Last Updated Sep 2012
As exercise started to become more popular, the words aerobic and anaerobic were adopted by the health and fitness industry to designate certain types of exercise in a physical therapy program. Almost everyone is familiar with “Aerobic Exercise”, but not with non-aerobic or anaerobic exercise.
The term "aerobic" is applied to the bacteria requiring free oxygen in order to live. On the other hand, "anaerobic" is applied to the bacteria that is able to live and survive even in the absence of oxygen or air.
When performing a set of aerobic exercises, you are causing the body to utilize oxygen in order to create energy. The oxygen is needed to breakdown glucose, the fuel needed to create energy. However, the opposite applies to anaerobic exercises. In anaerobic exercises, the body creates the energy without oxygen. That's because the body’s demand for energy is greater, hence, it will find natural body chemicals to create it.
Breathing properly when exercising is very important for your overall health and fitness. The air enters the lungs and is passed through the lining of the lungs. The oxygen is taken up by the red blood cells. The red blood cells enter the circulating blood carrying the oxygen. The blood goes to the heart and is circulated throughout the entire body. The muscles use this oxygen for the needed energy. As oxygen is consumed, the body will give off a waste product known as carbon dioxide. The carbon dioxide (CO2) is, in turn, released into the blood stream and returned to the lungs to be exhaled. The circulatory system plays a vital role during the time of your exercise and should not be ignored. 
The above explanation may be simplistic in its description. However, I assure you it is an extremely complicated feature of nature. That is why it is important to know why and how you are exercising.
Your heart rate when exercising can determine whether you are doing aerobic or anaerobic exercise. The maximum heart rate for men is 220 less your age and 225 less your age for women. The goal rate for exercising should be 70% of your maximum rate. When the heartbeat is faster than 70%, you are doing aerobic exercises.
The way exercise is performed, specifically in a physical therapy program, will determine whether it is aerobic or anaerobic. Any type of movement your body makes requires the use of energy. You don’t have to do aerobics to lose weight or maintain a desired weight. It has been determined that anaerobic exercise will burn more calories than aerobic exercise on a ratio of 5 to 1 basis, and even as much as a 7 to 1 ratio. The aerobic exercise will burn 25% muscle and 75% fat, while anaerobic exercise will burn 100% fat.
Examples of aerobic exercises are:
- Aerobic classes that can be dancing to music or step dancing (fast movements).
- Treadmills
- Exercise bicycles
- Ski machines
- Air gliders
- Jogging
- Sports such as racquetball and handball
Examples of anaerobic exercises are:
- Weight lifting
- Machines that offer resistance
- Dumbbells
Anaerobic exercises use resistance so that you will also be building muscle and bone as an added benefit. Aerobic exercise will have more of an impact on the cardiovascular and circulatory system. Combining the two would give the greatest health and fitness benefits especially when applied to physical therapy programs.
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