Vigorous Exercise

As you settle in to an exercise routine, you’ll want to make sure that you are exercising at the right level of intensity. Prostate 8 recommends three hours per week of vigorous aerobic exercise. From brisk walking to swimming to cycling, many types of exercise can fit the Prostate 8 recommendations if performed at a vigorous level. Here are some ways to measure your exertion level, and some tips for increasing the intensity of your workouts.

Exercise is measured in metabolic equivalents, or METs, where one MET is the energy you use when you are sitting still. The energy used during exercise is compared to the energy used to sit still. A moderate intensity workout requires 3–6 METs, or 3–6 times as much energy as sitting; a vigorous-intensity workout requires more than 6 METs, or 6 times as much energy.

The “talk test” is an easy way to evaluate how hard you are exercising. At a moderate intensity, you can speak easily but cannot sing a song. While exercising vigorously, you can only say a few sentences before stopping to take a breath.

You can also measure the intensity of your exercise by ranking your perceived exertion on a scale from 1 to 10, where 1 is very light exertion and 10 is maximum exertion. A vigorous exercise would fall at 4 to 6 on this scale—this means that you are breathing hard, have difficulty holding a conversation, and may begin to feel uncomfortable. This corresponds to 70–90 percent of maximum heart rate.

Here is the complete scale for measuring exertion:

0: No exertion

1: Very light

2: Breathing deeper but still comfortable, conversations possible

3: Breathing deeper but still comfortable, more difficult to hold conversation

4: Breathing harder, more difficult to hold conversation

5: Starting to breathe hard, getting uncomfortable

6: Starting to breathe hard, getting uncomfortable

7: Deep and forceful breathing, uncomfortable, don’t want to talk

8: Deep and forceful breathing, uncomfortable, don’t want to talk

9: Extremely hard

10: Maximum exertion

If you are currently exercising at a moderate level, try modifying your routine to increase the intensity. This could mean walking briskly, biking on hilly terrain, or trying a sport involving more running (such as soccer or basketball).

More information about vigorous exercise is available on the Prostate 8 website. Click on “Get Active,” then find “Aerobic Exercise” on the right-hand side of the page.