Read this explainer to finally understand the differences between anaerobic and anaerobic exercise.
But while TikTok can familiarize you with the latter, this article is the best guide to the former.
C.P.T., owner of training platformBeyond Fitness Online.
Photo: Getty Images
What Is Anaerobic Exercise, Exactly?
Anaerobic exercises are the opposite of endurance activities.
“Anaerobic exercise can only be performed for a very short period of time,” says Straub.
They all involve pushing yourself to your limit for a very limited amount of time.
During these types of exercise, your body does not use oxygen for fuel.
Which of the two types of fuel your body uses depends on the length of the sprint.
Find out how the movements can benefit your muscles, increase your athletic ability, and more.
You tap into your anaerobic energy system every time you do short bursts of movement, explains Daniels.
The more you train that energy system, the more powerful those movements become.
“Muscle strength also supports joint health and is part of optimizing your metabolism.”
Okay, So What Is Aerobic Exercise?
“Aerobic exercises are exercises that you could do for a sustained period of time,” says Straub.
Certainly, you’re free to perform aerobic exercise for longer than 90 seconds.
Aerobic exercises are exercises that are considered classic cardiovascular exercises, says Straub.
To identify this range, find yourmaximum heart rateby subtracting your age from 220.
Then, multiply that number by 0.7 and 0.8.
While you perform aerobic exercise, your body starts off by burning glycogen stores in your muscles for fuel.
Depending on your recent diet, that could last your body anywhere from 30 to 60 minutes.
The Benefits of Aerobic Exercise
Need another reason to hit the gym for some cardio?
Aerobic exercise offers some noteworthy perks.
Aerobic exercise offers many of the same health benefits as anaerobic exercise, according to Straub.
That fat loss can be a plus if you have certain weight loss orbody recompositiongoals.
Translation: Incorporating aerobic exercise into your regular routine can help keep your heart healthy.
Or, exactly how to divide your workout schedule into aerobic and anaerobic sections?
Here are a few things to consider.
Plus you should incorporate moderate strength activities two days per week, which qualifies as additional anaerobic training.
If you’re just starting out, you may want to consider opting for the moderate aerobic activity option.
Generally speaking, there is less of a learning curve with aerobic exercises than there is with anaerobic exercise.
Safely performing anaerobic exercise generally requires greater exercise experience than safely performing aerobic exercise, according to Daniels.
Aerobic vs. Anaerobic Exercise: For Improving Speed
Anaerobic work is queen at making you faster.
“Changing up your routine in this way can help you blast through plateaus and increase motivation.”
Anaerobic vs. Aerobic Exercise Which Is Better?
All in all, neither key in of exercise is better than the other.
“But some mix of both is ideal.”
