Difference Between Aerobic and Anaerobic Exercise
When we train on our own or decide to go to a gym, we can find two types of exercises, those called aerobic and anaerobic. Each of them serves a particular purpose and provides different benefits for the health and the body.
That is why it is important to know the difference between these exercises in order to choose which one is the most suitable for us according to our objective. Whether we want to lose weight, gain muscle mass or simply exercise, in this article we will explain the differences and benefits of both types of exercises so that there are no doubts.
aerobic exercise
It is worth noting that an aerobic exercise is that physical exercise where the body requires oxygen, to be able to execute it. That is why aerobic exercises include any exercise in which a moderate intensity level must be carried out for generally long windows of time, carrying a high heart rate. As its name indicates, we need oxygen to execute them and with this we obtain the benefit of burning fat and also sugar, since that is where the body takes the energy we spend.
Among some common aerobic exercises we can find jogging, dancing, swimming, cycling, among many others. We can limit that aerobic exercises bring multiple health benefits, among which we can briefly mention that they lower blood pressure, improve lung capacity, improve blood circulation and reduce the chances of suffering from cardiovascular diseases.
anaerobic exercise
We can say that an anaerobic exercise is one where the body does not depend directly on the oxygen from the breath to generate the energy that we spend, but instead, the body uses the energy reserve of the muscles. Likewise, in anaerobic exercise the activities are short, so they are performed in short periods of time and are executed at high intensity.
Among some examples of anaerobic exercises we can find weightlifting (lifting weights), sprinting (short distance speed races), among others. It is also said that any exercise we do during its first phase is anaerobic. It can be noted that anaerobic exercises are used mostly to gain power and also to gain muscle mass. Likewise, the benefits can be seen in the performance that we can have in activities of great intensity and of short duration.
From the definitions that we show, we can conclude some differences between aerobic and anaerobic exercises , which we summarize in the following table:
| aerobic exercise | anaerobic exercise |
| It is the one where the body requires oxygen to be able to execute them. | It is an exercise in which the body does not use oxygen to execute it. |
| They are performed with a low to medium intensity. | They are performed with a high intensity. |
| Generally, they are executed for long periods of time. | They are exercises executed in a short period of time. |
| The body burns fats and sugars using oxygen. | The body takes energy directly from the energy reserve of the muscles. |
| They help burn fat and consequently lose weight and also increase cardiovascular and pulmonary resistance, among others. | They are mainly aimed at increasing power and gaining muscle mass, which is why the size of the muscles increases. |