Anaerobic vs aerobic

Drdmike

I understand the difference but I don't understand why aerobic is consider better than anaerobic. If weight loss is simply burning more calories than burned, then anaerobic should be the better exercise in terms of time.

If I do anaerobic work like HIIT at the gym, I can burn upwards of 500 calories in 30-some minutes. It would take me a long time to burn the same amount of calories if I were to go lighter or aerobic.

I don't understand why people suggest that aerobic exercise is better at weight loss.

Azdak

First: you are not burning 500 calories in 30 min doing "anaerobic" exercise or HIIT. Second: there is no consensus that "aerobic exercise is better for weight loss" among fitness professionals, so that's a bit of a straw man argument.

Since the most significant factor is losing weight is maintaining a calorie deficit, there are are number of workout programs that can be successful--there is no one size fits all program that is best for everyone. All types of exercises have good and bad points. Each person has to find the right approach for them--and even that will likely change over time.