Should I do anaerobic or aerobic exercise first?

I believe many people have heard that regular aerobic exercise is very beneficial for maintaining a person's body shape and reducing excess body fat, so aerobic exercise has a very obvious effect on weight loss. In the process of fitness, aerobic and anaerobic exercise should be combined together, so that a more effective physical fitness effect can be achieved. When exercising, should aerobic or anaerobic exercise be performed first?

First: How to distinguish between aerobic exercise and anaerobic exercise? Many people know that aerobic exercise is good for weight loss, but what exactly is "aerobic exercise"? Some people intuitively think that aerobic exercise is exercising in an environment with sufficient oxygen. In fact, it is very simple to distinguish "aerobic/anaerobic", and the standard of measurement is heart rate.

Exercise with a heart rate maintained at 150 beats/minute is aerobic exercise, because at this time the blood can supply enough oxygen to the myocardium; if the heart rate reaches 150-160 beats/minute, the blood's oxygen supply to the myocardium is no longer sufficient, and it is semi-aerobic exercise; if the heart rate reaches more than 160 beats/minute, it is anaerobic exercise, that is, the oxygen in the blood is no longer in short supply for the myocardium.

Aerobic and anaerobic metabolism rarely exist independently, nor will they switch from one metabolic state to another all at once. More often than not, they overlap and work at the same time, but sometimes aerobic metabolism dominates and sometimes anaerobic metabolism dominates.

Whether an exercise is aerobic or anaerobic depends on the individual's physical condition and training level. Other people's aerobic may be your anaerobic. For example, for beginners, weightlifting is anaerobic exercise, but for professional strength athletes, it may just be a warm-up, which is equivalent to their aerobic exercise.

Second: Why do we need to do anaerobic exercise? Isn't it good to lose weight by doing only aerobic exercise every day? Many friends have asked one after another, "Will running for an hour every day help me lose weight?", "Can cycling help me lose weight?". It is true that these exercises can directly burn fat, but you need to be careful not to ignore anaerobic exercise. Because anaerobic exercise can rapidly increase your heart rate due to its high intensity, it can bring more delayed-burn effects, allowing you to metabolize more calories within 24 to 48 hours after training, while aerobic exercise focuses more on directly burning fat.

Third: Should you do aerobic exercise first or strength training first? If you do aerobic exercise at the beginning, it will take at least 30 minutes to consume muscle sugar, and then burn fat. If you do strength training first and then aerobic exercise, you will burn most of the glycogen stored in your body faster. That is, the efficiency of burning fat will be much higher.

At the same time, recall whether you have this feeling: after running on the treadmill for more than 30 minutes, when you step onto the squat rack, you feel that the strength training at this time is very strenuous. If the opposite were true you would feel relieved. This is because if you do aerobic exercise before strength training, you will not have enough energy to complete your strength training.

Therefore, it is recommended to do anaerobic exercise first and then aerobic exercise. You can better exert your maximum strength, better complete movements to build muscle, better lose fat and weight while avoiding injuries.

Fourth: There are so many machines in the gym, which ones should I practice? If I practice at home, how should I practice? Most friends who are new to fitness will be scratching their heads about this question. In fact, whether in the gym or at home, compound movements should be given priority.

Take gym training as an example: multi-joint exercises such as squats, deadlifts, and presses are all compound movements; single-joint exercises such as biceps curls, pull-up push-downs, chest presses on butterfly machines, and dumbbell supine flyes are all isolation movements. The stimulation effect of isolation movements on muscles is self-evident, but compared with the consumption of compound movements, it is still relatively small.

Outside the gym, we can also use exercises like pull-ups and push-ups, which are also good compound training movements. Most girls can also use some assistance to reduce the difficulty, such as using some small dumbbells or some equipment around them to do weighted squats, deadlifts, push-ups and other movements.

Fifth: I heard that excessive aerobic exercise will consume muscle. Is this true? The answer depends on your definition of "muscle/strength". If you want a body of muscles that not only makes you look better in clothes but also allows you to successfully complete a marathon, aerobic exercise will help you develop muscle strength; if you just want muscles like a bodybuilder, aerobic exercise will not be of much help.

Because aerobic exercise is a decomposition process, it will promote "decomposition" metabolism, which in turn interferes with the growth of fast muscle fibers. Long-term aerobic exercise will also break down your muscles. That's why the long-distance runners you see are all very small! But they have strong slow muscle fibers.

Whether it is strength training or aerobic exercise, it is important for you. The important thing is to proceed step by step and do it according to your own ability. As long as you persist, as your body fat decreases and your physical fitness improves, you will witness the birth of a stronger self.