Aerobic & Cardio Articles

Anyone in the world needs to exercise. It doesn't matter who you are, cardiovascular fitness is necessary for well-being and a high quality of life. It has numerous advantages and can improve life for people in all kinds of varied ways. There are two kinds of cardiovascular activity: aerobic and anaerobic. Why do we need to participate in either one of these?

Aerobic exercise is action that is usually lower in intensity and longer in time span. The term aerobic means with air or with oxygen. Aerobic exercise is performed to train the muscles to be more energetic for increased amounts of time. It is commonly called endurance training or cross training. Some aerobic activities include; walking, jogging, biking, or swimming. A good amount of oxygen is required to create the energy for these activities and keep the body’s stamina. Maximum health and enhanced performance has to have aerobic activity.

Anaerobic exercise is not the same as aerobics in that it is more often performed in a shorter period of time at a greater intensity. The term anaerobic translates to without air or without oxygen. A by-product called lactic acid is created by the body as it is labored in very hard activities. While aerobic exercise is done to enhance stamina, anaerobic activity is to increase muscle strength for times when large levels of energy are essential in a short period of time.

The lactic acid that is produced is what causes muscle fatigue. Before more anaerobic is attempted the muscles must use this lactic acid up in a rest period. The muscles use oxygen to restore the energy burned during anaerobics. Training makes lactic acid removal in the body more effective. Running, hill climbing, jumping rope, and sprinting are exercises that require great bursts of energy and are examples of anaerobic activity.

In general, anaerobic exercise ends up burning less calories than aerobic exercise does, but it does build muscle and lean body mass. As more energy is burned with muscle that replaces fat cells, muscle and lean body mass inceaseIncreased muscle mass leads to lost weight and a leaner figure as muscle groups burn more energy than fat cells. As you start to exercise anaerobically, there is a shortage of oxygen to the muscles. Handling fatigue becomes easier as the body is trained more with anaerobic exercise. As the endurance level increases, the body produces less lactic acid and the disposal of it from the blood becomes more effective. With increased muscles, the groups can operate at 12% - fifty percent more productively, allowing the body to gain greater levels of lactic acid during activities.

People who have already obtained a certain level of physicality and are attempting to increase speed, agility, and strength are generally the ones who participate in anaerobic exercises. People should do a fair amount of aerobics warming up and muscle stretching before and after an anaerobic exercise session. It is not a good idea to participate in anaerobic exercise if you are pregnant. Also, if you are a beginner to physical activity, you should begin at about fifty percent intensity level for your particular fitness level.