Balancing These Two Training Types Is The Secret To Any Great Workout Plan

We know that regular exercise is key for good health. From blood pressure regulation to weight management and even disease prevention, movement offers research-backed benefit. And doing some exercise is always better than doing none. That said, is anaerobic or aerobic exercise more effective?

Both anaerobic and aerobic exercise can support several health goals. We tapped experts to weight the unique benefits of each and offer insights on how to fit them into a balanced workout plan. Here's what you need to know about anaerobic vs. aerobic exercise.

Aerobic exercise, also known as endurance or cardio activity, is defined by the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) as any activity that uses your large muscles in a rhythmic manner and can be maintained continuously. 

Engaging in aerobic activities increases your cardiovascular endurance, strengthens your heart, and improves your body's ability to use oxygen efficiently.

Research also shows that aerobic exercise can reverse and prevent cardiovascular disease, reduce the risk of chronic diseases, improve cholesterol, and aid in weight management when combined with a balanced diet.

So, how can you know if you're in an aerobic zone? One option is to keep tabs on your heart rate during exercise using a heart rate monitor. Aim for a heart rate between 60-80% of your maximum heart rate during aerobic activities. No heart rate monitor? You can also use rate of perceived exertion (RPE) to measure intensity level. 

“In practice, an RPE scale of 1-10 is used, with 1 being very light and 10 being maximum effort. This gives you subjective information on how [you] feel during the exercise, and not just [your] physiological response to the demand,” explains exercise physiologist Rachelle Reed, Ph.D. “A 3-5 or 6 would typically be aerobic work.”

Summary

Aerobic exercise (cardio) is a type of low-impact movement that you can sustain for extended periods of time. It's great for building cardiovascular health and endurance. Aim to do aerobic exercises like cycling, jogging, or brisk walking 3-4 times a week for at least 30 minutes at a time.

Anaerobic exercise involves short bursts of intense activity, pushing your muscles to work without oxygen.

This type of training promotes muscle growth, increases strength, and enhances power and speed. Research indicates that anaerobic exercise can boost fat metabolism, improve insulin sensitivity, and support weight loss. Anaerobic exercise may also benefit the cardiovascular system. 

To engage in anaerobic exercise, focus on high-intensity, short-duration activities that leave you breathless. If you can't sustain the activity for more than a minute or two, you're likely in the anaerobic zone. 

Again, your heart rate tracker can help you estimate when you're in this zone. “In the absence of having a VO2max test completed in an exercise science or sports performance lab and understanding your true max heart rate and lactate and ventilatory thresholds, everyday athletes can estimate their aerobic and anaerobic zones using heart rate data from a wearable tracker,” says Reed. “For instance, WHOOP defines the anaerobic zone as 80% of your max heart rate or higher (zones four and five).” 

If you don't have a monitor, Reed says you can also try the "talk test" while exercising to see if you've reached an anaerobic level. During this type of exercise, you won't be able to have a full conversation. You'll likely only be able to gasp out one to two words at a time, usually during your exhales. On the RPE scale, a seven to 10 would be reflective of anaerobic work. 

Summary

Anaerobic exercise involves short, intense movements that recruit your muscles to work without oxygen. It's great for boosting fat metabolism, improving insulin sensitivity, and supporting weight loss. Aim to do anaerobic exercises like sprinting, jumping rope, or powerlifting 2-3 times a week for 20 minutes at a time.

Although most people associate aerobic exercise with cardiovascular health, Cardiologist Michael Twyman, MD says there isn’t a clear winner because both types of exercise offer distinct and complementary benefits. 

Aerobic exercise enhances cardiovascular endurance and overall stamina. From a health perspective, aerobic exercise can help lower blood pressure and improve lipid profiles for cholesterol management. Anaerobic exercise improves heart strength by building a stronger heart and enhancing its pumping efficiency. Anaerobic exercise also increases VO2 max, the body's ability to use oxygen during intense exercise. 

“Incorporating both types of exercise harnesses the unique benefits of each, offering a well-rounded approach to cardiovascular fitness,” says Twyman. “Mixing aerobic and anaerobic exercises keeps workouts varied and interesting, reducing boredom and promoting adherence to exercise routines.” 

Both aerobic and anaerobic exercise have been shown to improve mood and reduce depression. “Aerobic exercise has been traditionally associated with endorphin release and stress reduction,” says Nicola. “While anaerobic exercise, particularly strength training, has been linked to improvements in mood and self-esteem.” 

However, when done outdoors, aerobic exercise offers an added advantage by connecting you with nature and enhancing overall sense of well-being.

Studies suggest that engaging in regular aerobic activities like brisk walking or jogging can increase lifespan. However, a combination of aerobic and anaerobic exercises provides comprehensive health benefits and can contribute to longevity by reducing risk factors for chronic diseases. 

“A combination of aerobic and anaerobic exercise appears to be most effective at promoting longevity compared to either type alone,” says Matt Kaeberlein, Ph.D., a biologist, biogerontologist, and Scientific Advisory Board Member for Lifespan.io. “One recent study found that both moderate and vigorous aerobic exercise combined with two or more anaerobic muscle-strengthening exercise sessions per week was associated with the greatest reduction in mortality.”

Exercise has short- and long-term effects on hormones and cortisol levels. Exercise physiologist Alyssa Olenick, Ph.D. explains that both aerobic and anaerobic exercise will increase cortisol (the stress hormone) as this is a general response to exercise. However, the response will be higher for high-intensity training and long-duration aerobic exercise. 

“It’s not that one’s better or one’s worse than the other. It's that people misuse or abuse the intensity of cardiovascular training,” says Olenick. “People tend to have too much HIIT or too much moderate- to hard-intensity training all the time and not enough of the lower-intensity aerobic training that's more recoverable and not as stressful on your body to be doing.” 

The key, says Olenick, is to balance training intensities across the week, especially for those who do a lot of higher or even moderate volumes of cardiovascular activity, and to consume adequate energy (food) to support training. 

Kaeberlein adds that the cortisol-elevating effects of exercise should not persist unless you are overtraining. “Both aerobic and anaerobic exercise can reduce overall cortisol levels by reducing stress and can also help maintain general hormone health by reducing adiposity and delaying aging.” 

The ACSM and CDC recommend that all healthy adults aged 18 to 65 participate in moderate-intensity aerobic physical activity for a minimum of 30 minutes five days per week or vigorous-intensity aerobic activity for a minimum of 20 minutes three days per week. The Physical Activity Guidelines (PAG) also recommend that adults participate in resistance training for a minimum of two days per week.

“Exercise prescription always depends upon the individual, and what works for their short- and long-term health and performance goals,” says Reed. “But generally, we want to think about meeting the PAG as your first benchmark—at least two days of resistance exercise weekly (technically anaerobic if you are lifting appropriate loads) and at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity cardiovascular (or 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity cardiovascular) exercise per week.”  

Nicola says an ideal workout schedule might include two to three days of aerobic exercises, two to three days of anaerobic exercises, adequate rest days for recovery, and variation in workout types and intensities to maintain motivation and avoid overtraining. Here is a sample schedule to make your own:

If you’re doing more training volume across the week than the PAG, Olenick says you want most of your training to be aerobic, lower intensity, and then some of your training each week (around 20 to 30%) to be that high-intensity, short duration exercise so you can balance the intensities and recover properly. 

If meeting the weekly Physical Activity Guidelines is not possible, some activity is still better than none, advises Reed. “In fact, the largest protective benefits of physical activity seem to occur when someone goes from almost no activity per week to some activity per week.” 

Research has indicated that combined aerobic and anaerobic training (concurrent training) may improve aerobic performance more than aerobic training alone. High-intensity interval training (HIIT) is an example of concurrent training.

“Combining anaerobic and aerobic training in HIIT provides both cardiovascular and muscular benefits in less time,” says Nicola. “It can be more engaging and diverse than steady-state workouts and may lead to significant improvements in endurance, strength, and weight loss.” 

On the flip side, Nicola adds that concurrent training comes with a higher risk of injury due to the intense nature, and therefore, might not be suitable for everyone, particularly those with certain health conditions. HIIT can also lead to overtraining or burnout without proper rest and recovery. 

High-intensity interval training has become so colloquialized that many people don’t truly understand what it actually is and isn’t. The ACSM defines HIIT as alternating between periods of very high-intensity work (performed at 80% maximum heart rate or higher), followed by varying periods of recovery performed at 40-50% of maximum heart rate—or total rest. 

“True HIIT is very difficult and uncomfortable and is meant to stress and train your anaerobic energy pathways. What we tend to see more often in the group fitness or digital fitness areas are better described as interval training,” explains Reed. “Rather, they’re staying in heart rate training zones 3, 4, and 5, alternating between higher intensity work and steady state moderate intensity work—never returning to the 40-50% actual recovery between ‘all out’ efforts.” 

That’s not to say that the moderate-vigorous group exercise classes aren’t beneficial, but there is something to be said about returning to lower- to moderate-intensity zone 2 work for building your aerobic base.

Summary

There are some cardiovascular benefits of combining aerobic and anaerobic training in the same workout. HIIT is a popular type of concurrent training. While true HIIT workouts (which switch between very hard efforts and recovery) can improve endurance and strength, they can also lead to injury or burnout when done improperly or too often.

Both anaerobic and aerobic exercise can support a number of health goals—from increasing strength to staving off cardiovascular disease. Most of the literature on exercise physiology suggests that doing a mix of both is the most effective way to train.

Experts recommend doing anaerobic exercise (ie. weightlifting, running) 2-3 times a week for 20 minutes at a time and aerobic exercise (ie. jogging, swimming) 3-4 times a week for 30 minutes at a time. This is a good place to start, though the ideal workout regimen will vary from person to person. And any physical activity is better than none!

Doing both types of training may also reduce your risk of injury. Doing too much anaerobic activity without balancing it out with more sustainable aerobic activity can lead to injury, burnout, and hormonal imbalance. While you can do anaerobic and aerobic training in the same HIIT-style workout, doing this too often can lead to burnout and injury.

Try to take your aerobic activity outdoors to further maximize its mental health benefits.

The Physical Activity Guidelines (PAG) for Americans is very clear in stating that the benefits of physical activity far outweigh the risks for all people. However, Reed advises that there are some best practices to be mindful of. 

“Gradual progression is key with any exercise program. Doing too much too soon can not only increase the risk for injury or cardiac event, but it can also become less enjoyable, making it harder to sustain positive exercise behaviors long-term,” she says. 

If you have been told not to engage in vigorous-intensity training, consult a doctor or exercise physiologist before starting a structured training program. “If you have uncontrolled heart disease, hypertension, or other cardiometabolic diseases, working with a certified exercise physiologist can help mitigate the risk and ensure you’re responding appropriately to the new-to-you-stress of exercise,” adds Reed.  

Pregnant women are encouraged to continue (or start) exercise programs by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), but they should do so with knowledge of appropriate modifications and care from a certified trainer who has additional training with that population.