Cycling, running, and jumping rope are some of the most typical examples of aerobic exercises, which are not only highly recommended to those who want to lead a healthy lifestyle, but also assist in endurance.
Through this kind of exercise, you train your body to withstand heavier training loads, for instance, while burning calories!
Aerobic training also helps you burn localized fat, lose weight and maintain your well-being, not to mention several other benefits that will make you want to start exercising right now.
Want to know more? Keep reading this article!
What are aerobic exercises?
Aerobic exercises are those which demand your body to provide you with oxygen so that you may have the energy required to do them. They tend to be low or medium intensity and rely on the movement of big muscle groups, thus ending up elevating breathing and heart rate intensity.
There are many questions about practices like this that keep popping into the heads of amateur and professional athletes and the main ones will be answered in the next topics.
What are the benefits of aerobic exercise?
Among the various benefits of this type of practice, the following are worth highlighting:
- prevention of chronic diseases;
- improvement of heart condition;
- reduction of blood pressure;
- improved mental health;
- strengthening the immune system; and
- increased aerobic endurance.
Aerobic endurance is extremely important, especially for those who practice athletics or sports as a profession. Learn more about this topic below!
What is aerobic endurance?
Aerobic endurance is nothing more than the human body’s ability to withstand greater loads and activity intensities without requiring as much physical effort and based on better oxygen management by the body.
Basically, the better your endurance, the greater your aerobic fitness, making it easier for you to practice any sport for longer, which can help a lot when competing, for example.
As the name suggests and as you read earlier, this resistance and conditioning are improved by practicing aerobic exercises. Be careful not to confuse them with anaerobic exercises , which are completely different and have different purposes.
Aerobic VS Anaerobic exercise
Aerobic exercises are lighter and longer and use several muscle groups simultaneously, in addition to depending on larger muscle groups to be practiced. Anaerobic exercises, on the other hand, are high-intensity, short-duration activities that use only specific muscles.
Some examples of anaerobic exercises include:
- bodybuilding;
- pilates;
- crossfit;
- shot put; and
- abdominals.
Okay, but what about the ones that are the subject of this article? Check out the top 10 and learn how to practice them!
10 best aerobic physical activities
All of them will help you condition your body to reach new levels of training and health.
1. Race
Whether on a treadmill or outside, running is wonderful for burning weight and raising your heart rate, and it’s something easy and simple to do too. And you can even do it at home! And if you don’t feel like going out, what about a stationary jog – the sort that doesn’t travel from place to place?
Now, if you want to take your practice to the next level, you can try sprint training to further increase your aerobic endurance. Is that your thing? Just don’t do it without the help of a professional, okay?
2. Jump rope
Jumping rope may seem like a child’s game, but this simple exercise is super complete, low-cost and can be done anywhere. It’s also great for toning your body, especially your lower body muscles, such as your thighs, calves, butt and abs.
With a rope and a lot of energy, in addition to being a child again, you can stay healthier.
3. Jump classes
Another jumping aerobic exercise is jumping or a jump class. The exercise is done on a mini trampoline while listening to lively music, so you can enjoy the exercise while maintaining your body.
At class, choreography and jumping are done together to enhance balance and body control. Just watch your breathing and your endurance because, even if it does look simple, jumping is really exhausting and can lead to fatigue.
4. Cycling
Cycling outdoors, on a bike trainer or at the gym is perfect for everyone because it can be adapted to individual needs and goals. If you are less experienced, start indoors to ensure your safety.
It’s even worth taking care of pending issues while cycling if you have a lot of work to do!
As much as possible, try outdoor activities too: it’s very enjoyable, especially if you’re in a park or walking around with someone you like.
5. Air bike
More common in gyms than in spaces in buildings and condominiums reserved for exercise, for example, air bikes are also bicycles in the same format as traditional ones (ergometric) and used in exactly the same way, but they use the resistance of propellers to provide very high calorie expenditure in a short period of time.
This exercise may not be very well-known, but you can find several videos on the internet of highly motivated people doing it and get excited about it. Just control the intensity and avoid putting too much pressure on your body.
6. Going up and down stairs
If you’ve never seen Rocky Balboa, here’s a sign to watch it for the first time, just to see the famous scene of climbing the stairs to the sound of “Gonna Fly Now”, which, by the way, is a very uplifting song for any type of exercise.
The good thing is that climbing stairs is free and can be done anywhere, from those machines that are all the rage in gyms to changing on the subway to avoid the crowds!
7. Step classes
It is an aerobic exercise that consists of going up and down a small object that looks like a step – which is also called a step in Uncle Sam’s language.
It is very effective for people who need to do low-impact exercises or move their skeleton more and, unlike what happens on conventional stairs, with this practice, you can stop and rest without necessarily needing to go somewhere specific, which brings a little more comfort.
8. Dancing
Dancing, in addition to warding off evil, also strengthens the body’s muscles, improves flexibility and stimulates memory, so pick up that song you love, grab someone and start dancing!
9. Jumping Jacks
You can do jumping jacks simply by jumping while closing your arms above your head and opening your legs, or you can amplify the exercise by using dumbbells and elastic bands to strengthen your upper and lower muscles.
Follow your own pace, without pushing yourself too hard, and stop if you feel too tired. Don’t forget to drink water from time to time!
10. Elliptical exercises
It simulates running, but with much less impact, significantly reducing the pressure that the lower limbs receive during this activity. Exercises on the machine count – and a lot! – as important aerobic exercises for physical conditioning.
By the way, if you do aerobic exercise while you’re at the gym, do you know when to include it in your workout? Write it down!
Do aerobic exercise before or after training?
Many people want to know what is best: aerobics before or after weight training. The decision of when to do aerobics at the gym will depend on your goals: to gain muscle mass, it is better to do the activities after the workout, and to lose weight and improve cardiorespiratory fitness, it is better to do them before.
In any case, be sure to have support from a physical education professional or personal trainer to do everything correctly and without injuring your body.
And if you usually put weight training aside because you think it doesn’t help you lose weight, read below before you do. Be careful not to be too surprised!
