Aerobic exercise or anaerobic exercise to lose weight faster

From the perspective of short-term weight loss, aerobic is indeed faster; but from the perspective of long-term weight loss efficiency without rebound, anaerobic wins - there is no absolute faster, it all depends on your definition of "fast", as well as the schedule and diet you can stick to.

Last year, I helped two male friends, who are 175cm tall and weigh about 180 pounds, make a weight loss plan. The two of them had the same diet plan: around 1,800 calories a day, high in protein and low in refined carbohydrates, and even agreed to drink a maximum of half a cup of milk tea per week. One was afraid that he would be tired from lifting weights and chose to run 5 kilometers every day after dinner. In the first two weeks, the number on the scale fell off and he lost 7 pounds. He always showed off to others that he had chosen the right path. The other had a knee injury and chose to strength train 4 times a week, alternating between chest, shoulder, back and legs. After two weeks, he only moved 2 pounds on the scale. He almost gave up and said that he was not a fitness person. As a result, by the third month, the runner had long been stuck at 158 ​​pounds. After having a barbecue with friends and drinking two bottles of beer on the weekend, the scale went back up to 3 pounds, and it took three days of starvation to fall back; while the weightlifter only lost 10 pounds in the first two months combined, but the number on the scale did not change at the beginning of the third month, but his waistline dropped by 6cm. The jeans that could not be zipped were two sizes loose. Everyone asked him if he had secretly had liposuction.

In fact, the fitness circle has been arguing about this issue for almost ten years. The essence is that the two sides have fundamentally different standards for measuring "weight loss."

On the aerobic side, most people calculate the immediate caloric difference, and there is nothing wrong with this - jogging can burn about 600 calories in one hour, and skipping vigorously can burn 800 calories in one hour, which is equivalent to losing the calories of two cups of full-sugar milk tea. As long as you don't eat beyond the limit, it's normal for the number on the scale to fall off quickly. Moreover, for people with a large base, a particularly high body fat rate, or even fatty liver and hyperlipidemia, doctors will initially recommend doing low-intensity aerobic exercises, such as brisk walking and swimming, which put less pressure on joints and can indeed reduce visceral fat faster than anaerobic exercise. This is a solid clinical conclusion and there is nothing to argue with.

But the aerobic bug is also obvious. You can’t run 5 kilometers every day for the rest of your life, right? I have seen too many people lose 20 pounds through aerobic exercise. Once they stop running, their basal metabolism does not increase, and they regain weight after eating a little more. They are even fatter than before. Moreover, about 30% of the weight lost purely through aerobic exercise is muscle. Losing muscle will only lower the basal metabolism, and gradually enter an endless cycle of "the more you run, the harder it is to lose weight, and the more you eat, the fatter you will be." This is basically the reason for people who are plateaued after running for a month and half a month.

The core of the "high long-term efficiency" boasted by the anaerobic party is actually two points. One is EPOC (excessive oxygen consumption after exercise, also known as the afterburn effect), and the other is the improvement of muscle mass. To put it in layman's terms, if you practice weightlifting for an hour, your real-time consumption may be only about 300 calories, which seems to be half that of aerobic exercise. However, in the 24 to 48 hours after the exercise, your body will repair the torn muscle fibers and will continue to burn extra calories. It is equivalent to turning on a high-power consumption mode in the background on your mobile phone. You are consuming more calories than usual when you lie down to watch TV shows, catch fish at work, or even sleep. In addition, muscles are known to be "big energy consumers". For every 1 kilogram of muscle gain, you can burn about 100 more calories every day while lying down, which is almost equivalent to taking 2,000 more steps every day. Even if you don't exercise much in the future, as long as you don't lose muscle mass, you won't gain weight easily.

Many girls are afraid of "building muscle mass and looking strong" when they hear anaerobic training. They really worry too much. The testosterone level of ordinary girls is only one-twentieth of boys. Without technology and practicing to death every day, it is impossible to train like a King Kong Barbie. At most, the loose muscles and wide fake hips can be tightened, which will make them visually slimmer. I had a female student before who refused to touch dumbbells at first, for fear of making her legs thicker. Later, she was forced to train her buttocks and legs for 3 months. Her leg circumference did not increase but dropped by 2cm. This is because the fat on her legs fell off, and a thin layer of muscles held the skin very tight. She looked much straighter and looked much better in jeans than before.

Oh, by the way, I forgot to mention the most important thing - whether you choose aerobic or anaerobic, it is useless if you can't keep your mouth shut. I had a former colleague who ran 10 kilometers around the park every day after get off work. After the run, he stopped by to buy a cup of sugary milk tea and fried chicken. He called it "treating yourself". Not only did he not lose weight in two months, he also gained 3 pounds, which almost made us laugh to death. Exercise has always been an auxiliary to weight loss, and diet is the foundation. This truth cannot be overstated ten thousand times.

If you really want to decide who is faster, it is better to figure out what you want first. If you are in a hurry and want to be able to fit into a dress one size smaller when taking wedding photos or attending a class reunion in a month, then prioritize aerobics and do some simple strength training to avoid loose skin. You will definitely be satisfied with the speed of falling off the scale. If you are tired of losing weight over and over again and want to lose weight and no longer have to compete with the scale, then don’t hesitate and practice anaerobic practice honestly. It’s slower, but after losing weight, it will be yours. You don’t have to worry about gaining three pounds after eating hot pot.

If you are really confused, the two of you can practice together. Do strength training for 40 minutes three days a week, and dance Pamela for 20 minutes two days a week. It has both immediate aerobic consumption and anaerobic long-term buff. Isn’t this better than fighting the same thing?