To put it simply: aerobic exercise is the main form of exercise with aerobic metabolism as its energy supply; Anaerobic exercise is a form of exercise mainly supplied by anaerobic metabolism.

So, what are aerobic metabolism and anaerobic metabolism? This should start with the source of energy. There is an organelle called "mitochondria" in the cytoplasm of human muscle cells, and there are many uneven protrusions inside the mitochondria, which make it have a large surface area. On these rough surfaces, many enzymes are attached. Under the action of these enzymes, glucose, one of the energy substances in the human body, is oxidized and decomposed, releasing an energy substance called ATP (adenosine triphosphate) (the energy in glucose is converted into ATP), which can be directly used when muscle fibers contract. This is the energy metabolism in the cell.

There are two steps in the decomposition of glucose.

In the first step, the glucose molecule is directly broken without oxygen and decomposed into two pyruvate molecules, releasing a small amount of ATP. This process is called "anaerobic metabolism" because it does not involve oxygen.

The second step is: with the participation of oxygen, pyruvate molecules continue to be oxidized and decomposed, and finally carbon dioxide (CO2) and water (H2O) are generated, and a large amount of ATP is released. Because this process needs aerobic participation, it is called "aerobic metabolism".

The characteristics of anaerobic metabolism are as follows: ATP is produced quickly without oxygen, but the amount of ATP produced is relatively small; The characteristics of aerobic metabolism are: the amount of ATP produced is relatively large, which requires aerobic participation, but the speed of ATP production is relatively slow.

For short-term sports (such as 100-meter race, high jump, long jump, weightlifting, etc. ), muscles need enough ATP in a short time, so most of the metabolism at this time is anaerobic. For long-term sports (long-distance running, marathon, rowing, aerobics, etc. ), muscles need a lot of ATP for a long time, so most of the metabolism at this time is aerobic metabolism. However, in fact, aerobic and anaerobic are interdependent and breed each other. It is impossible to have anaerobic metabolism without aerobic metabolism, or aerobic metabolism without anaerobic metabolism, but aerobic and anaerobic exist at the same time, which is the main energy supply? This is also one of the reasons why there are many debates on aerobic and anaerobic exercise in academic circles in recent years, and the views have changed.