Last week I was a guest speaker at John Jay College in Manhattan. I was asked to speak about any topic relating to exercise in professor Meredith Sobel’s Physical Education class. I also showed the students some basic stretches and body weight exercises that can be performed almost anywhere without the use of equipment.
My topic was the very basic differences of anaerobic vs. aerobic training
Anerobic=heavy or moderate lifting from dumbbells or barbells. These are movements like dead lifts, and power exercises like clean and press (requiring short bursts of energy or limited oxygen)
Aerobic=long, sustained exercises like running or jogging (requiring stamina and the presence of oxygen)
1. Anaerobic exercises use resistance so that you will also be building muscle, plus bone as an added benefit.
2. Aerobic exercise will have more of an impact on the cardiovascular and circulatory system.
3. Combining the two would give the greatest health benefits.
Examples of anaerobic exercise include: heavy weightlifting, any type of sprint (running, biking, swimming, etc.), jumping rope, hill climbing, interval training, isometrics, or any rapid burst of hard exercise.
What are the Benefits of Anaerobic Exercise?
Anaerobic exercise uses your muscles at a high intensity for a short period of time. As a result, it can help:
· Develop stronger muscles
· Improve your VO2 max (the highest amount of oxygen one can consume during exercise) and thus improve your cardio-respiratory fitness
· Increase your capacity to withstand the buildup of waste substances (such as lactic acid) and remove them from the body. This means your endurance and ability to fight fatigue will improve.
Aerobic exercise is recommended for weight loss initially. General guidelines suggest 30 to 45 minutes of aerobics with moderate-to-high intensity three to five times a week. Examples include:
1. Walking
2. Jogging
3. Cycling
4. Treadmill
Because some of the students in this class lead a sedentary lifestyle, Professor Sobel added that doing a little bit of physical activity every day is better than nothing. Taking the stairs and getting out the subway one station earlier can help a sedentary person increase their level of endurance. Lastly, she recommended focusing on the guideline that even a 10 percent body weight loss is a great feat.
If you are sedentary, it is recommended to start with aerobic exercises and then incrementally add in anerobic exercises to optimize your level of fitness.
I recommend reading this article:
“Physical fitness is a compromise of cardiorespiratory endurance, strength, flexibility, power, speed, coordination, agility, balance, accuracy and toughness.”
This article stresses, “Instead of aerobic vs. anaerobic it should be aerobic and anaerobic!”
What are you doing in your routine to add both cardio (aerobic) and strength (anaerobic)?
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