I was surprised that I personally burn more calories lifting weights (anaerobic exercise) than doing aerobic exercise, whether running, participating in a boot camp or even 45 minutes of “Insanity.” I was totally bowled over by this. I have been wearing a “GoWear” exercise monitor that measures calories for about two months. When I realized I was burning more in my Body Pump class, which by the way is far less exhausting, than all the aerobic exercise I was doing to get my heart rate up, I asked my Body Pump instructor. She said, “of course. Most people don’t know that.” She went on to say “after weight lifting, a person continues to burn more calories throughout the day.” This also surprised me. I must say, I also get my energy level back and recover much faster after lifting weigthts. So what’s up with that?
Different Types of Exercise to Burn Calories
There are two basic types of exercise: aerobic and anaerobic.
With aerobic exercise, you are replenishing oxygen as you use it. Eventually, your muscles will tire, but someone in good physical condition can do aerobic exercise for a long time. Swimming laps, biking, running and the like are usually aerobic.
Anaerobic exercise involves using more oxygen to perform the exercise than you can replenish. Lunges, sprinting or other intense exercises that cause you to quickly get “out of breath” are anaerobic. (Do a google search or see families.com for further explanation.)
Which type of exercise is better? In a lot of ways, both!
Not being a professional trainer, I would guess that there might be 10 different answers to my question according to who you ask, what their credentials are and what their personal fitness goals are. Professional athletes might also have a different opinion. I’m not sure it really matters. What does matter is that you are doing some sort of ongoing strenuous exercise to keep your body fit, flexible and hopefully extending your longevity. Keep moving and you will see results.
Diane 
January 3rd, 2011 at 12:43 pm
I’d heard the bit about weight lifting continuing to burn calories. And obviously, having a higher muscle mass increases your body’s natural metabolic rate. But I too am surprised by your findings.
Is this more “per minute,” or does it take into account the fact that when you lift weights for 45 minutes, you’re only actually actively exercising for 20 minutes of it?
January 3rd, 2011 at 5:22 pm
I love lifting weights. What about y’all?
January 3rd, 2011 at 6:35 pm
This does not take into account the timing. I had heard for years that aerobic activity had the “continued burn” effect on calories. It could be that while resting between sets your heart is still pumping.
Diane’s last point is still best, though, what’t important is that people exercise.
Thanks for the comment!