What are the benefits and which methods are best when it comes to aerobic training? I will discuss those in detail right here.
Aerobic Training Methods & Their Advantages
Once the appropriate aerobic intensity has been decided upon (depending on one's training goals), the type of aerobic exercise to be used can be chosen. Some types are naturally of a higher intensity, while others are lower in intensity; some are suitable for specific sporting goals, while others are best for achieving low body fat for physical definition.
The keys to choosing a good aerobic activity include finding one that is enjoyable and effective to ensure it is used consistently to good effect.
Aerobic exercise will help to:
- Strengthen the muscles involved in respiration, to assist lung function.
- Increase the total number of red blood cells in the body, to enable greater oxygen facilitation throughout the body.
- Strengthen the heart muscle, which will improve resting heart and pumping efficiency.
- Reduce stress and tension, and increase mental well-being.
- Increase circulation throughout all areas of the body.
- Increase self-esteem.
Running
Running provides an important metabolic boost, as your caloric burn increases for an extended time period even after you end your run and take off your sneakers. In addition to a higher resting metabolism, a consistent running routine improves your overall endurance.
Along with endurance, strengthened muscles and an increased metabolism, running also bolsters the health of your most vital organs; most importantly your heart. Raising your heartbeat for consistent periods of time through activities such as running strengthens this major muscle and increases its efficiency to pump oxygen throughout your body.
Circulation improves as blood vessels dilate and your lung capacity increases. Over time, these ancillary systems — lungs, vessels, capillaries and cells — adapt to a higher level of energy expenditure and also increase their efficiency in kind. This results in better overall cardiovascular health in conjunction with a heart that is less taxed by activities of daily living.
For fat burning purposes, the variation on running that could be considered is jogging, as this method, although higher intensity aerobic does not cross the anaerobic threshold to burn carbohydrates as a primary fuel source. Running involves all of the lower body.
Benefits of Running
- Running makes you happier
- Running can help prevent obesity, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, stroke, some cancers, and a host of other unpleasant conditions.
- Running strengthens your knees (and your other joints and bones, too).
- Running will keep you sharper, even as you age.
- Burn more fat
- Help to prevent osteoporosis due to its high impact nature.
Squats
This is one exercise that should be a part of virtually everyone's routine, as it's relatively simple to perform, requires no equipment, and can be done just about anywhere.
More importantly, although squats are often regarded as "leg" exercises, they actually offer benefits throughout your entire body, including deep within your core.
A whole-body exercise, squats emphasize the major muscles of your lower body and work your core. You can perform different variations of squats with or without additional weights. The number of calories you burn while doing squats depends upon the type of squat performed, the intensity of performance, your age and your weight.
Benefits of Squats
- Burn More Fat
One of the most time-efficient ways to burn more calories is actually to gain more muscle! For every pound of additional muscle you gain, your body will burn an additional 50-70 calories per day. So, if you gain 10 pounds of muscle, you will automatically burn 500-700 more calories per day than you did before.
- Builds Muscle in Your Entire Body
Squats obviously help to build your leg muscles (including your quadriceps, hamstrings, and calves), but they also create an anabolic environment, which promotes body-wide muscle building.
In fact, when done properly, squats are so intense that they trigger the release of testosterone and human growth hormone in your body, which are vital for muscle growth and will also help to improve muscle mass when you train other areas of your body aside from your legs.
So squats can actually help you improve both your upper and lower body strength.
- Tone Your Backside, Abs and Entire Body
Few exercises work as many muscles as the squat, so it's an excellent multi-purpose activity useful for toning and tightening your behind, abs, and, of course, your legs. Furthermore, squats build your muscles, and these muscles participate in the regulation of glucose and lipid metabolism and insulin sensitivity, helping to protect you against obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
- Prevent Injuries
Most athletic injuries involve weak stabilizer muscles, ligaments and connective tissues, which squats help strengthen. They also help prevent injury by improving your flexibility (squats improve the range of motion in your ankles and hips) and balance, as noted above.
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How to Do Squats
You can perform a basic squat with no weights or exercise equipment by simply placing your hands behind your head and lowering your body as if to sit in a chair. The closer you come to bringing your thighs into a parallel position to the floor, the greater the intensity of the exercise. This type of squat burns fewer calories than squats performed with weights or additional resistance. Increase the calorie burn by doing front or back barbell squats or dumbbell squats. At the gym, you can use machines for added resistance, such as the Smith machine or the hack squat machine.
1. Warm up
2. Stand with your feet just over shoulder width apart
3. Keep your back in a neutral position, and keep your knees centred over your feet
4. Slowly bend your knees, hips and ankles, lowering until you reach a 90-degree angle
5. Return to starting position - repeat 15-20 times, for 2-3 sets for beginners (do this two or three times a week)
6. Breathe in as you lower, breathe out as you return to starting position.
Swimming
Swimming helps lose weight, burn calories and puts little stress on your body. Swimming works all the major muscles, and will tone you up and slim you down!
Swimming is a full-body workout that, for every pound of body weight, burns 3 calories per mile. Swimming strokes, such as the breaststroke and freestyle, utilize all the major muscle groups in your body. Swimming also keeps your neck, shoulders, hip, arms and legs flexible. In addition, swimming improves your coordination, flexibility and endurance.
Whether swimming leisurely or competitively, the effects on the body are both healthy and beneficial. Not only does swimming improve your cardiovascular system, it also reduces your risk of suffering from debilitating diseases, such as heart disease, as you age. Plus, it is an enjoyable way to get some exercise.
Can swimming improve your figure and muscle tone?
Swimming is known to be one of the best all-around aerobic exercises because it works for all the major muscle groups so targets every area of your body.
There are 4 main strokes to choose from:
- Freestyle
- Breaststroke
- Backstroke
- Butterfly
And you can tailor your swimming sessions to exercise specific areas of your body.
Depending on your weight and exertion level you'll burn between 90-550 extra calories in a half-hour session.
Depending on your weight and exertion level you'll burn between 90-550 extra calories in a half-hour session.
Due to the nature of the movement when performing swimming strokes it can aid in improving the flexibility of the muscles and joints.
Benefits of Swimming
- Top athletes use swimming to aid recovery from injury as it is low impact but still builds excellent muscular and cardiovascular endurance. So if you have had an accident and want to get back into exercising, taking up swimming is an ideal way to do that.
- It’s fun. You don’t have to just do length after length in the pool. Things like treading water burn calories too. So if you have kids take them down to the pool and enjoy it. It will be excellent for their health too.
- Swimming can be relaxing and give you a little ‘me’ time away from it all. Burning calories might be the last thing on your mind but what an excellent bonus.
- You could also join a water aerobics class if lane swimming isn’t your thing. These are held in most pools so check in and ask at your local centre to find out more. Or alternatively, maybe you fancy giving water polo a try.
- Improving fitness and athletic performance.
- Burning a large number of calories and helping with fat loss.
Cycling
If you want to lose weight by cycling, you will find pedal power great fun!
It can be done on either a stationary bike (the preferred option for those wanting to specifically burn body fat, as there might be fewer distractions with this method) or on the road.
Depending on your weight and exertion level cycling will help you lose weight by burning off between 75-670 extra calories in a half-hour session.
Benefits of Cycling
- You will lose fat and burn calories by increasing heart rate, helping to achieve your weight loss goals
- Cheap and pollution free, cycling burns calories, and you’ll lose weight.
- Cycling improves health.
- All around fitness, along with strength and endurance are increased as cycling exercises the major muscle groups in the legs: the quadriceps, glutes, hamstrings and calves.
- Pedal power is low impact and takes the weight of the body, so for many people who cannot do high impact sports because of the pressure it puts on their joints, such as running, cycling is a great alternative.
- You need no special training! If a sport is complicated, you may not take it up. Most of us can already ride a bike - and as the saying goes, once learnt you never forget!
Jumping Rope
What piece of exercise equipment sells for under $10, fits into a briefcase, can be used by the whole family, and improves cardiovascular fitness while toning muscle at the same time? And using it for just 15-20 minutes will burn off the calories from a candy bar? The answer: a jump rope.
Jumping rope is a great calorie-burner. You'd have to run an eight-minute mile to work off more calories than you'd burn the jumping rope. Use the WebMD Calorie Counter to figure out how many calories you'll burn for a given activity, based on your weight and the duration of exercise.
Although a very high impact activity, jumping rope can provide a great aerobic workout if done correctly. It can also add definition to the calves and shoulders, as it works for these muscle groups quite vigorously. Probably one of the harder aerobic methods, correctly jumping rope involves a tremendous amount of skill, strength, focus and patience.
How To Jump
If you haven't jumped rope since third grade, it can be humbling. It demands (and builds) coordination. Initially, you should practice foot and arm movements separately.
- Hold both rope handles in one hand and swing the rope to develop a feel for the rhythm.
- Next, without using the rope, practice jumping.
- Finally, put the two together. You'll probably do well to jump continuously for one minute.
Benefits of Jumping rope
- Burn a high number of calories.
- Help to prevent osteoporosis due to its high impact nature.
- Improve a wide range of skill components, including explosive strength, stamina and speed (boxer's jump rope as an integral part of their training).
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