What’s the difference between aerobic and anaerobic exercises? I’ll make this simple:
Aerobic- In the presence of oxygen
Anaerobic- Without the presence of oxygen
That’s the basic definition of the two general types of exercises. To be a little bit more specific, aerobic exercises are the ones that cause your heart rate to increase for an extended period of time. Think of exercises such as running, swimming, exercise bikes, etc. These types of exercises burn fat or calories to meet their energy needs.
Anaerobic exercises, on the other hand, are high-intensity activities that build up an appreciable oxygen debt. Basically, this means that these exercises are too intense for your body to supply the oxygen that is necessary for long periods of time. Anaerobic exercises burn a type of muscle sugar called glycogen to meet energy requirements.
Exercises Come in All Shades.
Not all exercises are purely aerobic or anaerobic. Power lifters probably do the most anaerobic of all exercises. Their goal is to maximize their strength for just one lift. Power lifting exercises usually involve low numbers of repetitions at very heavy weights. It doesn’t get much more anaerobic than that.
Body builders, on the other hand, tend to focus on sets that fall into the range of anywhere between 5-15 repetitions with some breathing. Their workouts are still very anaerobic. (more…)
Continue reading about Aerobic vs. Anaerobic- Keep Breathing!
- Does semi-fasted cardio help with fat loss?
In the bodybuilding world, “morning cardio” or “semi-fasted cardio” is often cited as a key for getting uber-ripped. But is it true?
Recently I wrote about fasting for fat loss and muscle growth.
But the concepts around semi-fasted cardio training have been around longer. Seems like there would be conclusive science on this right? Unfortunately not.
Nonetheless, today I’ll take you through enough science for you to draw some lessons and I’ll finish with 10 tips for you. (more…)
Continue reading about 10 Steps Towards Semi-Fasted Morning Cardio For Fat Loss
I love running. I love bodybuilding. I keep hearing that you “can’t ride two horses”. But I do. True, my gains in each are probably more moderate than if I gave one up. But being fully human means making choices to move up Maslow’s hierarchy of needs.
If you get past the conditioning phase of cardio (whatever kind of cardio you choose, not just running), you too may learn to love it as much as you love pumping iron. You’ll find ways to do progressive cardio. You can have your cake and eat it too.
People who are cardio haters have recently glommed on to the HIIT craze (high-intensity interval training). I’m working on a more elaborate article comparing HIIT to steady state cardio for fat loss, but here’s a preview: HIIT is not necessarily better for fat loss. Like any modality of exercise, HIIT has pros and cons. One con is that it is really hard to do properly and so most people only think they are doing HIIT – actually, they are just doing intervals.
While I think HIIT could make some sense, for some people, some of the time, I’m one of those freaks who likes long, steady-state cardio.
Regardless of HIIT vs. steady state, there’s a movement afoot that says “If you are lifting weights, you don’t need to do any cardio at all.”
Huh?
Fitness Gurus On Crack
Lots of fitness experts are saying that you should stop cardio altogether! Why?
I think part of it is a combination of fad, lemming behavior, and marketing.
You see, people want to believe they can skip cardio. Most people hate cardio and will believe any argument that tells them what they already want to hear.
Wouldn’t it be great to hear that you can be healthy and lean without having to do any work?
So these fitness gurus play “you can skip cardio” on their flutes, and many people start following them.
And these guys are in great shape to be sure. So if they look that good without doing cardio, it must be the ticket, right? (more…)
I’ve officially had it with fitness pros who tell people cardio is bad.
I wish I were kidding. But I’m not exaggerating here. There are fitness guys saying all cardio is bad for all people.
In fact, as a result of one of my (former) affiliate partner’s recent blog posts on his site, I am now totally dropping him. Even though he has some great products, I can’t recommend him any more because his approach is so far away from my philosophy. I don’t want to make this personal, so I won’t name him, but you can count on me not promoting his products anymore.
What am I so angry about? (My first draft of this article was so filled with venom that I had to edit it down heavily…!)
Progressive overload.
If you’ve been lifting for some time, you’ve no doubt heard that phrase.
The brief explanation: Over time, you need to consistently add work to your muscles, beyond what they are used to doing.
This can take the form of going up in weight. Or adding more reps. (more…)
Here’s another exceptional article from Tom Venuto. You see, Tom understands that cardio plays a major role in having a fit, muscular physique as well as for your overall health. I sometimes sound like a broken record in saying that the guys who dismiss all cardio have it wrong! And (more…)
Continue reading about 2 Cardio Mistakes You’re Still Making
Please post a comment to tell me if you like (more…)
Continue reading about Steady State Cardio 5 X More Effective Than HIIT????
Editor’s note – There is so much monthly science news when it comes to muscle fitness, that it’s probably hard for you to keep up. In these occasional posts, I’ll summarize various items of research in the past 90 days or so. I’ll cite the official reports so that the (more…)
Continue reading about Science News For Building Lean Muscle – April 18 2009
