Exercise Intensity Levels

Adults are supposed to engage in 150+ minutes of moderate to vigorous exercise each week! How are you getting your in?! Below are some examples and ways to tell what intensity you are exercising at.

Light Intensity Exercise

Light exercise activities require less effort and should be a comfortable pace for you. Most people do not usually break a sweat, and your target rate is 40% to 50% of your maximum heart rate. You should be able to sing while doing light intensity exercises.

Types of light intensity exercises:

Walking slowly
Bicycling at less than 5 mph
Stretching Sitting
Light weight training
Dancing slowly
Leisure sports (table tennis, playing catch)
Floating
Boating
Fishing
Golf—using cart Light yard/housework
light housework such as cooking, dusting, ironing, folding laundry, washing dishes, and putting away groceries.

Moderate Intensity Exercise

Moderate exercise activities involve quick breathing; however, no breathlessness and light sweat are produced. According to The American Heart Association, the recommended target heart rate is 50% to 70% of your maximum heart rate. This can be determined by your ability to talk but not sing the words of your favorite song during the workout.

Types of moderate intensity exercises:

Walking downstairs or down a hill
Bicycling and stationary bicycling
Aerobic dancing—high impact
Water aerobics
Yoga
Gymnastics
General home exercises – getting up and down from the floor
Jumping on a trampoline
Ballroom dancing, Line dancing, Square dancing, Folk dancing, Modern dancing, Disco, and Ballet
Golf, wheeling, or carrying clubs
Softball—fast pitch or slow pitch
Basketball—shooting baskets
Coaching children’s or adults’ sports

Vigorous Intensity Exercise

Vigorous activities produce hard and fast breathing. You may also develop a sweat after a few minutes of activity. According to The American Heart Association, the recommended target heart rate is 70% to 85% of your maximum heart rate. To test the intensity of your activity at this level, you should not be able to say more than a few words without pausing for a breath.

Types of Vigorous intensity exercises

Racewalking and aerobic walking—5 mph or faster
Jogging or running
Walking and climbing briskly up a hill
Backpacking
Mountain climbing, rock climbing
Roller skating or in-line skating at a brisk pace
Bicycling more than 10 mph or bicycling on steep uphill terrain
Stationary bicycling—using vigorous effort
Aerobic dancing—high impact Step aerobics
Water jogging
Teaching an aerobic dance class
Karate, judo, tae kwon do, jujitsu
Jumping rope
Performing jumping jacks
Circuit weight training
Boxing—in the ring, sparring Wrestling—competitive
Professional ballroom dancing, Square dancing, Folk dancing—energetically
Tennis—singles
Most competitive sports (Football game, Basketball game, Soccer, Rugby, rollerblade hockey, Lacrosse)
Beach volleyball—on a sand court
Handball—general or team
Racquetball
Squash
Downhill skiing—racing or with vigorous effort
Ice-skating—fast pace or speedskating
Playing ice hockey
Swimming—steady paced laps
Synchronized swimming
Jumping rope
Performing jumping jacks
Gardening and yard work: heavy or rapid shoveling (more than 10 lbs per minute), digging ditches, or carrying heavy loads
Pushing a nonmotorized lawn mower