One of the most common questions I come across when it comes to exercise is which of the two is better – Aerobic or Anaerobic exercise? My logic is if you can manage either, it is great. However doing both would be awesome.
The first step is in knowing the fundamental difference, between the two. Once you are aware, then you will be in a better position to pick & choose –
Aerobic exercise: Aerobic exercise is typically of low intensity and done for a long duration. This uses fat for energy burn. Some of the typical exercises which come under aerobic activity would be walking, cycling, swimming, elliptical machines in the gym…etc.
If you have seen people only doing some kind of aerobic activity and not losing weight, it is because they tend to just about stay in the fat burn zone.
Anaerobic exercise: Anaerobic exercise is typically of high intensity and done for a short period of time. The primary fuel source for anaerobic exercise is glycogen, which is basically manufactured from glucose. Some of the exercises which comes under anaerobic exercise would be weightlifting, rowing, sprinting etc…The key with any anaerobic activity is that it uses up your muscle glycogen as its primary source of fuel.
Aerobic vs. Anaerobic: With aerobic exercise, one generally tends to work at 60-70% of the heart rate and the fat burn is limited to the time of the exercise. Therefore to strengthen your cardiac muscle, the right thing to do is to add a couple of aerobic exercises along with some kind of anaerobic exercise during the week.
The key here is that the lower your heart rate, the percentage of calorie burn that comes from fat, is higher and this calorie burn happens for the next 8-12 hours. If you are logging in 6-8 hours of sleep regularly then you will actually burn calories even during the time you sleep. How is that for optimising your time well?
In my own journey, I have realised that the most important aspect with any kind of exercise is to burn more calories. Exercise is best used to create a favourable metabolic environment, so that your nutrition can take off the fat. Nothing does this better than high-intensity exercise.
The best thing about this is that you do not need to spend hours exercising.Even couple of hours with intensity and focus in a week will do wonders for your overall Wellness quotient.
I personally mix and match both and have seen amazing results with my own body over the years. I advocate a mix and match approach, where an idle fat burn workout would be 45-60 minutes of anaerobic exercise 3-4 times a week coupled with 15-20 minutes of high intensity aerobic exercise a couple of times a week.
This may sound small,but when you do this with intensity,you will be amazed at the results.
Ideally see what suits you. The most important aspect is to begin an exercise regimen. Most of the people I interact with are afraid of lifting weights because it could lead to bulking up. Mind you, putting on clean,lean muscle is not a one day affair and it takes some incredible discipline and persistence.
For starters, unchain yourself from all your fears and begin an exercise programme with some of the above pointers in mind.Of course take the help of a qualified trainer, to ensure you do not injure yourself. Share your results with me or better still write a Blog article of your journey. If it meets my guidelines, then I will publish it on my website for others to get motivated & inspired.
We all need people around us to pat our back,so with motivation.It is an incrediable feeling to ensure people are motivated positively, because of you or your actions.
As always I would love to hear from each one of you, on the topic I have covered through this Blog article. You can reach out to me through at my mail Id coach@satishrao.in or on my Face book fan page.