How Hard Should I Work Out?

By Malia Frey Updated May 27, 2019

Savvy exercisers often see promotional ads for hard workouts that promise big results. But you don't always need to do intense exercise to see progress. Whether your goal is weight loss, improved fitness, or better performance in a particular sport, there is an important place for easy, moderate, and hard workouts in every exerciser's schedule. 

Why You Need Easy Workouts in Your Schedule

Low-intensity exercise will increase your heart rate, but not to the point that you have to breathe heavily. On a scale of one to 10, low-intensity exercise would rank between four and six. Your heart rate during this type of activity would fall between 40 and 60 percent of your maximum heart rate. You should feel comfortable enough that you can continue the activity for a long period of time.

Some of your regular daily activities and chores may count as low-intensity exercise. For example, if you take your dog for a walk, go for a calorie-burning bike ride with the kids, or stroll to the grocery store to pick up dinner—these all fall under the low-intensity exercise category. If weight loss is your goal, these activities will help you stay active and burn extra calories throughout the day. 

Benefits of Low-Intensity Workouts

The value of this kind of \activity is that you can do a lot of it. Low-intensity exercise improves range of motion in your joints, lowers your stress level, increases your total daily calorie expenditure and provides recovery from hard workouts.

The Importance of Moderate-Intensity Workouts 

Experts often recommend moderate exercise for improved health and weight loss. But a moderate workout for one person could mean highly intense exercise for another. So how do you know if your workout falls into the moderate category?

When you are participating in moderate intensity exercise, you should feel like you are working but not working so hard that you want to quit in the next few minutes. You are breathing deeply but not gasping for breath. On a perceived exertion scale of one to 10, you should feel like you are working at a level of six to seven.

In terms of how much moderate intensity exercise you need, The American College of Sports Medicine offers guidelines to help you meet specific goals.

To see modest weight loss, exercise at a moderate intensity between 150 and 250 minutes per week.To see clinically significant weight loss, participate in moderate exercise for more than 250 minutes per week.If you combine diet and exercise to lose weight, engage in moderate-intensity exercise between 150 and 250 minutes per week.To prevent weight gain after you've lost weight, engage in at least 250 minutes of moderate intensity exercise per week.

Benefits of Moderate-Intensity Workouts

Moderate activity allows you to maintain your calorie-burning session for a longer period of time, more frequently. It improves cardiorespiratory endurance, reduces stress, improves heart health and boosts metabolism, with less risk of injury or burnout than high-intensity exercise.

Intense Exercise for Fitness and Weight Loss

The most effective fat burning workouts are the sessions that you can only maintain for a short period of time. But you can't do intense exercise every day. Because the workouts are very difficult, your body will require substantial recovery, both within the exercise session and in the days following the workout.

When you participate in high-intensity exercise you are breathing very deeply and on the verge of gasping for breath. You should feel that you cannot maintain the activity for more than a few minutes. On a perceived exertion scale, you should feel like you're working at a level of eight to nine.

Because high-intensity exercises can only be maintained for a short period of time, they are often programmed into interval-style workouts. A popular form of interval training is called high-intensity interval training, or HIIT. To program a HIIT workout, you combine bursts of intense exercise that last 30 seconds to several minutes with short recovery periods that last 30 seconds or more.

Benefits of Hard Workouts

If you're exercising to lose weight, high-intensity workouts will do the trick. People who participate in high-intensity interval workouts are more successful at losing weight and burning fat. High-intensity exercise is also the most efficient, meaning you burn more calories in less time.

Combine Easy, Moderate, and Hard Workouts 

There are drawbacks to high-intensity exercise. These extreme sessions put you at higher risk for injury and burnout, and they require low-intensity recovery time in the days following the session. This is where careful exercise programming comes into play, so make sure you're scheduling your week to have rest days between those intense exercise sessions.

If you are healthy enough for physical activity at every intensity level, plan one or two hard workouts during the week. These short workouts will help you burn maximum calories in minimum time. You'll also build muscle to boost your metabolism during these sessions.

You do want to make sure that you aren't working out too hard too often. On the days following your hard workouts, give your body a rest by participating in a low-intensity exercise. The increased range of motion during these easy days will help your sore muscles recover more quickly and you will still increase your calorie burn for the day without taxing your body too much and therefore, risking burn out or injury.

Fill in the rest of your workout week with moderate intensity sessions. Challenge yourself by making these sessions longer. The calorie-burning benefits from these moderate workouts come from the duration of the session, not necessarily from the intensity.

Svvy exercisers often see promotional ads for hard workouts that promise big results. But you don't always need to do intense exercise to see progress. Whether your goal is weight loss, improved fitness, or better performance in a particular sport, there is an important place for easy, moderate, and hard workouts in every exerciser's schedule. e will all help improve results. S