Energy balance
Total energy expenditure (volume) is a stronger predictor of improvements in exercise capacity and health parameters than exercise intensity alone; therefore, prescribing exercise based on total energy expenditure is more effective than focusing solely on intensity.
Don't obsess over how hard you are working; focus on how much total work you are doing. Whether you walk briskly for 60 minutes or jog for 30 minutes, if the total energy burned is similar, your heart health benefits will be similar. Aim for 1000-2000 kcal of exercise per week, spread across several days. If you are short on time, higher intensity might help you reach that volume faster, but it is not strictly required if you can exercise longer.
Two meta-analyses... found that HIIT is not superior to MICT when isocaloric exercise training programmes were compared... Two systematic reviews confirmed that the total energy expenditure of the overall programme actually is the strongest predictor of improvements in exercise capacity in HF patients.
Why this rating
Supported by multiple meta-analyses and systematic reviews cited in the paper.
Source
Exercise intensity assessment and prescription in cardiovascular rehabilitation and beyond: why and how: a position statement from the Secondary Prevention and Rehabilitation Section of the European Association of Preventive Cardiology
Dominique Hansen et al. · European Journal of Preventive Cardiology · 2021
DOI 10.1093/eurjpc/zwab007
More from this paper
- High-intensity interval training (HIIT) produces greater improvements in peak oxygen uptake (VO2peak) compared to moderate-intensity continuous training (MICT) in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) and heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF), primarily due to greater metabolic stress and mitochondrial biogenesis.Good
- Using peak exercise indices (e.g., %VO2peak, %HRpeak) to prescribe exercise intensity in CVD patients is unreliable and should be replaced by threshold-based methods (VT1, VT2) determined via Cardiopulmonary Exercise Testing (CPET).Good
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