Strengthening

What is the first word that comes to mind when you think of “muscle strengthening.” Weights? Powerlifting? Resistance? Well, there are two major ways to strengthen your muscles: “anaerobic” and “aerobic” exercise. What you may have thought of first falls under “anaerobic” exercise: intense levels of activity with high resistance for short durations. Aerobic exercise involves moderate levels of activity at lower resistance for longer durations, like running a marathon or swimming laps. Why is this important? Because we need a balance of both types of strengthening to maintain healthy muscles for different activities throughout life.

​Muscles

Here is a quick crash course on muscles and how they work. We have three types of muscle in our bodies: cardiac muscle (only found in the heart), smooth muscle (make up our gut and our blood vessels), and skeletal muscles (biceps, quads, abs). 

Skeletal muscles are the only type that we can voluntarily contract. These are the ones that we actively train when we exercise. Skeletal muscles allow us to move our bodies and live as mobile beings! They cross from one joint to another or cross multiple joints. Contracting and relaxing them in different ways is how we learn to take our first steps. Learning these motor skills involves a complex series of trial and error as an infant and even later in life when learning a new sport or cool dance moves!

Aerobic vs. Anaerobic Exercise

We can contract our skeletal muscles voluntarily in different ways. Large muscles moved in rhythmic and continuous ways falls under the aerobic category while intense movement in short durations is anaerobic in nature. 

In fact, there are different muscle fibers dedicated specifically to these two types of strengthening exercises. If you compare the body of a long distance runner to a sprinter, you’ll see that the former has lean, thin muscles while the latter has thicker, bulkier muscles. Both individuals are very strong in their own ways. The runner has trained more of what we call Type 1 muscle and the sprinter has trained more of the Type 2 muscle. If you are not training for a specific sport and are just looking to have well-rounded strength, it is important to train both types of muscle fibers. 

Examples and Benefits of Strengthening Exercise:

Aerobic Exercise:

• Running/Jogging
• Swimming
• Jump roping
• Hiking
• Walking
• Dancing
• Cycling

Anaerobic Exercise

• Weight lifting
• High intensity interval training (HIIT)
• Sprinting
• Plyometrics (jump squats, box jumps, agility ladder drills)

Aerobic Exercise May Improve:

• Areas of the brain involved with learning, patterns, and stress response in rats
• Cardiorespiratory fitness and memory in individuals with Alzheimer’s disease
• Cognition, memory, and learning in individuals with schizophrenia

Anaerobic Exercise May Improve:

• Blood vessel tone in young healthy individuals
• Body fat reduction in people who are obese
• Depressive symptoms in adults

What you should do with this information:

The reason I explained these two types of exercises to you is so you can get an understanding of how to incorporate a little bit of both into your daily or weekly exercise routine. 

Here is information directly from the American Heart Association’s (AHA) website on recommendation for exercise. 

As you can see, maintaining good health involves keeping your muscles healthy through a regular strengthening program. The AHA recommends to perform a combination of aerobic and anaerobic activity throughout the week, as both provide their own benefits. Stronger muscles directly correlate with improved overall health. 

Last Thoughts.

If you already have a regular exercise program, consider the recommendations above to create a more well-rounded program. For example, if your only form of exercise is Pilates, which is anaerobic, perhaps add elliptical or treadmill running a few times a week. Or if your weekly form of exercise is running 2-3 times a week, think about adding gentle weight training. 

If you have a history of cardiac issues, it’s best to consult with your cardiologist before starting a new exercise program. If you are new to exercising and are concerned of past injuries, it is best to consult with a physical therapist. If you are injury-free and have no cardiac issues, you can check in with a personal trainer on the best exercise plan for you. 

References:

1. ​Akseki Temür H, Vardar SA, Demir M, Palabıyık O, Karaca A, Guksu Z, Ortanca A, Süt N. The alteration of NTproCNP plasma levels following anaerobic exercise in physically active young men. Anatol J Cardiol. 2015; 15(2):97-102.
2. American Heart Association Recommendations for Physical Activity in Adults. https://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/HealthyLiving/PhysicalActivity/StartWalking/American-Heart-Association-Guidelines-for-Physical-Activity_UCM_307976_Article.jsp. Dec 14,2017. Accessed July 23, 2019. 
3. Gordon BR, McDowell CP, Hallgren M, Meyer JD, Lyons M, Herring MP. Association of Efficacy of Resistance Exercise Training With Depressive Symptoms: Meta-analysis and Meta-regression Analysis of Randomized Clinical Trials. JAMA Psychiatry. 2018; 75(6): 566-576.
4. Morris JK, Vidoni ED, Johnson DK, Van Sciver A, Mahnken JD, Honea RA, Wilkins HM, Brooks WM, Billinger SA, Swerdlow RH, Burns JM. Aerobic exercise for Alzheimer's disease: A randomized controlled pilot trial. PLoS One. 2017; 12(2):e0170547.     
5. Navas-Enamorado I, Bernier M, Brea-Calvo G, de Cabo R. Influence of anaerobic and aerobic exercise on age-related pathways in skeletal muscle. Ageing Res Rev. 2017; 37:39–52. 
6. Nokia MS, Lensu S, Ahtiainen JP, Johansson PP, Koch LG, Britton SL, and Kainulainen H. Physical exercise increases adult hippocampal neurogenesis in male rats provided it is aerobic and sustained. J Physiol. 2016; 594(7):1855–1873. 
7. Patel H, Alkhawam H, Madanieh R, Shah N, Kosmas CE, Vittorio TJ. Aerobic vs anaerobic exercise training effects on the cardiovascular system. World J Cardiol. 2017; 9(2):134–138.
8. Salvadori A, Fanari P, Marzullo P, Codecasa F, Tovaglieri I, Cornacchia M, Brunani A, Luzi L, Longhini E. Short bouts of anaerobic exercise increase non-esterified fatty acids release in obesity. Eur J Nutr. 2014; 53(1):243-9.
9. Vakhrusheva J, Marino B, Stroup TS, Kimhy D. Aerobic Exercise in People with Schizophrenia: Neural and Neurocognitive Benefits. Curr Behav Neurosci Rep. 2016; 3(2):165-175.