I don’t think most of us would question the benefit of a good exercise program. However, we see a few of our patients’ injuries and illness likely occurring as a direct result of training error. Even with the best of intentions, our exercise intensity often doesn’t match up with our health goals.
From an elite athlete to someone just getting started in an exercise program, it’s easy to fall into the trap of “the harder we work out, the better the result”. Unfortunately, this is often not the case.
Our exercise intensity often doesn’t match up with our health goals.
As always, it’s important to realize that we are all an experiment of one and recommendations can vary significantly based on an individual’s health and goals.
Low intensity, varied exercise is key
Low intensity movement (easy jogging, biking, or hiking) should not elevate our heart rate into the range that kicks in our “fight or flight” mode. This is an exercise level we are designed to do for long periods of time.
However, with sedentary jobs and busy lives, many individuals try to “make up for it” with intense training, which can lead to chronic stress.
With good intentions many individuals train intensely too often with not enough low level movement.
Low intensity, aerobic exercise can improve cardiovascular function, fat metabolism, brain activity, stress management and general health.
When our bodies go into “fight or flight” mode, stress hormones like cortisol and adrenaline are released. Small doses of this stress are beneficial, but excessive amounts can quickly lead to diminishing returns.
Excessive high stress can wear us down
Chronic stress can lead to inflammation, fatigue, and impaired recovery. Your body doesn’t know the difference between good stress from exercise and bad stress from life.
We have enough stress to deal with in our lives that we don’t want our exercise intensity to be working against us.
Small amounts of high intensity anaerobic training can build lean muscle and resilience, but too much can lead to burnout.
Aerobic vs anaerobic training
Aerobic exercise uses oxygen and fat as fuel and should make up roughly 80% of total training time.
A conservative yet accurate measure of maximum aerobic function (MAF) is 180 minus your age.
Anaerobic exercise relies on stored sugar and triggers a stress response. While beneficial, it should be limited and paired with proper recovery.
Black hole training
Too much moderate-to-high intensity work without adequate recovery leads to what’s known as “black hole training”.
Methods to track intensity
- Heart Rate: Keep aerobic workouts below 180 − age.
- Heart Rate Variability (HRV): A strong indicator of recovery.
- Be inconsistent with intensity: Perform hard sessions only when recovery allows.
- Prioritize easy movement: Walking, hiking, biking, and daily activity matter.
You don’t need expensive tech to monitor heart rate — using your pulse works just as well.
Summary
Many people train harder than necessary, creating excess stress that can lead to injury, illness, and burnout.
Aim for approximately 80% aerobic training, monitor recovery, and let intensity support your health — not work against it.
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