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The Difference Between Aerobic and Anaerobic Exercises at AFAC Gym

Blue graphic with silhouette of runner and weightlifter with the words "Aerobic vs. Anaerobic" across the top

During the 1980s, a fitness fad called “aerobics” hit the country by storm in the form of Jazzercise, step aerobics, and workout videos. In every gym, people proudly wore their neon leotards, legwarmers, and headbands as they sweated to the oldies and top-40 hits.

While some of these fashion trends faded over time, Americans kept their love of aerobic exercise because it’s an incredibly effective way to increase cardiovascular fitness, maintain weight, prevent disease, and feel energized.

The lesser-known cousin of aerobic exercise is “anaerobic” exercise. Even if you’ve heard about both aerobic and anaerobic workouts, you might not know exactly what they are or how they help you reach your fitness goals.

In this blog, we’ll define aerobic and anaerobic exercise, what their benefits are, and examples of these exercises you can do at AFAC’s Thornton, CO, gym.

Aerobic vs. Anaerobic Exercises at the Gym

Both aerobic and anaerobic exercises can be wonderful additions to your workout regimen at the gym. They provide several health benefits, keep you physically fit, and can help you achieve the results you’re looking for.

The difference between aerobic and anaerobic exercises is in the way your body uses energy to do them.

What Is Aerobic Exercise?

The word “aerobic” means “with oxygen” because this type of exercise is fueled by the oxygen you breathe.

Aerobic exercise involves continuous, repeated movement that you can sustain for a good period of time — 15, 30, 60, or more minutes, depending on your goals and how conditioned you are. When you engage in steady-state exercise for a long period of time, your muscles need oxygen to use as fuel. That oxygen is carried by the blood. To keep your muscles going, your heart rate goes up and your lungs take deep, quick breaths. While you do aerobic exercise, your blood vessels get wider so that they’re able to carry more oxygen to your muscle groups in your legs, hips, and arms. Through this process, aerobic exercise increases cardiovascular conditioning by strengthening your heart and lungs.

What Are Some Examples of Aerobic Exercise at the Gym?

Chances are, you’re already familiar with some examples of aerobic exercises you can do at the gym, outdoors, or at home. Aerobic exercises include but are not limited to:

How Much Aerobic Exercise Should I Do at the Gym?

Generally, adults should move more and sit less throughout the day. Some aerobic exercise is always better than none, as adults who do any amount of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity will reap benefits.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) adults should get one of the following:

  • 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity per week (for example, 30 minutes per day, 5 days per week) OR
  • 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity aerobic activity per week OR
  • An equivalent mix of moderate- and vigorous- intensity aerobic activity per week

If you go beyond the above guidelines, you can gain even more health benefits.

What’s the Difference Between Moderate-Intensity and Vigorous-Intensity Aerobic Exercise at the Gym?

Now that you know how much aerobic activity you should get per week, how can you tell what intensity you’re working at? Here are a couple ways to figure that out.

The Talk Test

The simplest way to measure your aerobic exercise intensity is by using the Talk Test.

To complete the Talk Test, ask yourself, “Can I talk or sing while doing this aerobic exercise?”

  • Moderate intensity is when you can talk but not sing while doing the exercise.
  • Vigorous intensity is when you can’t sing or carry on a conversation during the exercise.

The Heart Rate Method

Another method of evaluating aerobic exercise intensity is by measuring your heart rate in beats per minute, or BPM. Here are the steps to do that.

Step #1 – Find your heart rate.

You can do this in several ways. For example, there are many heart rate monitors on the market made by companies like Fitbit and Garmin. AFAC gym also offers Myzone, an exercise tracking system that you can wear on your chest, arm, or wrist to measure your heart rate, calories burned, and time spent exercising with an amazing 99.4% accuracy. You can also manually measure your heart rate by finding your pulse on your neck or wrist. Count the beats for 15 seconds and multiply by 4 to get your heart beats per minute.

Step #2 – Calculate your maximum heart rate.

Your maximum heart rate is 220 minus your age. So, if you’re 50 years old, your maximum heart rate would be 220 minus 50 which equals 170 beats per minute (BPM).

Step #3 – Compare your heart rate to these percentages.

Once you know your heart’s BPM during aerobic exercise, figure out what percentage it is of your maximum heart rate and this will allow you to know your exercise intensity.

  • Vigorous intensity is when your heart is beating at 75%-90% of its maximum BPM.
  • Moderate intensity is when your heart is beating at 65%-74% of its maximum BPM.

Just keep in mind that this is only a guideline and can vary from person to person depending on their fitness level.

Health Benefits of Aerobic Exercise at the Gym

Physical activity like aerobic exercise supports your physical and mental health. There are so many benefits of aerobic exercise that it’s one of the most important things you can do for your health.

One of the main benefits of aerobic exercise is the positive impact it has on cardiovascular health. Aerobic exercise strengthens your heart and lungs and has been shown to prevent and reverse heart disease.

Aerobic exercise has also been shown to lower people’s chances of being diagnosed with other conditions such as:

Aerobic exercise has also been shown to:

  • Help people control their weight when coupled with a healthy diet.
  • Support mental health. As you exercise, your body releases feel-good chemicals called endorphins which can help you relax and de-stress.
  • Improve sleep and mood.
  • Increase stamina and reduce fatigue.
  • Stimulate the immune system.
  • Increase levels of “good” cholesterol and lower levels of “bad” cholesterol in the blood.
  • Reduce mortality risk.

What Is Anaerobic Exercise?

Unlike aerobic exercises that involve steady effort for a period of time, anaerobic exercises involve short, intense bursts of exercise. Anaerobic exercises are only meant to be performed for 10-15 seconds, as these powerful workouts can’t be sustained for much longer than that. Why?

Anaerobic means “without oxygen.” During anaerobic exercise, your body needs more energy than your lungs can supply with oxygen. Instead of oxygen, your body uses glycogen and adenosine triphosphate (ATP) that are stored in your muscle cells for energy, but that process can’t be sustained for more than 90-120 seconds of high-intensity exercise.

Why is your anaerobic energy system so limited? The answer to this question is complex and still being studied by scientists, but research suggests that lactate is involved. During anaerobic exercise — after your body runs out of glycogen and ATP — a substance called lactate, or lactic acid, is created, which your body can convert into energy without using oxygen. Lactic acid, however, can build up in your bloodstream faster than you can burn it off. This point when lactic acid starts to build up is your “lactate threshold.” Having too much lactic acid in your system causes muscle aches, rapid breathing, nausea, and stomach pain. Your muscles also experience burning sensations which could be the result of hydrogen ions increasing the acidity in your muscles. It’s your body’s way of telling you to stop what you’re doing.  

That’s why you should begin any exercise program gradually and pace yourself. As you increase the amount and intensity of your gym workouts each week, your body builds up a tolerance and this will increase your lactate threshold. Plus, as your muscles grow, they’ll be able to store more glycogen and ATP for more intense anaerobic workouts.

What Are Some Examples of Anaerobic Exercises at the Gym?

The primary purpose of anaerobic exercise is to build muscle mass. When you follow an anaerobic exercise regimen at the gym for several months, your muscles will get bigger thanks to the contraction, stretching, and damage done to your muscles, which prompts your body to repair and grow your muscle tissue.

Examples of anaerobic exercises you can do at the gym include:

How Much Anaerobic Exercise Should I Get at the Gym?

Anaerobic exercise, particularly in the form on strength training, is just as important as aerobic exercise for your health. The CDC recommends that adults should participate in full-body strength training at least 2 days per week. Research has shown that a maximum of 3-4 days per week of strength training and other anaerobic exercise with proper rest periods in between is optimal to see results.

Similar to aerobic exercise, you’re more likely to stick to a strength training routine at the gym if it’s something you enjoy doing. If you try a strength training workout and you don’t love it, try another one until you discover what suits you best. Also, consider switching up your anaerobic exercise routine at the gym on a regular basis. Continue challenging your body with more difficult workouts so that you don’t get bored or discouraged from lack of results.

Health Benefits of Anaerobic Exercises at the Gym

Many of the benefits of anaerobic exercises are similar to those of aerobic exercises, but anaerobic workouts also come with their own unique benefits. Regular anaerobic exercise has been shown to boost:

  • Cardiovascular health. Anaerobic exercise is beneficial for cardiovascular health and can reduce your risk of cardiovascular disease as well as other diseases.
  • Fitness levels. It greatly improves fitness levels in a relatively short period of time.
  • Fat loss. It assists with fat loss because anaerobic exercise demands more energy from the body in a shorter timeframe.
  • Muscle mass and bone density. It helps people gain muscle mass and increase bone density to achieve their desired body composition. It can also decrease the risk of osteoporosis.
  • Physical power. It can improve your athletic ability in virtually any sport.
  • Your lactic threshold (the point at which you experience fatigue). By regularly training above your anaerobic threshold, you’ll be able to work out harder, for longer.
  • Your ability to store glycogen (what your body uses for quick energy). This gives you more energy for your next anaerobic training session.
  • The efficiency of your workouts. You’re able to do a more intense workout in a fraction of the time that aerobic exercise takes. For example, during a HIIT workout, you’ll exhaust your muscles and burn more calories than you would in the same amount of time doing steady-state cardio.
  • Burn more calories. It has a higher calorie burn than aerobic workouts because anaerobic exercise is more intense.
  • Increase metabolism. Anaerobic exercise builds muscle mass which burns more calories than fat when you’re at rest.
  • Burn more calories after the workout is over. This is possible thanks to excess post-exercise oxygen consumption (EPOC), which is the amount of oxygen required to return the body to its resting state. HIIT sessions cause a higher EPOC because they force you to consume a lot of oxygen, which creates a bigger deficit to replace after the workout.
  • Improve blood glucose control. It helps your body use insulin and blood sugar more efficiently and reduces your risk of diabetes.
  • Improve your mood and mental health. It improves mood and eases the symptoms of depression and anxiety in the same way that aerobic exercise does.

Aerobic, Anaerobic, and More at AFAC Gym

Now that we know both aerobic and anaerobic workouts are essential for optimal health and fitness, we hope you’ll join us at AFAC gym to pursue your exercise goals. We have all the equipment and tools you could possibly need to get started, and our dedicated staff and personal trainers are focused on supporting all our members as they work toward their fitness goals.

To find out more about becoming a member of AFAC gym — the best gym in Thornton, Colorado — please stop by or give us a call anytime. We’ll be happy to assist you. You can also contact our gym owner, Susan, at 720-849-0245 or susan@adventurefitness.club for assistance.

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