Education And Trainings

Aerobic exercise seems to be a core component of many fitness programs, especially beginners workout routines. But, would the addition of anaerobic exercise be beneficial? There is much to consider regarding aerobic vs anaerobic exercise, and the value of each. The contrast is really low intensity vs high intensity. In general, most people consider aerobic exercise a fat burning cardio activity of low intensity. Most do not know much about anaerobic exercise. Anaerobic exercise encompasses high intensity training such as a strength training routine or HIIT routine.

Aerobic simply translates as “with oxygen”; aerobic exercise means that oxygen is required to keep the muscles moving for an extended period of time. The oxygen is the fuel source for burning fat. Aerobic exercises include activities that are long duration and low to moderate intensity, including jogging, swimming, cycling, or skiing.

If aerobic is “with oxygen” it’s easy to see that anaerobic is “without oxygen.” You, of course, still require oxygen to do anaerobic exercise, however, your muscles do not get sufficient oxygen to create energy needed to maintain a high intensity work out. The muscles, rather, use glycogen, derived from carbohydrates. Activities that are short and intense are considered anaerobic exercises, including sprinting and weight training.

Aerobic exercise has a number of health benefits. At least 30 minutes of daily activity can help improve your heart, lungs and blood flow which ultimately lead to a longer life. Here are some other benefits:

1. Weight loss

2. Increasing endurance

3. Building a stronger immune system

4. Reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease, Type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, stroke, certain cancers and obesity.

5. More efficient cardiovascular and circulation system

6. Increasing beneficial cholesterol while decreasing harmful cholesterol.

You can also benefit from anaerobic exercise. You’ll enjoy much stronger muscles and a reduced amount of body fat. A strength training routine allows you to build muscle mass, increase bone density, decrease body fat, and provides many of the same overall health benefits as aerobic exercise. A HIIT routine, which incorporates brief bursts of activity with rest periods, is one other typical type of anaerobic exercise. Such quick bursts of high activity followed by recovery periods have been shown to increase the metabolism as well as burning more calories than the low intensity variety. HIIT also has the added benefit of releasing HGH, which is a trigger for muscle building as well as fat loss. You also improve your cardiovascular system and increase your aerobic capacity.

As you can see, both aerobic training and anaerobic training each have unique benefits. As such, both have great benefit as part of an exercise regimen. If you are a beginner, however, you should start with aerobic exercise and work your way to an anaerobic program. To perform high intensity anaerobic training, you must have a good aerobic base built up. Fitness experts debate about whether aerobic vs anaerobic exercises should be performed. Aerobic exercise may not provide enough challenge for the more athletic people, and may not have much value, especially in contrast to the fat-burning benefits of anaerobic exercise. Aerobic exercise should still be included though as there are important health benefits to lower intensity exercises. Additionally, too much anaerobic exercise can lead to burnout or overtraining.

The next time you are deciding between aerobic vs anaerobic routines, keep in mind that the key question is really low intensity vs high intensity. Aerobic training is low intensity, long duration and anaerobic training is high intensity, short duration. Aerobic activities such as jogging or walking provide a number of cardiovascular and general health benefits, while anaerobic activity, like strength training or a HIIT regimen provide better muscle building and fat burning.

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