Which consumes more calories, aerobic or anaerobic exercise

Aerobic exercise typically consumes more calories per unit time than anaerobic exercise. The difference in calorie expenditure mainly depends on exercise intensity, duration, metabolic mode, and individual differences. Specific influencing factors include exercise type selection, heart rate interval control, muscle group participation, post exercise burn effects, and changes in basal metabolic rate.

1. Type of exercise:

Aerobic exercise such as jogging, swimming, cycling, etc. is characterized by sustained low to moderate intensity, mainly relying on oxygen to break down fat for energy, and can consume 300-600 calories per hour; Anaerobic exercises such as sprinting and strength training focus on explosive power, with high energy consumption per unit time but short duration. The total calorie consumption per training session is usually lower than aerobic exercise.

2. Heart rate range:

Aerobic exercise requires maintaining 60% -80% of the maximum heart rate, during which the proportion of fat energy supply is highest. Prolonged exercise for more than 30 minutes can significantly increase calorie expenditure; Anaerobic exercise often results in a heart rate exceeding 85%, with glycogen as the main energy source. Although it consumes high energy instantaneously, it is prone to fatigue and difficult to maintain in the long term.

3. Muscle mobilization:

Aerobic exercise mobilizes large muscle groups to continuously do work, such as leg muscles that can consume 70% of the body's energy while running; Although anaerobic exercise can activate more muscle fibers, local training such as abdominal rolling has limited total energy consumption, and complex movements such as deep squats can approach aerobic energy consumption levels.

4. Afterburning effect:

Anaerobic exercise can continue to burn calories for 12-48 hours after stopping due to excessive oxygen consumption through EPOC exercise. High intensity interval training HIIT combines the advantages of both; The afterburning effect of aerobic exercise is weaker, but direct fat burning during exercise is more significant.

3. Metabolic adaptation:

Long term anaerobic exercise increases muscle mass, and the basal metabolic rate can be increased by 5% -10%, indirectly promoting daily calorie expenditure; Aerobic exercise has limited effects on muscle growth, but it can optimize mitochondrial function and improve fat utilization during exercise.

It is recommended to combine two types of exercise based on weight loss goals: aerobic exercise is suitable for quickly burning daily calories, and it is recommended to do 150 minutes of moderate intensity aerobic exercise per week; Anaerobic exercise can improve long-term metabolic efficiency by increasing muscle mass, and strength training 2-3 times a week is more effective. Supplement protein and complex carbohydrates before and after exercise to avoid muscle breakdown caused by fasting training. Monitoring changes in body fat percentage is more meaningful than simply focusing on calorie numbers, and significant effects can be observed over a period of 4-12 weeks.