AEROBIC VERSUS ANAEROBIC TRAINING
by David Gilks
In the many years of my involvement in the fitness industry this has been the big question on everybody's mind and one that continually sparks heated discussion. The first place to start is in the understanding of the effects of both types of training, their benefits and their drawbacks. Lets look at aerobic training, as it is probably the most well recognized type of exercise. Dr. Kenneth Cooper of the Cooper Institute was one of the first people to push the concept of regular aerobic exercise as being beneficial for maintaining cardiovascular health and since his time aerobic conditioning has been considered the most efficient way of exercising for overall fitness. Some of the excellent benefits of aerobic training can been seen in many areas such as:
- Reduction of resting heart rate. The average resting heart rate seen in my practice of the de-conditioned adult is around 78 beats per minute. The average resting heart rate of the conditioned adult within my practice is 65 beats per minute. When you look at the beats per minute over the course of a day the conditioned adults heart beats 86, 400 times a day while the de-conditioned adults heart beats 112,320 times a day. That is a difference is an average of 25,920 beats per day! This could mean years added or deducted from your possible life span.
- An increase in blood delivery to working muscles through the laying down of more blood vessels and an increase in the oxygen carrying capacity of the blood. This is one of the reasons for a reduced heart rate.
- An increase in the amount of fat burning power plants inside the muscle fibres. These power plants called" mitochondria" are more prevalent in those who engage in consistent aerobic activity. More mitochondria, the greater the fat burning potential.
Now lets look at some of the obvious benefits of strength training if done correctly.
- Resistance exercise stimulates the body to produce greater amounts of lean muscle. From my article last week we are aware that we can lose substantial amounts of lean muscle every decade, so regular strength training can assist in retarding that process. An extra pound of lean muscle will burn an extra 50-60 calories per day at rest. Good deal!!
- Resistance training will also stimulate the body to increase the amount of bone solidifying minerals being absorbed into the bone matrix, making our skeleton much stronger, staving off osteoporosis.
- Resistance training will also give better shape to the muscles, creating a much more aesthetically pleasing appearance. (not that is a desire for any of you)
There are benefits to be had from both types of training, but the greatest benefit comes combining the two modalities and to train consistently year in and year out. There are countless other benefits ranging from increased physical independence for the elderly to psychological benefits from stress reduction. I don't think that any of the information is terrible new to many of us, so why are you still sitting on the couch? Take the time to decide where you would like to be in five years from now and decide if your present choice of lifestyle will allow you to get there. After all, fitness matters!
