At Tradewinds we are now in Week 3 of our next 12 week training cycle. For those of you who have not been following along, our new training cycle is focused on anaerobic training.
So what is anaerobic training?
Anaerobic exercise is defined as exercise that is performed in the absence of oxygen, now that doesn’t mean that you aren’t breathing. What it does mean is that your body is not using oxygen to produce energy, instead it is using the stored glycogen (aka carbs) in your muscles to produce energy.
Think of anaerobic exercise as short bursts of high intensity exercise followed by rest. The first things that come to mind are weight lifting and HIIT.
Benefits of anaerobic training
Honestly, it doesn’t always sound fun. Do as many burpees as possible in 30 seconds. No thank you! So why do anaerobic exercise at all? What are the benefits?
Burning Fat
Anaerobic exercise will burn more calories in a shorter duration of time than it’s counterpart, aerobic exercise. However, as we’ve talked about before, it’s not all about calories burned.
Build Muscle
Movements such as kettlebell swings, dumbbell snatches, and wall balls, help to build muscle mass and strength. Now it’s these two things that we’re really after.
Improved Cardiovascular Health
Studies show that anaerobic exercise also works to lower cholesterol, increase circulation, and improve heart health, all things we strive for so that we can live longer and stronger.
Now let’s face the music, anaerobic exercise, what we at Tradewinds call HYBRID workouts are HARD!! They can also really put a strain on your body. That’s why, even in an anaerobic training cycle, we only advocate for two anaerobic (read: HYBRID) workouts a week. This prevents overtraining and allows your body to rest so you can push hard on your other two training days each week.
Even though they’re hard, we think the benefits outweigh the momentary discomfort that you might experience during the workout.
Ready to add anaerobic training to your fitness routine? Come try out a HYBRID workout by clicking the button below to get started NOW!
