Anaerobic vs. Aerobic exercise:

Some people react more favorably to the more short duration, high power anaerobic exercise (such as sprinting or weight training) as compared to longer duration, low power aerobic exercise (such as walking or jogging). The main reason for this is muscle fiber type.

There are two main types of fibers in your muscles.

Slow Twitch: These are also known as Type I muscle fibers. They are responsible for long-duration, low-intensity activity such as walking or any other aerobic activity.

Fast Twitch: These are known as Type II fibers (they are divided further into Types IIA and IIB). They are responsible for short duration, high intensity activity. Type IIB fibers are built for explosive, very short-duration activity such as Olympic lifts. Type IIA fibers are designed for more moderate-duration, high-intensity work such as weight training.

The difference for some people is the ratio of slow twitch to fast twitch muscle fibers. A marothon runner may have 80% slow twitch fibers in his or her legs and, therfore, be an amazing aerobic athlete.

Want to know which elliptical trainer we ranked high in both quality
AND affordability, click here to find out more ...



An athlete such as a sprinter may have 80% fast twitch muscle fibers in his or her legs and be an amazing anaerobic athlete. This type of person would not react favorably to aerobic exercise due to the high percentage of fast twitch fibers in their legs. They would tire quickly because most of their muscle fibers are designed for short bursts and, most likely, would lose motivatino rapidly.

Erin Rogers, a work-at-home mom of two, is the founder of Health-E-Meals.com, providing practical healthy living resources for busy people. Visit her website to sign up for the FREE newsletter, 'Dinners on the Double' - offering a quick and healthy, no-recipe dinner idea each week. Other available services include quick and healthy recipes, healthy cooking articles, fitness and motivation tips, healthy living web links, and lots more!


Main Menu