Basically, it is the opposite of anaerobic exercise where the body does not use oxygen to release energy and perform actions. The actions involved in anaerobic activity are faster and more explosive than those in aerobic exercises, but the general duration of an aerobic exercise is a lot longer. The best part about an aerobic exercise plan is that you do not require extremely specific equipment or a large budget to work out.
Jogging, walking, running or cycling are various forms of aerobic exercise that you can opt for, all of which require very little equipment. In fact, even dancing falls into this category, so you’re even burning calories on those nights spent clubbing. However, the intensity of the exercise needs to be maintained to prevent aerobic exercise turning into anaerobic exercise. The simplicity of an aerobic exercise plan encourages you to keep things practical and realistic, while the lack of equipment is actually a good thing, as we will show later.
The Concepts behind an Aerobic Exercise Plan
The key role of the human heart is to pump blood throughout the body. The harder you are working, the harder you are breathing and the harder the heart is pumping blood – in other words, your heart rate or heart beat rate is high too! Everything you see in aerobic exercise videos, as well as activities like jogging or running or swimming, are activities that you can perform for more than a few minutes. This is mainly because every time you breathe in air, you breathe in oxygen that is mixed into the bloodstream inside your lungs.
This blood travels to your heart and, at rest, your heart beats anywhere between 60 or 80 times a minute, which amounts to just over 30-million beats per year. However, to maintain this rate of work, your heart needs oxygen and that comes from the oxygenated blood from your lungs. The heart takes what it needs to continue pumping and the remaining oxygenated blood is pumped through the rest of your body. This blood passes through all the organs, tissues and muscles, giving each one the oxygen it needs before moving on. On average, your heart pumps about 5-liters of blood throughout your body, all of it rich in oxygen!
To understand how that oxygen helps your muscles, you need to know about VO2 or Volume of Oxygen. This is basically a measure of the amount of blood your muscles extract from the blood passing through it. Muscles of the human body work just like an internal combustion engine – instead of gasoline, they use fat and carbohydrates to produce energy. However, the engine needs a spark plug to set the gasoline alight, a process that is mimicked by the oxygen extracted by the muscle. The more oxygen your muscles extract from blood, the more fuel it can burn and, therefore, the fitter we are!
Preparing yourself for Aerobic Exercise
The one thing that any form of exercise achieves is growth and development of the muscles it uses. That means, when you are part of a 60-day workout plan based on aerobic exercise, or are one of those who prefer the 8-count bodybuilding plan developed by the US Navy, you will end up strengthening your heart, your lungs and the general ability to have your heart pump more blood per beat.
Not only does the heart become more efficient in pumping blood, it also increases in size just like any other muscle in your body that is subject to regular exercise. A good aerobic plan also ensures that your heart doesn’t have to pump as often, anymore, when subject to exercise for long periods. It also allows your muscles more access to oxygen and, therefore, become more efficient in the process of generating energy.
However, there are some things that you still need to understand about this entire process, especially the part where fat and carbohydrates are burnt by the muscle and converted into energy. Fat has about 9 calories per gram while carbohydrates have around 4 calories per gram. While that makes fat a better and more efficient source of energy, the amount of oxygen you need to burn fat is also a lot more than you need for carbohydrates. However, until your fitness level rises, you won’t be able to provide that kind of oxygen-rich blood to your muscles.
Over time, as your fitness improves, your oxygen utilization will become more efficient and soon, your body will start burning fat to gain energy rather than carbohydrates. Does fat turn into muscle then? Not quite, but fat is definitely burnt by the muscle, which itself is growing, so in an indirect way, fat does lead to muscle-development.
There are individuals who love the idea of hitting the road for a long jog or heading out for a calisthenics workout. Aerobic exercise can become a lifestyle and if you can accept that cigarettes, alcohol and bodybuilding or fitness training don’t mix, then you can easily create your own aerobic exercise play based on simple, equipment-free routines that can be carried out at any time of the day and, most importantly, anywhere.
Just remember to keep varying your routine to give your muscles the shock they need to stay fresh and awake, and you are well on your way to a healthier, happier lifestyle through aerobic exercise!
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