Fitness

Breaking Down Aerobic and Anaerobic Workouts

June 19, 2023

Aerobic and anaerobic training are two types of exercise that help you get fitter and healthier. But these forms of exercise differ in basic ways. Aerobic training involves working out steadily over a sustained period, usually 30 minutes or longer. In contrast, anaerobic exercise is short but intense and includes exercise, like sprinting or intense weightlifting. Each benefits your body in different ways.

To reach your health and fitness goals, you’ll need to know how each form of training differs. With this knowledge, you can fine-tune your workout program to better meet your fitness goals. Let’s dig a little deeper and see how the two forms of exercise training differ.

Aerobic Training Improves Aerobic Fitness

Aerobic training is best known for boosting cardiovascular health and improving stamina and endurance. It improves aerobic capacity, or V02 max, so you can exercise longer without becoming fatigued. But there’s another perk of aerobic exercise. Boosting your heart rate through aerobic training may reduce the risk of chronic health problems, including cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, obesity, and even some types of cancer. Plus, research in mice shows that aerobic exercise boosts oxygen delivery to the brain and helps build new connections in portions of the brain, like the hippocampus, involved in memory and learning.

Aerobic exercises include:

Walking briskly or jogging
Swimming laps
Cycling on a stationary bike or outdoors in the flats (not up hills)
Jumping rope

When you do aerobic exercise, you use large muscle groups, usually those in your lower body. To fuel steady-state exercise, your body produces energy in a way that uses oxygen. To do this your body breaks down carbohydrates and fats into molecules called ATP (adenosine triphosphate) that fuels muscle contractions. Without ATP, your muscles would cease contracting and you’d have rigor mortis.

One way exercise improves cardiovascular fitness is by boosting stroke volume, the amount of blood and oxygen your heart pumps to your body with each beat. This allows your body to deliver more fuel or oxygen-rich blood to your working muscles. It also reduces lactic acid buildup, so you feel less fatigued than you would if you were in worse cardiovascular shape.

According to the American Heart Association, adults should aim for at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity per week or 75 minutes of vigorous aerobic activity, or a combination to maximize health.

The word aerobic means “with oxygen.” So, when you’re doing aerobic activity, your body works with more oxygen than usual. The same can’t be said for anaerobic exercise. Since there’s less oxygen, your muscles have to produce ATP in a low-oxygen setting, through a process called glycolysis. Hence, the name anaerobic, which means no oxygen.

How Anaerobic Training Differs from Aerobic Training

In anaerobic training, you are working at an intensity where oxygen becomes a limiting factor. You’re exercising so hard that your muscles can’t get enough oxygen. They essentially become oxygen starved and produce energy through anaerobic or non-oxygen conditions, like glycolysis. Using muscle and liver glycogen as the fuel source. During anaerobic energy production, lactic acid accumulates, which contributes to fatigue. Some anaerobic workouts include sprinting, rapid jumping rope, burpees, and intense weightlifting.

When these stores get depleted during intense exercise, like high-intensity weightlifting or sprinting, it becomes harder to maintain exercise at the same pace, because there isn’t enough glycogen left in muscles to continue producing the energy needed for movement. This is known as “glycogen depletion.”

The Benefits of Anaerobic Exercise

One of the standout features of anaerobic training is its impact on muscle growth. When you engage in high-intensity activities, your muscles experience microscopic damage. But fear not, this damage is a catalyst for growth. Your body responds by repairing and rebuilding the damaged muscle tissue, so your muscles become stronger and more resilient.

Anaerobic training also revs up your metabolism, helping you burn calories long after you’ve finished your workout. The intense nature of these exercises activates the anaerobic energy system, which primarily relies on stored carbohydrates called glycogen as fuel.

High-Intensity Interval Training is a Form of Anaerobic Training

There are two types of anaerobic training — high-intensity interval training (HIIT) and resistance training. HIIT involves doing a quick, intense movement, followed by a brief rest period. You can do this in many ways, such as sprinting for 30 seconds, then walking for one minute. Resistance training also involves working against your body weight or against weights held on bars or machines, which helps increase muscle mass and strength.

The most popular form of anaerobic training is resistance training or weight training, where you exert maximum force in short intervals. For example:

Push-ups (chest pressing)
Deadlifts
Squats
Bench press
Pull-Ups

This form of anaerobic training has the added benefit of building strength and muscle size.

You Can Do Both Aerobic and Anaerobic Training

Neither form of training requires special equipment. Anyone can start an aerobic program by walking briskly or running for 30 minutes or doing other forms of moderate-intensity exercise that boost your heart rate for sustained periods, like cycling or swimming.

Ready to take things up a notch? Slowly add high-intensity interval training (HIIT), a form of anaerobic training, into your routine by mixing sprint intervals with walking recovery periods over distances ranging from 100 yards up to a mile or more, depending on your fitness level. For example, sprint 100 meters; walk back slowly; sprint 100 meters; walk back slowly; sprint 50 meters; walk back slowly, and repeat until you’ve covered a mile. But you can also do structured HIIT workouts that boost your heart rate into the anaerobic zone for short periods to increase your anaerobic fitness.

Although it’s an area that needs more research, some studies suggest that high-intensity interval training (HIIT) is more effective than moderate-intensity aerobic exercise for improving cardiovascular health. However, it’s also more fatiguing and requires more recovery afterward. It’s not the type of workout you want to do every day. Your body needs rest and recovery time too.

Choosing the Right Exercise: Unleashing Your Fitness Goals with Aerobic and Anaerobic Training

Aerobic and anaerobic training offers distinct benefits. Aerobic exercises like jogging and cycling improve cardiovascular health, while anaerobic activities such as sprinting and weightlifting build strength and muscle mass. Combining both in a balanced routine enhances overall fitness, stamina, and body composition. Understanding the difference will help you tailor workouts to achieve your specific fitness goals effectively. But there’s no reason you can’t do both!

References:

“Aerobic Exercise Examples: At Home, at the Gym, and More – Healthline.” 11 Jul. 2022, .healthline.com/health/fitness-exercise/aerobic-exercise-examples.
“Fitness Aerobic exercise – Mayo Clinic.” 08 Apr. 2022, .mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/fitness/basics/aerobic-exercise/hlv-20049447.
“Boost in nerve-growth protein helps explain why running supports brain ….” 16 May. 2022, https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/05/220516135013.htm.
“Physical Activity and Brain Health – PMC – National Center for ….” 17 Sept. 2019, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6770965/.
“American Heart Association Recommendations for Physical Activity in ….” 18 Apr. 2018, https://www.heart.org/en/healthy-living/fitness/fitness-basics/aha-recs-for-physical-activity-in-adults.