Aerobic and anaerobic exercising describes two different kinds of work your body does while you’re in the gym. Aerobic exercise causes your body to use oxygen to make energy. While anaerobic exercise does the opposite- your body creates energy without oxygen. This occurs because your body needs energy so badly it will create it from other chemicals in your body.
What does all this really mean? During your workout, you may unknowingly switch from aerobic to anaerobic exercise. The simplest way to tell is by monitoring your heart rate. When you are working at about 70% of your maximum heart rate (225 less than your age), you are doing aerobic exercises. The way you perform your exercise determines if you are workout out aerobically or anaerobically.
Why exercise one way over the other? Your method of workout depends on what you are attempting to accomplish. Anaerobic exercise burns more calories than aerobic (about a 6/1 ratio). Where as aerobic exercise burns 25% muscle and 75% fat, anaerobic exercise burns 100% fat.
Typically anaerobic workouts use resistance training equipment, such as weights or machines in your gym. However, the best health benefits can come from knowing how to mix aerobic and anaerobic exercise successfully.
Using a treadmill, elliptical, stair stepper, stationary bike or other machine of the sort most likely already has aerobic/anaerobic programs built in. Choosing a program with sporadic intense hills and using occasional high resistance (anaerobic) combined with long sprints and low resistance (aerobic) is a great way to grow use to using the best of both worlds.
Odds are, enrolling yourself in a cycling class, or jumping on a machine and using a set program will do more for you than straight running or biking will in about the same amount of time.
For more information on aerobic and anaerobic training, talk to a family doctor, fitness instructor, or do a bit of research online.
