Aerobic vs Anerobic Exericse
I’ve never been a huge fan of cardio exercise.
I don’t mind walking and hiking, and walk almost every day.
The cardio I don’t enjoy is running or aerobic style exercise.
I used to hate running so much when I was younger, I would literally walk the whole way around the school cross country course, in protest for them making me do it!
But then on the flip side, I used to love swimming, and was part of the school swim team.
I realise years later why…
I am built more for, and enjoy more Anerobic exercise, as opposed to Aerobic exercise.
Aerobic exercise, like walking, bike riding, or running, means you’re moving your body, breathing faster, and increasing your blood flow. It’s a level of activity that you can maintain for an extended period of time.
If you can comfortably hold a conversation during exercise, not talking as though you are not exercising at all, but able to talk while slightly breathless, you’re at an aerobic level. The ‘Talk Test’ is a good way to tell.
Anaerobic exercise, like sprinting or weightlifting, is short, intense activity that has you working to the max, and it can’t be sustained for very long.
Both aerobic and anaerobic exercise have benefits, and it’s good to incorporate both into your routine. But, if your interested in burning fat, anaerobic exercise is beneficial.
To get a bit more technical, the difference between aerobic and anaerobic exercise is all about the oxygen levels.
In aerobic, or “with oxygen” exercise, your muscles have enough oxygen to produce the energy needed to perform.
Anaerobic “without oxygen” exercise means the oxygen demand is greater than the oxygen supply and you can’t keep up with the energy your body demanding. This leads to lactate (lactic acid) production and eventually you stop the exercise.
How does each one effect us?
Aeorbic exercise is great for cardiovascular conditioning and improving muscular endurance, because it is a steady-state cardio, performed at a steady, moderate pace, it uses slow-twitch muscle fibers.
Anaerobic exercise is often performed in the form of high-intensity interval training (HIIT), where you rotate high-intensity intervals with recovery intervals. I personally think our Barre training can be considered more Anerobic. Also our Pilates HITT Inspired classes and some of our weights sessions.
Anerobic is great as it,
1. Saves time compared with aerobic exercise. You can exhaust your muscles and burn more calories than you would in the same amount of time doing steady – state cardio,
2. You’ll burn more calories in that amount of time. HIIT will cause your calorie expenditure to be higher than if you just walked or casually rode your bike for the same period of time.
3. You’ll build muscle and increase your metabolism. HIIT requires your fast-twitch muscle fibers to engage in exercises like sprinting, plyometrics, and weightlifting, which increase muscular size and strength. Meaning you’ll be increasing muscle mass, which in turn speeds up your metabolism as muscle burns more calories.
4. You’ll experience the afterburn effect = excess post-exercise oxygen consumption (EPOC). EPOC is the amount of oxygen required to return the body to its resting state. HIIT sessions stimulate a higher EPOC because you consume more oxygen during them, which creates a larger deficit to replace post-workout. This means you’ll continue to burn calories even after your HIIT session is over.
HITT Classes are not for everyone though.
You need to be fairly fit, and or do it safely. In our classes, we still keep a good eye on form.
Generally the exercise is done for 30 seconds with a minute break. Or similar timing.
This month’s challenge focus is all about Cardio. So hopefully this is helpful for you to understand your body while we do the challenge.
Also remember, that not everyone needs more cardio.
Remember my saying “listen to your body” and make sure you are not doing this months challenge if you feel you’re energy depleted. Instead finish off the Yoga challenge, and maybe throw in one of the Cardio classes instead. Learn to know what your body needs. Sometimes more stress on the body is not required. If you have been more sedentary and not already feeling stressed, it maybe a great challenge for you.
As always let me know how you liked this blog in the comments below.
Lots of love
Em x
“My workouts include aerobic exercise for a healthy cardiovascular system; strength training to maintain muscle tone and bone density; core strength exercise for a stable mid-section; and stretching to maintain mobility.” – Samantha Stosur – Australian professional tennis player
Related
Can You Do a Push Up?
If you find it challenging on the floor try it against the wall until you build up strength. This is a good option to start with, especially if you have wrist pain. Remember to angle your body away from the wall to give more challenge and keep your core engaged to...