Anaerobic VS Aerobic Exercise - What's the difference?
What is the difference between aerobic and anaerobic exercise?
While aerobic and anaerobic exercise is all classified as cardio – the difference between the two is oxygen.
Aerobic exercise is any activity that stimulates your heart rate and breathing to increase but not so much that you can't sustain the activity for more than a few minutes. In basic scientific terms - there is sufficient oxygen intake needed to sustain the current level of activity without using additional energy from another energy source (from within the body).
Anaerobic exercise is the type where you get out of breath in just a few moments, like when you lift weights for improving strength, when you sprint, or when you climb a long flight of stairs. Anaerobic exercises build other muscles as well as your heart. The basic science - during anaerobic exercise, oxygen consumption is not sufficient to supply the energy demands being placed on your muscles. Therefore your muscles begin to break down sugars, resulting in higher lactic acid production.
However, there is a simpler way to differentiate the two. Aerobic exercise is light activity you can sustain over long periods of time, such as jogging. Anaerobic activity is bursts of activity for short periods of time, such as sprinting.
Boxing, circuit training, treadmill, cross-trainer, bike, rower, stair-climber and many other activities are all examples of types of aerobic activities, but they can be anaerobic too if they are performed at a high enough intensity.
The bottom line is that the intensity at which you perform an activity determines if it's aerobic or anaerobic.
And guess what? Both types of exercise burn fat.
Both boost the metabolism that will last for hours after the workout. The key to getting the best results is to have a workout that incorporates both.
Aerobic exercise increases your endurance and cardiac health while anaerobic exercise will not only help you burn fat but also help you gain lean muscle mass.
If you are new to exercise, do not immediately start with high intensity activity like anaerobic exercise. Beginners should start with lower-intensity aerobic exercise for several weeks to build a base level of fitness.
Always check with your doctor before adding anaerobic exercise to your fitness program.
Anaerobic exercise is not recommended if you are pregnant.
Always warm up before starting any anaerobic exercise, and cool down for 5-10 minutes after your workout session.
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