Regular workout is known to be essential for healthy health. Movement has benefits that have been proven by study, including blood pressure stabilization, weight management, and even disease prevention. Additionally, exercising is always preferable than not exercising at all. Still, which type of exercise is more beneficial: aerobic or aerobic?
Exercise, both aerobic and anaerobic, can help achieve a variety of health objectives. Here are the distinct advantages of each and provide guidance on incorporating them into a well-rounded exercise regimen. What you need know about aerobic vs anaerobic exercise is provided here with the research.
Aerobic
The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) defines aerobic exercise as any activity that employs your major muscles in a rhythmic manner and can be sustained regularly. It is also referred to as endurance or cardio activity.
Aerobic exercise enhances your body’s ability to use oxygen efficiently, strengthens your heart, and lengthens your cardiovascular endurance.
Additionally, studies indicate that when paired with a healthy diet, aerobic exercise can help control weight, lower the risk of chronic illnesses, improve cholesterol, and both prevent and reverse cardiovascular disease (1).
But how can one determine whether they are in an aerobic zone? Using a heart rate monitor to monitor your heart rate while exercising is one alternative. When engaging in aerobic exercises, try to keep your heart rate between 60 and 80% of your maximal heart rate. Heart rate monitor absent? Rate of perceived exertion (RPE) is another tool for gauging intensity.
RPE is often measured on a scale of 1 to 10, where 1 represents extremely minimal effort and 10 represents maximum effort. This provides you with personal insights regarding your feelings during the activity, rather than just your body’s reaction to the demand. Aerobic work would normally be a 3 to 5 or 6.
How to get ready for aerobic activity: Feed your body with a balanced breakfast that includes carbohydrates, proteins, and fats a few hours prior to engaging in aerobic exercise. To warm up your muscles and joints for exercise, do some light cardio and dynamic stretches.
Types of aerobic exercise:
- Brisk walking
- Jogging or running
- Hiking
- Dancing
- Cycling
- Swimming
How often should I exercise aerobically? For the best results, plan to work out aerobically three to four times a week for at least half an hour at a time.
Anaerobic
Short, intense bursts of activity that force your muscles to function without oxygen are known as anaerobic exercise.
Strengthening, enhancing power and speed, and promoting muscle growth are all benefits of this kind of training. Anaerobic exercise has been shown in research to enhance insulin sensitivity, accelerate fat metabolism, and aid in weight loss (2a). The cardiovascular system may also benefit from anaerobic exercise.
Focus on high-intensity, brief exercises that cause you to lose your breath to perform anaerobic activity. You’re probably in the anaerobic zone if you can’t continue the exercise for longer than a minute or two.
Once more, you can determine when you’re in this zone by using your heart rate monitor. If you don’t know your true maximal heart rate, lactate threshold, or ventilatory threshold, or if you haven’t had a VO2 max test in an exercise science or sports performance lab, regular athletes can use heart rate data from a wearable tracker to estimate their aerobic and anaerobic zones.
To determine whether you’ve achieved an anaerobic level while exercising, you can also do the “talk test” if you don’t have a monitor. This kind of activity won’t allow you to carry on a lengthy chat. Usually when you exhales, you’ll be able to breathe out one or two sentences at a time. Anaerobic work would be reflected on an RPE scale of 7 to 10.
How to get ready for anaerobic exercise: A balanced breakfast should be consumed a few hours prior to training because this type of exercise uses a lot of energy. Foods high in protein are also favorable. They support the growth and repair of your muscles. Dynamic stretches and mild cardiovascular workouts are good ways to warm up.
Types of anaerobic exercises:
- High-intensity interval training (HIIT)
- Plyometric and ballistic-style exercises like throwing or jumping movements
- Jumping rope
- Lifting heavy weights
- Sprints
How often should I exercise anaerobically? Anaerobic exercise should be performed two to three times a week for a minimum of 20 minutes at a time. This will allow your muscles to recuperate in between sessions.
Which is the better of the two?
Whether aerobic or anaerobic exercise is better for burning fat, heart health, mood, longevity, and hormone balance is a topic of much discussion. I present research on which is better for various objectives.
To burn fat: A combination of anaerobic and aerobic exercises works well! Anaerobic exercise might result in increased calorie burn for hours after the session (afterburn effect), whereas aerobic exercise burns fat during the activity. The most effective strategy for losing fat should combine the two.
There isn’t a clear winner because both forms of exercise have unique and complimentary benefits, even though most people equate aerobic exercise with cardiovascular health.
For heart health- A combination of the two: Overall stamina and cardiovascular endurance are improved by aerobic exercise (3). Aerobic exercise has been shown to provide health benefits, including lowering blood pressure and improving the levels of lipids for cholesterol management. Anaerobic exercise strengthens the heart and increases pumping efficiency, which increases cardiac strength. The body’s capacity to use oxygen during vigorous exercise, or VO2 max, is also raised by anaerobic activity.
Combining the two forms of exercise allows for the full advantages of each, providing a comprehensive approach to cardiovascular fitness. Exercises that include anaerobic and aerobic components are more engaging and wide-ranging, which helps people stick to their fitness regimens and avoid boredom.
To elevate your mood- Aerobic: Exercise, whether aerobic or anaerobic, has been demonstrated to elevate mood and lessen depression (3). Stress reduction and endorphin release have long been linked to aerobic exercise (4). Anaerobic exercise, especially strength training, has been connected to increases in your sense of self-worth and mood.
However, performing aerobic exercise outside has the extra benefit of introducing you to nature and boosting your sense of wellness (5).
Combining the two will boost longevity: Research indicates that regular aerobic exercise, such as running or brisk walking, can lengthen life (6). On the other hand, combining anaerobic and aerobic exercise offers a wide range of health advantages and can lengthen life expectancy by lowering the risk of chronic illnesses.
When it comes to extending life, anaerobic and aerobic exercise combined seems to be more beneficial than either kind done alone. According to a recent study, the biggest reduction in mortality was linked to the combination of two or more anaerobic muscle-strengthening exercise sessions per week and moderate to strenuous aerobic activity (7).
Hormonal health – An equal combination of the two:
Exercise affects cortisol levels and hormones in both the short and long term. Exercise, whether aerobic or anaerobic, generally causes an increase in the stress hormone cortisol (4a). On the other hand, prolonged aerobic exercise and high-intensity training will elicit a greater response.
It doesn’t matter which is superior to the other. It’s because people tend to overuse or abuse cardiovascular training intensity. Individuals frequently engage in excessive high-intensity interval training (HIIT) or moderate-to-high intensity exercise on a regular basis, while receiving insufficient amounts of lower-intensity aerobic training, which is easier on the body and more recoverable.
The key to success is to consume enough energy (food) to support training and to balance training intensities throughout the week, particularly for individuals who engage in high or even moderate quantities of cardiovascular activity.
Exercise shouldn’t continue to raise cortisol levels unless you are overtraining. In addition to lowering total cortisol levels by lowering stress, aerobic and anaerobic exercise can also postpone aging and reduce obesity, which both contribute to hormone health in general (8).
Here’s a Fitness Schedule Example
All healthy individuals between the ages of 18 and 65 are advised by the CDC and ACSM to engage in vigorous-intensity aerobic physical activity three days a week for at least 20 minutes, or moderate-intensity aerobic physical activity for at least 30 minutes five days a week. It is also advised by the Physical Activity Guidelines (PAG) that people engage in resistance training at least twice a week.
The recommendation of exercise is always based on the individual and what best suits their short- and long-term performance and health objectives. However, in general, you should aim to meet the PAG as your first benchmark, which is 150 minutes of moderate-intensity cardiovascular exercise (or 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity cardiovascular exercise) per week and at least two days of resistance exercise (technically anaerobic if you are lifting appropriate loads).
A good training plan would consist of two or three days dedicated to aerobic activity, two or three days dedicated to anaerobic activity, sufficient rest days for recuperation, and a variety of workout styles and intensities to keep things interesting and prevent overtraining. Here’s an example timetable that you can use:
Sunday: 15โ20 minutes of high-intensity interval training
Monday: 30 to 60 minutes of brisk walking or running as an aerobic workout
Tuesday: Complete body resistance training (anaerobic exercise)
Wednesday: 30โ40 minutes of brisk walking or running is considered aerobic exercise.
Thursday: Complete body resistance training (anaerobic exercise)
Friday: 30 to 60 minutes of swimming or cycling for aerobic activity
Saturday: Hatha Yoga, or some light form of yoga, or rest
Most of your training should be aerobic, lower intensity, and you should reserve 20 to 30 percent of your weekly training volume for high-intensity, short-duration exercises if your weekly training volume exceeds the PAG. This will allow you to effectively recover and balance your training intensities.
Even if it is not possible to satisfy the weekly PAG, any action is still preferable to none. The biggest preventive effects of physical activity, in fact, appear to happen when a person increases their weekly activity from nearly none to a moderate amount.
![](https://i0.wp.com/jasminefeliciano.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Balancing-Act-How-to-Reap-the-Benefits-of-Aerobic-vs.-Anaerobic-Workouts-1.png?resize=683%2C1024&quality=80&ssl=1)
Combined Training
Studies have suggested that combined training, or training that combines both aerobic and anaerobic phases, may enhance aerobic performance more than aerobic training alone. One type of mixed training is high-intensity interval training, or HIIT (9).
In less time, HIIT’s combination of anaerobic and aerobic exercise improves the muscles and the heart. Compared to steady-state training, it can be more interesting and varied and can result in notable gains in strength, weight loss, and endurance.
Conversely, combined exercise may not be appropriate for everyone, especially for those with specific medical conditions, because of the increased risk of damage associated with its intense nature. Without enough time for rest and recuperation, HIIT can also result in burnout or overtraining.
Because high-intensity interval training has been so popularized, many individuals are unaware of its true definitions. According to the ACSM, high-intensity interval training (HIIT) consists of intervals of very high-intensity work (at 80% maximum heart rate or more) interspersed with different recovery phases (at 40โ50% of maximum heart rate) or complete rest.
True HIIT is designed to train and stress your anaerobic energy pathways; it is incredibly challenging and painful. Interval training is a better term for what we typically see in group fitness or the digital realm of fitness spaces.
Closing Notes
As an alternative, they are moving between higher intensity work and steady state moderate intensity activity while remaining in heart rate training zones 3, 4, and 5, never going back to the 40โ50% real recovery in between “all out” sessions. While returning to lower- to moderate-intensity zone 2 work might help you build your aerobic base, this is not to minimize the benefits of the moderate-to-vigorous group exercise programs.
Exercise, whether aerobic or anaerobic, can help achieve a variety of health objectives, from preventing cardiovascular disease to building strength. Most of the research on exercise physiology indicates that combining the two approaches is the best training strategy.
Experts advise engaging in aerobic activity, such as swimming or jogging, three to four times a week for thirty minutes at a time, and anaerobic exercise, such as weightlifting and running, two to three times a week for twenty minutes at a time. While everyone has a different ideal training routine, this is a fantastic place to start. Furthermore, any exercise is preferable to none!
Your chance of injury may be decreased by engaging in both forms of training. Overdoing anaerobic exercise without counterbalancing it with longer-lasting aerobic exercise can result in fatigue, hormonal imbalance, and injury. Anaerobic and aerobic training can be combined in a single HIIT workout, but doing so too frequently might result in burnout and injury.
Some Things to Be Mindful of
The advantages of physical activity substantially outweigh the hazards for everyone, according to the Physical Activity Guidelines (PAG) for Americans. There are, nevertheless, a few best practices to be aware of.
Any fitness regimen must have a progressive progression. Excessive activity too quickly can not only raise the danger of injury or cardiac event, but it can also become less pleasurable and make it more difficult to maintain long-term healthy exercise habits.
Before beginning an organized training program, speak with a physician or exercise physiologist if you have been advised not to perform high-intensity exercise. Consulting with a qualified exercise physiologist can help reduce your chance of developing uncontrolled heart disease, hypertension, or other cardiometabolic disorders and ensuring that you are adapting to the new demands of exercise.
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) encourages pregnant women to begin or maintain their fitness routines (10). However, they should do so with guidance from a trained personal trainer who has additional training with that demographic and knowledge of suitable adaptations.
Ultimately, the discussion surrounding aerobic versus anaerobic exercise shouldn’t be framed as “either-or.” Both types of training have special advantages and can enhance one another in a comprehensive fitness program. For weight control, cardiovascular health, and general stamina, aerobic exercise is excellent. Anaerobic exercise, on the other hand, is very effective at increasing muscle growth, strength, and metabolism.
Try mixing anaerobic and aerobic activities into your program to get the most out of your fitness journey. This well-rounded strategy guarantees that you get a variety of health advantages and makes your workouts interesting and original.
In the end, the kind of exercise you’ll continue with is the most helpful. Decide on enjoyable activities, stick to a schedule, and incorporate regular exercise into your daily routine. Whatever route you choose, never forget that the real triumph is the dedication to become a better, healthier version of yourself.
Sources |
- Aerobic vs anaerobic exercise training effects on the cardiovascular system – PMC (nih.gov)
- and 2a. Aerobic vs anaerobic exercise training effects on the cardiovascular system – PMC (nih.gov)
- Special Issue – Therapeutic Benefits of Physical Activity for Mood: A Systematic Review on the Effects of Exercise Intensity, Duration, and Modality – PubMed (nih.gov)
- and 4a. The Effects of Acute Exercise on Mood, Cognition, Neurophysiology, and Neurochemical Pathways: A Review – PMC (nih.gov)
- Effect of forest bathing on physiological and psychological responses in young Japanese male subjects – PubMed (nih.gov)
- Impact of walking on life expectancy and lifetime medical expenditure: the Ohsaki Cohort Study – PMC (nih.gov)
- Prospective Associations of Different Combinations of Aerobic and Muscle-Strengthening Activity With All-Cause, Cardiovascular, and Cancer Mortality | Oncology | JAMA Internal Medicine | JAMA Network
- The effects of physical activity on cortisol and sleep: A systematic review and meta-analysis – PubMed (nih.gov)
- The Relationship Between Aerobic and Anaerobic Performance in Recreational Runners – PMC (nih.gov)
- Physical Activity and Exercise During Pregnancy and the Postpartum Period | ACOG
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