Fitness of the body & mind - Part IV

In this article, we will look at the advantages/disadvantages of both aerobic and anaerobic exercises. Aerobic exercises are great for developing endurance/longevity. It gives you the energy to keep moving at a "constant speed" without getting exhausted. But it will not give you the strength and above all a nice shape to the body. So one has to do some strengthening/anaerobic exercises to build muscle power and also to develop a "sexy/figure flattering" body. Have you ever noticed that marathoners don't have a sexy body but sprinters/weight lifters do?

The purpose is to combine both types of exercises to get the maximum benefits. I would say, for a normal person who is not participating in Olympics or World Heavy Weight Championship, 60% should come from aerobic and the remaining 40% should from anaerobic exercises.

Lets look into the animal kingdom first.

The Cheetah is Nature's race car. It is the fastest land animal and has a beautiful aerodynamic body. Its favorite prey Gazelle/spring buck comes second close to that speed. This animal cheetah is the example for anaerobic exercise/sprint. The gazelle is for aerobic/endurance. Its speed is lower than the cheetah. That's why the gazelle can keep up its speed for a longer period,changing its course on the path,moving swift like a wind thus by wearing out the cheetah. If the gazelle can manage the lead for 15 secs, its saves its life! If the Cheetah can't hunt down its prey within 300 meters, the animal has to abandon its hunt as its heart rate goes up to 150 beats per minute and also the body temperature shoots to 105^oF. This is the limitation imposed by anaerobic metabolism. The body can't sustain such high speeds for longer periods.

Most of Cheetah's hunting winds up in failure. Due to inbreeding, the cheetahs have genetic abnormalities(like twisted ankle which would be a disaster for the cat that depends on speed for its hunting) and their population has declined over the years that they are now considered as endangered species. Also due to their smaller size,weighing anywhere between 120-150 lbs, compared to other big cats weighing 250(female lion)-500(adult male lion) lbs, they are very vulnerable to lion/hyena attacks. This animal's flexible spinal cord allows it to change directions abruptly at extreme high speeds. Even sports car can't match this animal's body design. However, the cheetah can only maintain its speed for a maximum of 10-15 seconds. It accelerates 0-60mph under 2.5 sec. Note that cheetah has a very stream lined beautiful body unlike the gazelle. Recently, when I was watching Animal Planet, it was all about cheetah and its prey. The gazelle is sitting oblivious to the surroundings! It is separated from its gang. The cheetah had seen the gazelle and closed the gap between the two and locked its focus on the gazelle. I love gazelle's eyes. I was screaming "Gazelle baby, run for your life". I think the gazelle heard me! And started running,the cheetah chasing it. I felt a sigh of relief, when the gazelle took one turn at obtuse(more than 90 deg with the line of axis) angle, the cheetah just gave up:-) Oh What a life...

Lets take a look at the big cats like the lions and the tigers. There are lion fanatic fans and the tiger fans. I go for the lion. Many would claim that tigers can kill lions in split second just by its massive body! They are wrong from a scientific perspective. In any wild kingdom, the rule is survival of the fittest. In the wild, there is not much difference between a male lion(especially African lion) and the male tiger with respect to weight with the exception of Siberian tigers(few in numbers) which weigh 800-900 lbs. If the animal is too fat, and if its a carnivore, chances are less that it will be a good hunter! Scientifically speaking, the explosive muscle power doesn't come from fat! If you look at the tiger and the lion, you will notice that tiger looks little bit "unshapely" compared to the lion. This "unshapelyness" is due to body fat. A lion has a "well defined" physique(due to sheer muscle force) as compared to the tiger.

Let me remind the readers again, to have a shapely, muscled body, one has to do strengthening/anaerobic exercises. There is no other short cut. This is where the lion has an edge over the tiger. The tiger may act swiftly with his paws but they don't carry that much "damage" as the lion's paw swipe which may come slowly but it carries lot of weight. Muscle weight has more power than "muscle+fat" combined. Fat is like a cushion. One can't do much damage to another when one has fat layers. A lion is "ALL" muscle whereas the tiger is "muscle plus fat". An adult male lion carries 250 lbs of sheer muscle power on its back that allows him to go for an explosive hunt. A lion(like elephants who have brains) is a very smart, wrestler, strategic fighter and also a gentleman type. Even if the tiger is heavier(let's assume!)than the lion, it doesn't mean anything! See the example I'm going to give below. A tiger doesn't have the temperament to fight skillfully like the lion. Fat metabolism is not as efficient as carb metabolism. When the body needs energy immediately to bounce back/self defense, the body directly seeks the stored glycogen(in liver and muscles)for energy without any time delay whereas it takes more time for the body to convert fat into energy. But the energy derived from glycogen gets depleted very fast(within 30 minutes/anaerobic), so the body resorts to the stored fat for long term energy(aerobic). Any exercise that lasts for more than 30 minutes has to be supported by fat metabolism.

To further illustrate my point, I would like to give you some examples of the difference between the power that comes from sheer muscle force and the muscle+fat. In martial arts, the first step is "warm-up" exercise which is unlike any other warm-up exercise people do in aerobic and anaerobic exercises. The martial arts warm-up prepares the body for the toughness to take any physical blow. It also prepares the mind for alertness, and total concentration. I had a brief stint with Kung-Fu!

Take martial arts for example. Some martial arts guys who are not heavy can still beat up martial arts guys who are heavily built. What matters is the lean body mass that consists of muscle,bone and tissues. In general, men have less body fat compared to women. The movie Rocky series still drives many guys to do exercise religiously. In that series, Stallone fights with guys who are more heavily built than him but still Stallone comes out victorious in the end because he prepares his body in a natural setting. He practices physical toughness that he can take any blow from the opponent and still bounce back quickly while the opponent burns out fast. That's skillful fighting. A lion fits into this category. BTW, I love all animals. One of my dreams is to stand next to a live "alpha" male lion and take a picture. Can there be a better thrill in life than that?

The advantage of anaerobic exercise is to build strength/muscle power. For the same height and weight, a human male(applies to animals too) has more lean body mass than a female. A male has more blood volume hence haemoglobin count than a female. The disadvantage of anaerobic exercise is "acidity and waste" building up. One has to eliminate it through proper intake of food. Long term acidity can lead to osteoporosis/arthritis, kidney failure and other complications. Use common sense and seek suggestions(if you are not sure)before you start any exercise program. A person with very high/low blood pressure, diabetes(Type I & II),arthritis or any other ailments need to consult the Physician first and then start the exercise. Don't do things blindly!

In the next article, I will suggest various aerobic and anaerobic exercises that a person can implement in his daily life to keep physically fit. Finally I will explain what type of foods one should eat before and after aerobic/anaerobic exercises.

PS:Please share your comments or you can point out any technical mistakes/errors if I have made. I will be very happy to correct self.