Hi, all!

What is the significance of being able to carry on a conversation while doing cardio? Why is this important?

I'm guessing that oxygen levels have something to do with this--what exactly are the mechanics behind this?

Thanks everyone for all your good advice!

LOL you want to be the tough guy in the gym? There is no need to appear like a tough guy just concentrate on your cardio.

No, I'm not trying to be a tough guy at all!

I have read, in several places that the "right" level of cardio workout is when you can carry on a conversation, even if halted. A poster's reply in another thread even indicated that it was important that it be done this way.

I just wanna know why!

what was that about??

I did a quick search and saw that too as well as keeping your heart rate to about 80% of your Maximum Heart Rate. ezinearticles says that you should be able to talk but not be able to hold a conversation.

I was joking because I didn't know what she was on about. I guess the whole thing is about cardio intensity as most people don't have a heart rate monitor.

Ok then!

There are 2 commonly recognized methods for measuring exercise intensity, one based on heart rate and one based on breathing (percent of max heart rate and percent of VO2Max). Maximum fat burn for long duration exercise is normally achieved between 55-75% of either. Since you don't always have a heart rate monitor handy and your maximum heart rate varies depending on your fitness level, age, and a host of other factors, AND the equipment to measure VO2 level is expensive and bulky, the ability to still speak words but not complete sentences, is considered a good approximation of the upper level of the "fat burning" range.

However, many individuals achieve better fat loss results with HIIT and resistance training rather than long duration cardio.

The OP's question is completely legitimate and understandable when one is doing cardio and serious about it effectiveness, and wanting to see how to optimize the benefits.

In addition, if the diet is "correct" and one has some "general" understanding of aerobic exercise (and types of cardio), they can use this knowledge to "possibly" tweak additional fat tissue loss. The OP is being very intelligent in asking this question. Questions obtain knowledge; this knowledge then can be used in ones personal training and goals.

Aerobics in simple form just means "with oxygen"



Some general information:

Some info on Aerobics:

Aerobic Exercise Health & Fitness Benefits, Types, Programs and Routines on MedicineNet.com

Boost Fat metabolism how to metabolize excess body fat quickly

Cardiovascular Exercise - Basics of Aerobics For Fat Loss

Cardio respiratory fitness

One of those links should answer your question (as I have read them before). If not I can be more direct and answer it. I enclosed the links because your will learn more by searching for the answer "among" learning other things that may prove valuable.

Best wishes to all of you. Have a very good day. I hope you added one more step in meeting and then exceeding your goal plans today!

ROCK ON!



Chillen

The whole issue of being able to " carry on a conversation " will make a bit more sense to you if you do some Google research on the phrase " The Talk Test " along with some fitness related key words like " beginner " " fat loss ", " perceived level of exertion " , " aerobic cardio etc.

But in a nutshell, the thinking is that if you can speak without too much difficulty - i.e. as in a conversation ...aka " The Talk Test " - at the same time as you're exercising aerobically, then chances are good you're probably training somewhere within your ' aerobic ' training range. It's simply a subjective way to try and ballpark how ' intensely ' you're exercising without having to employ a heart rate monitor to see if your somewhere in a 55% - 85% of MHR aerobic range, for example.

If, on the other hand, you find that your breathing is so heavy and labored that you can't carry on a conversation comfortably, then you're probably exercising somewhere above your ideal ' aerobic ' training range.

OP: As Wrangell said, the Talk Test is a crude estimator of level of effort.
Physical Activity for Everyone: Measuring: Talk Test | DNPAO | CDC

Perceived exertion has its own rating system. I prefer the Borg Rating of Perceived Exertion, Physical Activity for Everyone: Measuring: Perceived Exertion | DNPAO | CDC

I generally work at the hard to very hard level which is well above the level at which I can carry on a conversation. I only work out at a conversational level on recovery days.

But, what is your level of aerobic fitness now? If you are new, conversational level (moderate level) would be a good starting point; if you are more advanced, go harder (as long as you are physically healthy enough).

GG,

I tried replying to your pm, but this forum only allows about 1,000 characters (about 3 paragraphs) and I'm evidently incapable of being brief If you sendme your email address I'll send my reply in whole.


Lemme take a shot at this topic, in simple terms:

For the most part your body uses 3 sources of energy:

1) Creatine-Phosphate/ATP
2) Glycogen
3) Fat

The simple fact is, when your body is active, it's using a COMBINATION of all 3 of these fuels....but the proportions vary based on demand. All too often people are consumed with the notion that we have a fuel-selector switch and we can, by manipulation, choose which fuel we wish to burn. Well, we can't quite select it, but to some extent we can facilitate and focus on trying to burn more of one then the other. And so the confusion begins....

The general consensus suggest that you will burn the greatest PROPORTION of fat when you are exerting yourself in a manner such that your heart-rate is at 80% maximum. This is determined by a simple forumula:

220 - (your age) x .80

Accordingly a person of 40 years would have a maximum heart rate of 180 and would be burning the greatest proportion of fat when their heart-rate is at 144. Heck, let's give that a range, call it 140-150.

So...if you don't wear a heart-rate monitor how else could you determine when you're within this range? Well...don't freak, modern-day scientist have brought us a swell way to figure this out. The Talk Test.

Let's say you're biking along with your buddy and you want to start discussing how fat Britney Spears tummy looked at that awards show...so as you bike along you start talking. If you are huffing & puffing so hard youcan barely get a word out, your probably well above the 140-150 range. On the other hand, if you can just talk like your sitting on the phone...then your probably well below the 140-150 range. When you are in the 140-150 range, you'd be able to talk but here and there you'd be breathing pretty heavy:

Did you see...huff huff.....on that show...huff....how she had....huff huff....her gut sticking out....huff huff...and it was...huff huff....

That's all it is. If you can carry-on a conversation with just mild to moderate difficulty, then you're probably in your ideal zone for maximizing the greatest proportion of fat being burned.


So....what if you push harder??? Well, the body can only oxidize/metabolize/burn fat at a slow rate, so you'd have to start dialing in more glycogen to the mix....and when a mountain lion or my sister-in-law show up, you'll go into fight/flight mode and you'll be all over your creatine-phosphate/ATP.

But now, just to ensure I get into my novel-length mode, let me go one step further and explain something that many trainers say "yes, thank you!" for explaining:

When you push past your "maximum fat burning proportion" zone....you don't burn less fat, you just start burning a greater proportion of other fuels. By the numbers.

All hypothetical...but as an analogy for understanding:

Let's say you are biking along at 145 HR (Heart Rate) and you're putting out 600 calories per hour. Of those 600 calories, let's say you're burning 35% Fat, 55% Glycogen and 10% Creatine-Phosphate/ATP. As fat goes, you're burning 210 calories per hour. (600 x 35%)

Now...let's kick it up a notch and bring the HR upto 165. Now you're putting out 850 calories per hour (forget taking a cell-phone call, you're all lungs!). Boom: the body NEEDS MORE ENERGY to fuel those muscles. New mixture: Fat 28%, Glycogen 58% and 14% creatine-phosphate/ATP.

Hmmmm.....let's examine this. Well, the percentage of fat being burned has DROPPED to 28%...whereas it was 35%, so you would think this is detrimental and you're no longer in your primo fat-burn zone? eh??? But wait, look at your calories per hour derived from fat: 850 x 28%....whereas you were burning 210 calories per hour, you are now burning 238 calories per hour from fat. An INCREASE in overall fat-calories burned despite the DECREASE in percentage.

So pushing harder/faster is not a bad thing, you'll still burn more calories and even derive other benefits as well. It's just one of these commonly misunderstood things. I think the basic notion is to workout at least hard enough to get some good fat burning...and you'll know you're at least getting some good value for your effort using the talk-test.

There are so many other variables; what you ate, when you ate, your age, condition, training, etc....but on the whole, this is the theory and I sincerely hope you found it understandable & readable.

Wow what a response. For those without a heart rate monitor and not able to do the talk test, does the "fat burning zone" on the cardio machine give an alternative/good enough indication?

What do you mean by " not able to do the talk test " exactly ?

Cause if you can't talk because you're under considerable duress ( i.e because you're so winded and gasping for air ) , it's just an indication you likely aren't training aerobically any more.

Those ' zones ' simply give you ranges of actual heart rate values as a % of MHR.

But, if you aren't able to physically measure your heart rate objectively while exercising somehow, they're of no use to you.

Most of us exercise in gyms with complete strangers and without any phones so one cannot conduct a conversation.