Aerobic or Anaerobic: Which do you use more when you workout?

Aerobic or Anaerobic: Which do you use more when you workout?

Aerobic exercising, this uses primarily the aerobic metabolic system. This is where you have enough fuel and oxygen together to continue muscle cell contraction repeatedly without having to worry about fatigue. When the body is at rest it relies on the aerobic system for most of the bodies fuel. As the exercise progresses from resting to a slow walk to then a jog our breathing will increase and the muscle contraction will require a higher oxygen intake. This is very important for runners and cyclist as it allows their muscles to keep on going for long periods of time unlike a workout with a higher intensity. If and when the intensity of the workout becomes greater; then the workout would become more anaerobic. 

Anaerobic exercising is going to be more lifting of weights and more strenuous activities. 1Anaerobic exercising is where the muscle does not require oxygen to contract the muscle.  1When you start using anaerobic metabolism you reach a metabolic threshold, this is the point where you produce waste. The waste hinders the body's ability to keep going and it leads to the fatigue in the muscle. This is such an important factor when you are talking about anaerobic metabolic system. When the waste sets in it becomes harder and harder to continue lifting at that intensity or to add weight. When your muscles fatigue you will feel a burn while you continue to try and keep going which often time can be quite painful.

I am definitely anaerobic when it comes to what type of metabolism I use more often in terms of exercising. When exercising I primarily lift weights because that is what I am accustomed to. Therefore, I have to deal with fatigue a lot when lifting high intensity lifts such as squatting for example. Squatting requires a lot of energy and demands your metabolism to kick in to get the job done.

Not everyone exercises the same, therefore people use different metabolic systems during their workouts. It really depends on what you are trying to accomplish. How do you workout? If you want to run and do long distance more than likely you will use more aerobic. If you lift weights, you will more than likely use more anaerobic. This also helps yo determine how long you can workout and what to and what not to eat for your exercising that you are trying to do.

Refrences

1Griffin, D. E. (n.d.). Aerobic vs. Anaerobic: What is The Difference? Retrieved from http://www.myfooddiary.com/resources/ask_the_expert/aerobic_vs_anaerobic.asp

http://www.myfooddiary.com/resources/ask_the_expert/aerobic_vs_anaerobic.asp