So what exactly is the benefit?

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I am confused. What is the exact benefit of aerobic ex vs weight training? What I mean is how does aerobic help weight loss, and how does weight training help weight loss? I hate aerobic ex so I am looking for a good reason why I actually have to do it.

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  • ranibauer
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    I am confused. What is the exact benefit of aerobic ex vs weight training? What I mean is how does aerobic help weight loss, and how does weight training help weight loss? I hate aerobic ex so I am looking for a good reason why I actually have to do it.
  • deanea
    deanea Posts: 1,437
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    aerobic, burns more calories for the short term, good for over all health

    anaerobic- weight lifting/calisthetics/resistence training burns calories over the long term because when you have more muscle you burn more fat/calories at a resting rate. Meaning when you have more muscle just sitting down burns more calories than when you are sitting down with more fat on the body. More muscle, more fat/calorie burn during the day.
    remember too, muscle may weigh more than fat but it takes up less room in the body. So...more muscle, tighter body, smaller clothes

    I don't know if I explained it right...it's in my head but I don't know if I transferred it to computer properly can anyone add .....
  • Razboo
    Razboo Posts: 439 Member
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    Both kinds are important for health. What's the good of pressing 200 or 300 lbs when running up the stairs leaves you flattened? :laugh:

    There will be more informative posters than I to follow here, I'm sure, but my understanding is that aerobic exercise - when done properly - is the best way to burn fat. It uses up the body's resources and turns the fat into carbs to burn.

    Anaerobic exercise burns carbs. I'm not sure how effective it is at converting fat, however, muscle mass burns a small amount of calories just doing nothing.

    I'm not fond of aerobics myself, so I comrpomise with some high intensity (resistance) aerobics on alternate days.
  • Furpaws
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    The term "anaerobic" means "without air" or "without oxygen." Anaerobic exercise uses muscles at high intensity and a high rate of work for a short period of time. Anaerobic exercise helps us increase our muscle strength and stay ready for quick bursts of speed. Think of short and fast when you think of anaerobic exercise.

    Examples of anaerobic exercise include heavy weight lifting, sprinting, or any rapid burst of hard exercise. These anaerobic exercises cannot last long because oxygen is not used for energy and a by-product, called lactic acid, is produced.

    Lactic Acid contributes to muscle fatigue and must be burned up by the body during a recovery period before another anaerobic bout of exercise can be attempted. The recovery period also allows the muscles to use oxygen to replenish the energy used during the high intensity exercise.

    Aerobic exercise, on the other hand, includes lower intensity activities performed for longer periods of time. Activities like walking, jogging, swimming, and cycling require a great deal of oxygen to make the energy needed for prolonged exercise.

    Both aerobic and anaerobic exercises are needed for the development of physical fitness.
  • Nich0le
    Nich0le Posts: 2,906 Member
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    Both are important! I think most people find that once they really get into a routine they actually start to crave that exercise, you will too eventually.

    Aerobic = good for heart and short term results for weight loss
    Anaerobic = good for muscles, posture and create results for long term weight loss.

    When I finally spoke to my doctor about it all his recommendation for starting a program was 30 minutes per day of walking and 45 mins, 3x week for weights.