You have all heard the word aerobic. You may walk around your neighborhood or go for a leisurely bike ride. You may take classes. The key is where your heart rate is.
Anaerobic is a less understood word so let’s take a look at what these mean and the differences between them.
Aerobic means “with oxygen.” So any activity you do that causes your heart rate to increase is aerobic. Or is it? Actually in order to be aerobic your body must use oxygen to convert fat and carbohydrates into energy. The term cardiovascular is correct as well since your heart is pumping oxygen and your circulatory system gets the oxygen all over your body.
Whether or not you get the same benefits from working out for 10 minutes three times a day or for ½ hour is up for debate.
You might want to read my article on Heart rates Part 1 and Heart rates Part 2. These articles will link you to other relevant ones.
What we do know is that aerobic workouts make your heart stronger, burn fat, and boost your metabolism. All these make your body work more efficiently. We also know that aerobic activity reduces a long list of diseases.
Aerobic exercise is worked within your heart range - perhaps 50% of your maximum heart rate. (See above articles)
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Anaerobic means “not with oxygen.” There are two types: activity at a level of exertion which is below the point that your body is using oxygen for energy such as warming up before aerobics or taking a walk in the park. The second type is a high-intensity workout such as sprinting or weight training to failure. Your body needs more energy than aerobic sources can give it. So what does the body do? It turns to the muscles (called the anaerobic threshold) to get you through short burst of power. Anaerobic is what we are talking about when it comes to physical fitness, building muscle, toning, and getting the six pack.
Unlike aerobic training, anaerobic, which is usually weight training, works on specific muscles rather than a whole-body approach. Anaerobic exercise not only does the above but it can benefit low-back pain and even prevent it, improve balance, and improve bone density, which lowers the risk of osteoporosis.
To sum this up: If your goal is to lose weight and tone up a bit, then aerobic activity is what you want. If your goal is to build muscle, decrease fat, and get stronger, you want to work in the anaerobic range. Doing both some of the time is perhaps the best way to work out. When you take spinning classes, for example, you go from an easy ride along the bike path to an uphill climb. That could very well take you from the aerobic to the anerobic state.
Check out this website for a heart rate chart: http://www.exercise4weightloss.com/target-heart-rate-chart.html
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