Your respiration and heart rate differ in aerobic activities versus anaerobic ones. Oxygen is your main energy source during aerobic workouts. You’re also using the energy from fat and glucose.

During anaerobic respiration, the oxidation of glucose is incomplete. The reaction therefore releases much less energy – around a nineteenth of the energy released during aerobic respiration.

More information: Lisa M. Keller et al, Simultaneous aerobic and anaerobic respiration in hot spring chemolithotrophic bacteria, Nature Communications (2025). DOI: 10.1038/s41467-025-56418-4.

Trainers explain the difference between aerobic and anaerobic exercise, their pros and cons, and when and why you would want to do one versus the other.

1. It improves overall health. From an overall health standpoint, aerobic exercise is no joke. “Aerobic exercise has been shown 1 to help manage or prevent dozens of chronic diseases,” Gam ...

During anaerobic exercise, you burn calories and improve your cardiovascular health, just like during aerobic exercise. While the biggest benefit of anaerobic exercise is creating muscle mass ...

The correct management of aerobic and anaerobic sets within a swimmer’s training will influence performance. This balance includes sharpening cardiovascular endurance and sprint speed. For ...

Conversely, anaerobic training, which focuses on power and strength, can enhance the body's ability to generate force, leading to improved performance in both aerobic and anaerobic activities.