Comparing Anaerobic And Aerobic Workouts

By Amanda Kirby


Although the two types of exercise--anaerobic and aerobic--sound similar, they are actually quite different--and the controversy over which type of exercise is best continues.

In the presence of oxygen is what aerobic literally means. In general, aerobic activity would often refer to any activity that allows oxygen to release energy through metabolism and that is performed at a low to moderate intensity for more than 90 seconds. Increasing your need for oxygen and requiring your heart and lungs to work harder is aerobic exercise and the also include increased cardiovascular capability and a decrease in body fat. The disadvantages of aerobic activity include a decrease in muscle mass, strength, power, speed and anaerobic capacity. Typically longer in duration than anaerobic exercise and involves such activities as running, walking, swimming and cycling is aerobic exercise.

Anaerobic, on the other hand, means in the absence of oxygen or any activity where energy is produced without oxygen and is performed at a medium to high intensity level for less than two minutes, is usually called an anaerobic activity. Anaerobic exercise is exercise that has a lower impact on your cardiovascular system and generally lasts for shorter periods of time than aerobic exercise. Anaerobic activity provides the benefits of a decrease in body fat, an increase in muscle mass as well as improved strength, power and speed even if it requires an aerobic foundation. Examples of anaerobic exercise include such activities as weight lifting and sprints.

Do you know what type of exercise is best? In order for you to achieve optimum physical fitness, what you need to do is train to improve your performance in both aerobic and anaerobic abilities and not focus your performance on one type of exercise at the expense of all others. In other words, fitness is a compromise.

However, many people fail to realize that by focusing exclusively on prolonged aerobic or anaerobic training that they may be actually decreasing their overall fitness level. The best thing you can do is try to combine both types of training at varying levels of intensity and duration. For example, you can periodically switch from high intensity, short duration to medium intensity, medium duration and low intensity, long duration workouts.

The truth is that unless you are training to be an endurance athlete, there is no need to train like one and that most activities encountered in sport, work and life are a combination of aerobic and anaerobic movements flowing in a seamless continuum.




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