Physical Exercise - Aerobic or Anaerobic Workout

Aerobic vs Anaerobic Exercise: What's The Difference?

Physical exercise should become daily routine exercise. You also understand that performing exercise in regular basis is giving various benefits on your body. Upon hearing the word exercise, people tends to think in terms of aerobic exercise such as walking, jogging, running, aerobic dance, swimming, cycling, etc. We seldom heard about anaerobic exercise. So, what’s the difference between the two and what benefit each of the exercise give to our body? The following article hopefully provide information for you.

The words aerobic and anaerobic, literary speaking, refers to the presence or absence of oxygen. Most of our body cells prefer to get their energy by using oxygen to fuel metabolism. Exercise needs energy or fuel. During aerobic exercise, with adequate fuel and oxygen, muscle can contract repeatedly without fatigue. During anaerobic exercise, the muscle must rely on other source beside oxygen to fuel muscle contraction. Anaerobic metabolism produces waste molecules that can impair muscle contraction, this process is what commonly called as fatigue.

Aerobic Exercise - Cardio Workout

The word aerobic means “with oxygen”. Aerobic exercise gets the heart working faster and harder to pump blood through the heart, more than normal. When the blood is quickly pumped, body have to be oxygenated quickly, thus the increased respiration. Aerobic exercise as part of physical exercise strengthens the heart and boost healthy cholesterol level.

Generally, aerobic exercise is a low or moderate cardio workout perform in extended periods of time. Some of common aerobic exercise are running or brisk walk(with intensity where you should be able to talk while exercising without breathing too hard), swimming, cycling, etc. 

Performing physical aerobic exercise in a controlled and correct manner will provide many positive changes within human body. Mitochondria, as “ATP energy source manufacturer” will increase in number. The blood supply to muscle will increase and running smoothly. The will result in more effective energy production system in the muscle, the muscle will be more durable and is not easily exhausted. Other than that, aerobic exercise also inhibit the death of cells that makes someone looks well-preserved and physically stronger than people at the same age.

Anaerobic Exercise

The word anaerobic means “without oxygen”. This type of physical exercise does not requires oxygen for its main fuel. Anaerobic system provides energy quickly in a very large sum but in such a short period. Anaerobic exercise is a high (vigorous) intensity exercise and in short amount of time. Example of anaerobic exercise is sprint, weightlifting, and any activities in fitness room.

If anaerobic as part of physical exercise performed routinely, will increase the size of muscle(hypertrophy). This means larger muscle and stronger contraction. Other than that, there is also an increase in glycogen break down, thus the energy production through glycolysis pathway becomes more effective. Energy production system through glycolysis use limited amount of oxygen. This results in lactic acid built up which causes discomfort and fatigue at sustained level. But the muscle appears leaner and better aesthetically. Larger muscle mass will also result in increased muscle metabolism which requires more energy usage. This will help in losing weight.

Which One Is Better Physical Exercise: Aerobic or Anaerobic Exercise?

Each exercise, either aerobic nor anaerobic exercise give positive impact to your body in a different way. Basically, both are good. Purpose becomes an essential factor in choosing the type of exercise. If you to increase your fitness and endurance, aerobic exercise is your answer. If you to tone up and increase your resistance, do anaerobic exercise. Best way to do it is do the combination of both. Do these exercise in controlled manner, don’t overdo it. Any kind of exercise, if you do it excessively (overtraining) will give negative impact such as muscle injury, chronic fatigue, etc. Be safe and be healthy by Physical Exercise.

Stretching for Exercise

Definition of Stretching for Exercise

We often hear about the word “stretching" but we don’t really understand what it means, let alone the benefits of it. Stretching is a part of the exercise programs consists of several types of physical activity which is done prior to or at the conclusion of an exercise. It is a general term used to describe a therapeutic movement which aims to elongate shortened soft tissue structures pathologically and non-pathologically to increase the joint’s area of motion. Stretching is planned to improve physical abilities, to maintain or improve the body’s  health and fitness.

Benefits of Stretching

• Stretching does not take long and does not required any difficult movement. Still, there are many people out there who regard it as unimportant. In fact, stretching is very important and has many benefits, including:
• Stretching makes our body moves more efficiently. During the training session, muscle will get shortened as a sign of fatigue. It will inhibit the body's ability to generate speed and power and becomes more inefficient to exercise. Stretching will 'overcome' this problem by keeping the muscles long and repairing the elasticity / flexibility of the body tissue.
• Stretching will strengthen your body. Any stretching done prior or between exercise session can increase muscle strength to 20%.
• A correct way of stretching can prevent injury.
• Stretching can increase physical’s ability and endurance during exercise.
• Stretching can improve blood circulation to the muscles which will increase its blood volume so that muscles can work optimally.
• Stretching can prevent the occurrence of DOMS (Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness), which is a condition when the muscle felt sore after exercising. Usually this thing happens to people who does not exercise regularly.
• Stretching help us to avoid severe muscle damage due to the unexpected movements during exercise. It so happens because stretching activates elastin (a component in the muscle). It cause the muscle easily adaptable to any movement that can potentially cause an injury. 
• Doing the stretching at the end of exercise can reduce pain that may happen due to some collision during exercise.
• During recovery process after an injury, stretching is needed to work the muscle and to prevent muscle atrophy.
• Stretching can help to prevent the accumulation of metabolic waste due to some muscle tissue damage which usually caused by vigorous exercise involving some impact. 

The Right Time For Stretching

Stretching can be done whenever you like, either you are doing an exercise or not. Do it before and after every exercise. Any stretching conducted prior to exercise, such as cardio exercise, strength training, or sport games, can warm the muscle and make it more pliable.  

Ideally, a stretching is started with warm up moves followed by gentle stretching to more specific type of stretching, continued with core exercise and cooling down, and ended with another stretching. Do not perform any stretching before you do some warming up. A high-intensity stretching done before your exercise, when the muscle is still “cold” and tense, rather than give any benefit, it will make the tendon is more prone to injury.

For warming up, start with dynamic stretching. It is a slow, controlled motion or low-intensity aerobic exercise, like cycling, walking, or jogging. The purpose of warming up is to limber up any stiff muscle which can cause injury. To do this stretching, move all your joints one by one. For example, rotate the shoulders, bend and pull the legs one-by-one behind your thigh or glutes. Hold every movement for 10-30 seconds, or until you feel a gentle stretch on your muscle. This movement will trigger the release of natural lubricant that can protect surface of bone on each of those muscles.