What exactly is aerobic exercise? Explain clearly in one article

To put it bluntly, the core of aerobic exercise is that "oxygen can fully participate in energy metabolism during exercise." It mainly relies on the decomposition of sugar, fat, and protein in the body to supply energy to the body. It is completely different from short-term bursts of exercise that rely on anaerobic energy supply. To use an analogy, aerobic energy supply is like the piped natural gas running through the home. It burns stably and long-lasting without leaving any residue. Anaerobic energy supply is like a temporarily lit candle. It burns fiercely but does not burn for a few minutes. It also leaves a pile of wax oil - that is, the lactic acid that makes your muscles sore for several days after exercise.

Most of the jogging, long-distance swimming at a constant speed, park cycling, and the soothing square dance performed by grandparents and aunts that we often come into contact with are typical aerobic exercises.

But if you really want to define it rigorously, the fitness circle has actually been arguing for many years and has not completely unified the standards. People on one side pay more attention to the proportion of energy supply. They think that as long as the energy supply of aerobic metabolism accounts for more than 60% during exercise, it is considered aerobic. For example, if you do light weight dumbbell hip and leg training, and only rest for 30 seconds between each set of 20 times. Although you are a bit sore in the second half of the exercise, you can still keep up with the breathing rhythm. At this time, the aerobic energy supply ratio is actually not low, and it is considered aerobic in a broad sense. ； People on the other side insist on the traditional definition of exercise physiology, which requires continuous, medium- and low-intensity exercise that involves large muscle groups of the whole body and maintains the target heart rate for more than 20 minutes. Strength training and interval exercise are directly excluded from the aerobic category.

I once put on a heart rate monitor for a friend who loves aerobics. She did Pamela's low-intensity happy aerobics. After 40 minutes, her heart rate basically stayed between 115 and 130. She could chat with me about the magic of the lyrics while dancing. There was basically no accumulation of lactic acid in the whole process. She was not so sore that she couldn't go downstairs the next day like doing heavy strength training. This is a very standard aerobic state.

In fact, ordinary people don't need to worry about academic definitions. After all, you are not exercising to write journal articles. You can probably get a standard when you practice, and there is no need to buy a professional metabolic meter that costs thousands. Just remember that if you can speak a complete sentence during exercise without being out of breath and unable to pronounce a word, and your heart rate is within the estimated range of 60% to 80% of (220 - your age), you are already in the effective aerobic range.

By the way, a lot of people asked me if aerobic means losing muscle. I have been running for three years, 5 kilometers three times a week. I usually eat enough protein, and my muscle mass has basically not been lost, but my body fat has remained stable at around 20%. Those who say that they lose muscle after running for two steps are either running for an hour or two every day without supplementing their nutrition, or they are anxious because of bloggers selling muscle-building courses. There is really no need to worry.

In the final analysis, there is really no need to worry about whether a certain exercise is aerobic. As long as the intensity is suitable for you and you are comfortable and able to persist after the exercise, it is more useful than trying to figure out any definition.