moves are fairly difficult for me (low squats and push-ups) but he emphasizes keeping your HR at aerobic level and I use a monitor to keep at or around 140 (I’m 40.) I guess I’m asking whether, because of the strength component, this counts as an aerobic workout still. I do enjoy it, and with young kids at home, it’s something I can do easily in my living room.
Sock Doc says
It’s not really “aerobic” when you’re doing strength if your HR is in the aerobic zone, because when you’re implementing strength you’ve got anaerobic-type muscle fibers working. But for most it is okay, but also for most, they overdo the strength by doing too much too often without a solid aerobic foundation.
Susan says
Thanks for your reply– I truly appreciate your insight. I went for a brisk walk –keeping HR at about 135– last night. I am amazed at how difficult it was for me to sustain the effort. I can run for a minute at 7 mph on a 10% incline, but brisk walking for several minutes was hard– I had to keep taking it down a notch to keep HR in the zone. After years of ever increasing ‘gimmicks’ to try to lose weight/ get in shape– cross-fit, primal burpees, probiotics, fish oil, cold water showers (to increase fat-burning brown fat!); I can’t believe that basic endurance and aerobic capacity never really crossed my mind. I’m just going to focus on building my aerobic base and eating well– thanks for the info.
Mark says
Great article, very informative. I have started walking briskly in the last week to try and build aerobic fitness, i am 34 and used to play football when i was younger but put on about 28lbs ( I’m 6’3 and 238lbs) and have tried over the last few years to lose it doing anaerobic but it just meant as you say stress on my body and my appetite went through the roof hence i have never been able to shake it. I have tried a number of times to do running programs but never get past the second week.
I can safely say after reading your article i have probably never had a good aerobic base!
My question is how long will it take me to build one walking briskly for an 45 minutes to 1 hour a day?
Thanks
Sock Doc says
It can take weeks to months to even a year from someone. Don’t go by “briskly” – go by your HR.
Craig says
Sock Doc,
Interesting web site!
I stumbled on you via a link posted at another site, and read through some of your stuff on building an aerobic base. I had previously encountered the Maffetone method while web surfing, and done some reading on the subject, but hadn’t really attempted to incorporate any of this into my personal exercise program.
Thought I might ask you to address some questions I have:
1). Most of the information that I find on aerobic base building seems aimed at people who are engaged at some level in competitive distance activities: distance running, triathalon participants, etc. From reading about how athletes do this, I get the feeling that aerobic base building is pretty activity specific. In other words, building an aerobic base by swimming probably doesn’t help your aerobic base for running all that much? Is that correct?
2). If you aren’t interested in competing in any kind of distance racing, is there some general health benefit to be derived by aerobic base building? I’d guess there must be benefits to the heart and lungs, but has it clearly been demonstrated that aerobic base building does something uniquely valuable specifically for the health of the heart?
3). Assuming there is a general health value (above and beyond being able to more safely participate in a stressful distance race), is there a preferred way to acquired the heart benefits? What would constitute the minimum time/volume needed to get most of the health benefits? Should you stick to one form of aeobic conditioning, or should it be OK to mix it up, and just go by heart rate for whatever activity you are doing at the moment?
By way of background: 30 years ago, I used to do a moderate amount of running, 20-25 miles per week at a moderate pace, 8 minutes per mile or so. I didn’t race or compete. I got into it after reading Ken Cooper’s book, and then continued because it was relaxing, and I liked the way I felt afterwards.
Unfortunately, around the time I turned 30 (I’m 60 now), I developed a severe case of achilles tendonitis, which lead to some adhesions (or so I was told) that would subsequently cause tendon problems whenever I attempted to resume running. I did eventually get that problem mostly cleared up. But every attempt I have made since then to resume jogging has been derailed by injury: heel spurs & plantar fasciitis, pain behind the knee cap, and then multiple episodes of MCL sprains, as well as the occasional reoccurrance of achilles tendonitis. So for the past thirty years, my aerobic conditioning has been done on an exercise bike, a nordic track skier, and elliptical machines.
Just wondering how to fit aerobic base building into this situation.
Sock Doc says
Please read this; thanks!
https://sock-doc.com/sock-doc-questions-comments/
David says
This is the best article on the Web about HIIT. I have been guilty of pushing too hard of late, and must give my body sufficient rest. I have a habit to stick to a certain training schedule, irrespective of whatever else is happening (e.g., insufficient sleep, trained too hard the day before, sore muscles, tired) — but I can see now that this has been a big mistake. One must listen to their body and improve gradually over time, rather than just rushing things and “hoping for the best.” This article hit the nail on the head for me, especially this part–
“you should not be doing HIIT workouts 3-4 times a week for several weeks (5-6+) without a change in intensity or a break.”
Haha! This is exactly what I’ve been doing — without breaks. Live and learn I guess…
Mario says
Really confused on determining proper heart rate and where aerobic/anaerobic kick in for me.
Quick background on me:Male, 42, 5’10 218lbs, down from 265 2 years ago. I’ve been doing TaeKwonDo 3x week for the last two years. Prior to that, zilch:couch-potato, desk jockey for the previous 20 years.
A few months ago started a Couch to 5K program and have made slow progress but I’m up to week 6 of 9.
Here’s where I wonder if I’m over doing it. Based on Maffetone Method my Aerobic threshold is 138.
I use a Polar HRM and last week did my first 20 minute jog (avg 10min/mile) and here’s a break down of my heart rate:
5 minute walk:bpm’s in the 120’s
1st 10 minutes of the jog: between 175-180
2nd 10 minutes of the jog: 180-185
5 minutes walking: 140’s
In the past while jogging, heart rate has hit as high as 195,for a short interval, which I’ve set as my max in Polar, so my zones are based on that.
For me to cut it off at 138 bpm means I’m not really jogging but just walking fast. Is that right or does my heart just run at higher RPMs?
Thanks
Sock Doc says
This is discussed in many places on this site and in comments. In short – you’re the classic person with no aerobic base.
Joseph says
What about doing sprints after your aerobic runs to maintain a little speed? Would this be bad?
Sock Doc says
Could be fine; all depends on where you are in your training and I’d typically do them during the run, not after.
Joseph says
Well my track season ended towards the end of may. I just started getting back into it about 2 weeks ago. I was doing a lot of anaerobic speed work/ long runs, tempos during the season. I took off two months because I’ve been dealing with a lot of pain in my neck and back throughout the last 2 years and I’m trying to do more aerobic running now. Do you think the running would effect my neck? I’m transitioning more into minimal footwear as well and I’m really cleaning up my diet a lot.
Sock Doc says
Sure anything can affect anything. I’ve seen people with neck pain from running imbalances – often the shoulder girdle is not functioning well resulting in upper back & neck tension.
Joseph says
But do you think I should continue the running? I get a lot of headaches throughout the day and my neck is EXTREMELY tight. I’m currently seeing a chiropractor but i’ve been intrigued by your site. My neck doesn’t seem to flare up after my runs, but I just want your take on it? Do you think it is a good idea to keep running?
Sock Doc says
I can’t personally advise you on-line.
GoldStarGay says
Great article! I have tried to begin an HIIT regimen several times and even with a high level of aerobic conditioning have found myself suffering from overtraining syndrome after only 3 or 4 sessions… each and every time. I think sustained aerobic activity coupled with weight lifting will have to suffice.
Amanda C says
Thank you so much for posting this. I was searching for an answer because over the last few months, any time I do a HIIT workout, I wake up in the middle of the night with chest pains (when breathing) and chills for about 3 hours. The only thing consistent when one of these “episodes” happens is that I have done a HIIT workout the day before. My guess is that I am not yet to a point in my overall health and weight loss that the HIIT can be beneficial to me. Looks like it’s back to slower 5k runs and the elliptical for me. :/
Pitre KS says
Hi
I am 50 year old. Have been playing sports throughout my life being an ex army guy. I started running in mid 2012. Generally had followed an aerobic routine. However in all 3 half marathons I ran i could not keep the target pace after 13-15km and finished in 2:04 in the last marathon in Jan this year. I find running below 130 very tiring and a comfortable pace for a 10K run is 6 -6:10 min/km, but the HRM is between 135-145.
How do I improve my endurance at my marathon pace(5:40min/km)?
Sock Doc says
You might need some speed work. Check out one of the more recent articles on Training Harder.
Zuzana says
Hello,
I used to run a lot, now it is more elliptical work due to bad knees.
I have a pretty low RHR around 49-55.
Would this mean that my aerobic HR is lower as well?
When I do HIIT, it goes up to 160- very hard,
but when I run, it is about 115. Is this good aerobic base?
I can go faster to be in 130 but I figured since my low resing rate, 115-120 is ok?
thanks
female 30 years,
Sock Doc says
I’d still have you follow the 180-age formula I discuss in the article and if you feel you’re not progressing then have your LT levels checked. Over time, 115-120 might not provide much benefit if it is too low.
Ricki says
Hi Dr. Gangemi,
I understand that running is very personal, but I was hoping for some clarity around ‘Aerobic conditioning is best achieved via long workouts several times a week’.
What is considered ‘long workouts’ and is several 3 or 4 or 5……..
Also, there isn’t much out there on heart scarring. Does heart scarring still occur if you’re running long (2-3 hours) but at a zone 2 or 3?
Thanks so much, I have learned so much from you.
Ricki
Sock Doc says
For those not very fit, long means 30 mins. For those who are, then it can be 1-2 hours.
Heart scarring should not occur in a healthy person who is aerobic. So definitely not at zone 2. But prolonged at zone 3 – possibly over time. Again, that could mean 1 hour in one person, and running an ultra in another. So many factors – nutritional status I’d say would be a huge one.
Ricki says
Thank you so much for that, it has provided me more clarity and I appreciate it! 🙂
Seb says
Hi Doc,
Thanks a lot for sharing the importance of building the aerobic system. I would kindly appreciate your comment about easy training paces developed by Jack Daniels. What I mean is that if training at those easy paces I’ll be training in my aerobic zone calculated according to dr. Maffetone 180 formula?
Thank you,
Sebastian
Sock Doc says
I’m not familiar with the specific teaching of Jack, though I do know of him.
Ram says
Thanks Doc for the great article. I am 39 years old and have been training in the 140-146 HR for the last 7 months. i find that my avg pace varies between 7:10 min/km and 7:45 min/km. I did an HM in October 2013 in 1hr59min but the avg HR was 168 then. Since then i read a bit about the aerobic base and have switched to the 140-146 HR. I notice that my avg pace is not improving much. I wish to get it close to 6:30 without compromising on the HR. Any pointers?
Sock Doc says
Hard to say without knowing more as this can happen from improper training, health issues, and especially too much stress – namely dietary (caffeine, carbs, lack of healthy fats).
Michelle says
Well I started with hiit years ago and I’ve been doing it for 4 days a week as a vegetarian and I haven’t had any problems. some days are more intense then others. I don’t feel it has done any of the negative things stated in this article. I don’t do steady state cardio, not because I think its not effective, but because its the most boring workout I can think of. It’s about as interesting as watching paint dry. And I have better things to do then be horribly bored.
Michelle says
and one more thing… I’ve always been a hard gainer. my sister was a runway model. i’m 33 and so many people think I must be a runner or something. I see people who are overweight doing way harder workouts then me, including running long distances, and for some reason they’re still overweight! how is that even possible? I can eat bread, potato chips, cheesecake, bagels, brie, ice cream and I don’t gain weight. My friend is 43 and he has abs even though he doesn’t work out at all, he just doesn’t have an ounce of fat. I don’t even know why these paleo people think carbs make you fat.. it obviously doesn’t make me or my friend fat. Are we the next stage or evolution? is there something wrong with us? or is there something wrong with them?
Charles Nankin says
hi doc. are there studies linking overtraining to lowered immunity or gut microbiome changes? anything that shows us when we start overtraining? or where hiit starts to become a negative thing?
i feel happy with short bursts of all-out sprinting with full-recovery rest intervals. but these workouts which aim to push you to your puking limit just seem wrong, esp if done week in week out. somethings gotta give.
Sock Doc says
There are plenty out there on lowered immunity (a lo discuss antioxidant depletion as part of that). I’m not sure what’s out there on gut biome but that’s all the hype today. And yes, a body can only take so much HIIT at a time.
Don Pendergraft says
Sock Doc,
Great article! Sorry I’m late to the game. I’m 50 years and have done 6 ultra marathons. I feel at this point I have neglected my aerobic base badly. I did a MAF test for the first time in a few years and saw how badly I regressed. Back to base building. My question is whether I can work some hill training, intervals, strides, whatever into aerobic base building (keeping my HR close to 130) without totally derailing my plan to build base? I think I safely say that strides are probably OK. I mean, if you run at aerobic pace for 2 hours, and then do a 1 minute stride, it’s not going to negate the benefit. But I’m wondering if I worked in a day or two of high intensity.
If that’s not possible, and you had a 100 miler in 9 months, would the better course be to be strictly aerobic for a maybe 6 months and then hit the high intensity stuff a few months out of from the race? I’m really at a loss on what to do. I can read all about HIIT and Maffetone, but not how they can work together which I think is required. I want to be a well rounded runner. Thanks!
Sock Doc says
I’d be 95% aerobic until my base no longer improved whether that took 1 month or 1 year. Build it now; it’s not too late.
muhammed hady says
hey doctor iam glad i find someone to talk to him about my problem i have been doing HIIT workouts constantly for the past 8 months everyday ( 6 days a week and 1 day off ) i was doing workouts like insanity , insanity asylum , p90x hybrid and now i have sustained a hamstring injury grade 2 i dont understand how i didnt do anything wrong in the workouts i might have been on a strict diet not everyday i ate good i was about 100kg and down to 84 kg so please would you help me understand cuz i need to return back to my workouts when my injury heals
Sock Doc says
You overtrained – it’s really as simple as that; that’s what the training principles here are telling you.
MT Smith says
Hi Doc, thanks for the great info above! I am a diabetic and have been doing the Insanity 25 minute workout for 2 years now consistently. I have done it 6 days a week. It definitely helps burn my blood glucose, but I have developed some serious health issues, especially over the past 6 months. To make a long story short, I have what I think are tension headaches every night and many mornings. They have affected my sleeping, eating, and my thyroid function. You are the first one to tell me this much training is bad for me, really bad. But since I am a diabetic, I need the HIIT for blood sugar control. So what do you think? What is the best training program for HIIT and brisk walking mixed together? Lastly, how long of a break should I take from HIIT before resuming again. Thanks for all your help!
Sock Doc says
No you don’t need HIIT for blood sugar control. That’s a myth spurred by dieticians and other medicially-minded folks who teach diabetics to eat more sugar when their blood sugar is low and then take medication or exercise intensely when it is high. If you take care of your health and develop a healthy aerobic system you’ll burn primarily fat as fuel and won’t be chasing your blood sugar all day long. Personally I’d never have a diabetic do any HIIT training until they have a superb aerobic system.
Moby says
Hey Doc, very educational article. I basically have been doing this wrong my entire life. WOW! I am preparing for soccer tryout in early December, and I would like to build up stamina and endurance. Would indoor rowing , following the 180-age, help me build up The needed stamina? I am assuming that as my fitness improves, so will my heart rate-zone 2. I can say i am starting from low stamina, endurance.at which point can I incorporate plyometrics rig? Or suicide workout?
Sock Doc says
Yeah that works but even better to run aerobically since that is more in-line with your sport. You do HIIT workouts (suicides, etc) after your have a relatively healthy aerobic system per the guidelines I discuss in the articles.
Petie says
Hi Sock Doc, thank you for the great article (and an informative website – can’t believe I haven’t discovered it earlier). I have a training intensity question for you: I am a 25 year old female and I am training for my first 50k trail running race. The bulk of my running is easy with one workout session per week (as prescribed by my coach). While my endurance has become very good, I am not getting any faster, which is incredibly frustrating (when I’m at 155 BPM, which is where I’ve been spending most of my running time, I average about 9 mins/mile). A recent lactate threshold test showed that my LT is at 187 BPM. My max HR is 203. Unfortunately the lab was too lazy to interpret the results for me, but my coach suggested I should slow down during my easy runs to under 150 BPM. I am a bit skeptical – do you think this approach will make me faster? I’ve done a couple of runs at this lower intensity and watching my pace sink even lower is depressing. Everybody keeps telling me I’m fit, so why am I so slow?
Sock Doc says
With a LT that high and you’re 25 you might need to bump it up. Basically if you’re training “properly” and not getting any faster – you’re doing something just not right. So don’t keep doing what you’re doing. You might need to do some anaerobic activity now as I discuss here: https://sock-doc.com/anaerobic_training-hiit/
Jarrod Daniels says
Hi doc,
Loved this article, thank you for taking the time to share your findings. I have a question. I am a 23 year old who is training to compete at CrossFit. I come from a very anaerobic background ((Played College Football at Idaho State/ Runningback). I have been doing Crossfit for almost 2 years now and am studying training energy systems alot more closely that way my training has purpose and produces good results. During WODS my strength is never really the issue, it’s usually a “Wearing Down” of my energy around 9-12 min mark. I have just started incorporating runs and rowing separate workouts to build a aerobic base. But I want to make sure I am wisely training my aerobic system in a way that won’t deplete my strength in Olympic lifts, etc.
So my question is what can I do to build this base(Type and Length of Workouts) that would not hinder my performance at CrossFit but support it?
Sock Doc says
Thanks Jarrod – hope the articles help. I can’t give more individualized advice past what you see in the 5 Part Series; hope you understand. Thanks.
Jarrod Daniels says
Totally understand! Thank you
Genevieve says
Hi Dr Gangemi,
I’ve been reading your blog for the last 6 weeks or so, after Christmas holidays in the snow and realising my fitness had declined. Since then I’ve been running almost daily using Maff method, starting from 5km and now running at least one long run a week of between 15-18km. I’m not training for races (did that as a kid) and I run fasted.
I’m 50, vegetarian, max HR of 200, RHR of 50, weight 54kg, and don’t eat refined carbs, and little of starchy tubers or grains/grasses (but fruit, veg, salad, nuts, legumes, cheese and plain yoghurt). I don’t drink coffee or alcohol.
Although I’ve been sticking to MAF, the slow pace is really slow….it’s little better than walking pace (caveat: I live on the equator), I’ve shortened my stride length and increased my cadence from 160 to 180. But….going on rate of perceived effort and breathing through my nose, mouth closed, a comfortable 10km run with no oxygen debt will have an average HR of 145 (including a last 300m sprint before warm down) and at a faster pace (longer strides, lower cadence), with the same amount of muscle soreness (and same muscles) after that kind of run as the equivalent (longer, slower) MAF run.
Am I another typical crap aerobic capacity case? (I trained as a child at endurance sports for almost 20 years, but then only sporadically from university til now). I would also add that I really have no anaerobic capacity ie power/strength. Am I foregoing aerobic capacity if I up the HR during my runs to my RPE pace and effort HR?
Thanks for your comment and making your blog available.
Sock Doc says
Yeah – you’ve only been at it two months now. Building aerobic endurance takes time – sometimes a full year.
Carlos R. says
Hi Doc, I finished my training season and looking to improve from a year of training. I did about 6 months of aerobic only training with my heart rate monitor ( maffetone method). I started with an 11 min pace aerobic base and currently am at about 8 min pace now (aerobic pace). With HIIT training I can run at a 6:25 pace.
I would like to be under a 6 min pace along with a aerobic base of 7 min pace.
Should I do only aerobic base running for several months again with no anaerobic or incorporate some speed work too? I’m trying to get ready for a big race sometime this month next year. Thanks Carlos
Sock Doc says
You have to see how you progress. If you feel like you’re no longer improving with mostly aerobic training, then you implement anaerobic sessions for some time. But if you’re still improving well with aerobic, then you might not do any, or very little, anaerobic.
Lee says
Hi Doc
I’ve been doing CrossFit for about 5 years now (I’m 45 years old). I would say that when I started I probably did not have an adequate strength or aerobic base, and frequently overtrained. These days I’m much stronger and have a far better body composition, however I realise that I am very anaerobic dominant, and need to correct that. My plan is to reduce the WODs to 1 or 2 a week, and attend the olympic lifting / gymnastic sessions at the box instead (which focus on building strenght only – no WOD) and to add in 4 – 5 sessions of low intensity aerobic work at around 120 – 130 bpm. My question is…. will that work, as long as I get adequate rest, nutrition and watch for the signs of overtraining? Or do I need to cut out other stuff and focus more exclusively on just building an aerobic base for a while?
Thanks
Lee
Dr. Stephen Gangemi "Sock Doc" says
It depends – see if you see improvements with the WODs. If not, then you might need to do entirely aerobic for a while with, or without, some strength (but no HIIT).
Goobs says
Hello,
I’ve been exercising for about 3 years, before that I was a couch potato. Started with crossfit which saved my life (went from obese can’t breathe walking) to 20% body fat with visible muscle). About a year ago I switch to bodybuilding and completely neglected my endurance training (I just did weight training). So now I’m trying to get some cardiovascular health back and went for a 2.5 mile run with a heart rate monitor. I didn’t run fast at all, it took me 30 minutes (in my crossfit days that run took 18). But my heart rate was well above the zone for most of the run. I think I had almost 4 minutes in the zone. So I guess that was anaerobic. So, should I slow down or keep going until I’m in good enough shape to keep that pace into the zone? I don’t know if I’ll make any progress just walking fast.
Thank you
Dr. Stephen Gangemi "Sock Doc" says
Yes – slow down! 🙂
Annabelle says
Great article.
I’m a hockey player who is trying HARD to improve my cardio and honnestly it’s not working. I used to do aerobic training but some coaches told me I should only do interval since hockey is a repeted sprint ability sport.
I want to be able to go hard during all my shift (it’s about 1 minute) but I can’t. I’m training hard but it won’t improve. So I’m a little bit lost now.
Should I go back and build an aerobic base and go back to interval after ? Should I train both at the same time ? How many times should I do this during the week ?
Is there a program or something that can show how to improve cardio ?
Thanks for taking the time to read my post.
Dr. Stephen Gangemi "Sock Doc" says
You should be building your aerobic base during the off season – focusing on that for 90% of your training. That will improve your time on the ice. I’ve treated NHL players and that’s a proven method.
Sam says
Hi!!! Great page, keep on educating. I want to ask you a question. I want to have the perfect balance between aerobic and anaerobic.
I think I use to overtrain. I was diagnose with hypothiroidsm, I sometimes wonder if it got something to do with the way I train.
I am very disciplined, so I don’t want to overtrain neither of the systems. For how long (weeks) should I train anaerobically and how long (weeks) should I wait to start again?
Thank you for your time.
Best regards!
Dr. Stephen Gangemi "Sock Doc" says
Depends on each individual. Typically, on average, an anaerobic endurance cycle is 4-6 weeks.
gina dimaggio says
Hello,
I live in Northern Ca and have been suffering from debilitating chronic issues that surfaced over the past several months in the form of back stiffness, leg and hip muscle pain, plantar fasciitis and now a severe case of ITB syndrome or something like it,
Would you have any possible referrals to someone in Berkeley CA area that uses the same type of protocol?\
Dr. Stephen Gangemi "Sock Doc" says
Sorry I do not.
Scott bailey says
Dear Doc
I’ve been into long distance running since I was a kid and just love running I’m 42 now and still enjoying running but have recently been struggling with some shin splints on the inside of my lower left leg and a bit of a sore knee .I’ve currently clocked up 325 miles in my altra paradigm which is my first pair of zero drop shoes and have managed to run 22.5 miles in 3h15
I believe my injuries could be many things but I believe I’ve tried to run to much to soon,can you recommend any training programs that might help me progress abit slower and stay injury free.
Kind regards
Scott (Uk)
Dr. Stephen Gangemi "Sock Doc" says
I’d suggest building your aerobic base as I discuss in the SD Training series. In regards to programs, if you’re looking for some set program to follow – unfortunately I’m not up-to-date on who is out there providing good programs at this time. You might ask Tawnee over at http://www.tritawn.com/. She’ll definitely be able to help you, or know someone who can.
Yuriy says
Hey Dock, been enjoying your articles for some time. Wondering where would you place boxing in relation to the aerobic/anaerobic periods of training. Obviously it is anaerobic, but perhaps it inclines more towards the strength training workouts that could be added to the routine while exercising aerobically? Or would you rather think of it as possible short periods of anaerobic training once in a while when a solid aerobic base is built? Thanks
Dr. Stephen Gangemi "Sock Doc" says
Yes anaerobic but the aerobic foundation is what will keep your performance and intensity up as the rounds go on. I do think you need the anaerobic training, but as you say – strength with aerobic training too. Different workouts and training principles at different times of the year depending on your schedule and next fight.
Gary says
Have just started training according to Maffetone’s principles, however how does one do this in the pool if heart rate is too high and going slower to drop it simply wrecks the swim?
Dr. Stephen Gangemi "Sock Doc" says
Actually for swimming it’s typically another 10 beats lower range than the run. So if your running zone is 140-150 then swimming is probably in the 130-140 zone. It’s an efficiency thing…need to work on your stroke.