The best aerobic exercise

There is no "best" aerobic exercise in a universal sense. The real "best" is always the one that suits your physical condition, exercise goals, and executability. This conclusion is not something I just thought about. I came to this conclusion after spending 6 years in the gym, talking to three sports rehabilitation practitioners, and personally seeing more than a dozen people around me get results through different exercises.

I know a 32-year-old programmer who followed the trend of running a half-marathon to reduce body fat. After running for three months, his knees hurt so much that he had to hold on to the railing when going up and down stairs. An MRI showed a second degree of meniscus wear, and the doctor ordered him not to run anymore. Later, he went to the swimming pool to paddle. At first, he only knew how to paddle, and he only swam 1,000 meters for 40 minutes at a time. After three months of paddling, he lost 2 points of body fat, and his knee pain was relieved by most of it. Do you think jogging is good? It is a good value for money for people with healthy knees, but for him, swimming is the best choice.

Of course, if you look through the sports medicine literature, you will see that many schools have different opinions. Some people recommend jogging, saying that its metabolic equivalent (MET) can reach 8-10. It does not require a special venue and you can go out wearing a pair of well-fitting shoes. The American Heart Association lists 150 minutes of moderate-intensity jogging a week as the first-line plan for cardiovascular disease prevention, and the data support is piled higher than a hill. However, joint surgeons most likely do not agree with this "optimal solution", especially for obese people with a BMI over 28. The weight of each step of jogging on the knees is 3-5 times the body weight. If you weigh 180 kilograms, your knees will directly bear the impact of more than 500 kilograms in one step. You will damage the joints after running for two months, which is not worth the gain. They recommend non-weight-bearing aerobic activities such as elliptical machines and swimming, which can minimize the pressure on joints.

In fact, putting aside these academic debates, when it comes to the practical level of ordinary people, whether they can persist is the first threshold. I met a socially anxious little girl at the gym before. She was tricked by the salesperson into signing up for an aerobics class. Every time she stood in the last row, she shrank and followed others' Pamela dances. Her movements were all wrong. After practicing for half an hour, she was so nervous that her heart rate didn't even touch the edge of the target heart rate zone. After practicing three times, she never came back again. Later, she bought a second-hand stationary bicycle at home. She closed the door and pedaled along with the video every day after get off work. No one saw her shaking as much as she wanted. She was sweating all over in 20 minutes. She lost 12 pounds in two months. Do you think spinning is better than aerobics? For her it really is.

The pitfalls I have stepped on before illustrate the problem even more. Two years ago, I climbed stairs on an empty stomach when the wind was very windy. I followed it for half a month. At first, I thought it was very efficient. After climbing 20 floors, I was out of breath and couldn't speak. However, when I woke up in the morning, my heels hurt so much that I couldn't step on the ground. I went to see a rehabilitation practitioner and found out that I was born with flat feet. When climbing stairs, the arch of my feet was not able to release enough force, and the pressure on the Achilles tendon was more than twice that of a normal person. Later, I went for a brisk walk by the river. I walked 5 kilometers in 40 minutes. I could listen to my favorite podcasts while the river breeze was blowing. I didn’t feel like I was spending too much time at all. After two months of persistence, I lost about the same amount of body fat as I did climbing stairs before. Even the shoulder and neck pain I had from time to time was relieved a lot.

In the past two years, there has been a very controversial statement, saying that HIIT is the aerobic ceiling, and 10 minutes is better than half an hour of jogging. Studies have indeed shown that the afterburn effect (EPOC) of high-intensity interval training is higher than that of steady-state aerobics, and it can continue to consume calories after more than ten hours of training. But the problem is that this "high efficiency" is only for people with a basic exercise background. I have seen many people who have never exercised before start doing burpees and leg raises. Either the movements are deformed and their waists are flashing, or they practice for 10 minutes and rest for half an hour. Even the basic exercise time is not enough. They lie down and give up after practicing for two times. It is not as practical as walking for half an hour after meals every day.

Oh, by the way, I met a more interesting sister last month. She originally signed up for a boxing class to lose weight. She originally thought it was aerobics for fun, but she became obsessed with the feeling of target shooting. Now she can't help but go three times a week without anyone urging her. She has lost 20 pounds in half a year, and even her waistline has appeared. Do you think boxing is the best form of aerobic exercise? Of course for her, it was simply torture for someone who was tired of raising her hand to clean up the housework.

After all, to find the best aerobics, you don’t have to look at other people’s recommendations, and you don’t have to believe in the gimmick of “the best aerobics recognized globally”. If you really have to choose, just take a piece of paper and list three points: Can you practice at least 3 times a week for a month without getting scared? When practicing, can your heart rate feel 60%-80% of (220-your age)? Do you have any joint pain or muscle soreness that lasts for more than 24 hours after training? If you are satisfied with all three, then this sport is the best for you, and it is more reliable than any expert recommendation or Internet celebrity hot model.