Does aerobic exercise age faster than anaerobic exercise?

Let me start with the conclusion: Neither aerobic exercise nor anaerobic exercise itself will make you age faster. What really accelerates aging is excessive exercise that does not match your body's tolerance, and insufficient protection and recovery. To believe that any kind of exercise "causes aging" is to throw out the bath water with the child.

Speaking of this, there must be someone who wants to criticize me. Who among me runs every day and looks older than his peers? Don't worry, you'll know where the problem lies if you carefully observe his exercise habits. I met an older brother in a running group before. In order to improve his marathon PB, he ran 10 kilometers every morning on an empty stomach for three months, and also walked 30 kilometers on weekends. In order to reduce body fat, he did not even dare to eat more carbohydrates. He never wore a mask when running outdoors. Over the past six months, his face has sunk, and his eye bags and nasolabial folds have deepened a lot. When acquaintances meet him, they ask him if he is too stressed because he has recently lost his job.

In fact, this is really not a fault of running. Excessive oxygen for a long time will keep cortisol at a high level, which will not only break down muscles, but also cause the body's oxidative stress response to exceed the threshold. The excess free radicals will attack the collagen of the skin, which will naturally cause aging. In addition, 80% of people on the market who like to do long-distance aerobics do not wear enough sunscreen. The damage caused by photoaging to the skin is 100 times more severe than the free radicals produced by exercise. Last summer, I ran at night and was too lazy to put on sunscreen.

Don’t think that only aerobic exercise will cause you to step into the trap of overdoing it. If you do wrong anaerobic exercises, you will still look older. There is an amateur bodybuilder in the gym I often go to who is preparing for a competition. Three months before the competition, he lost fat and lost body fat to only 7%. All the fat on his face fell off. His temples are sunken and his cheeks are slumped. He looks more than ten years older than his actual age.

Currently, there are two schools of thought in the anti-aging circle. One school prefers the logic of "low aerobic + heavy resistance" and believes that 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise per week is enough to meet the needs of the heart and lungs. The rest of the time, more anaerobic training to build muscle is the basis for anti-aging - after all, muscles For every 1 kilogram more weight, a person's basal metabolism will be about 100 calories higher. Some studies have calculated that the negative correlation between muscle mass and physiological age is very high. People with enough muscles have a strong sense of support on the face and are not prone to collapse. High metabolic levels are not prone to accumulation of inflammation. It is indeed the core of anti-aging.

The other group is the "aerobic adaptation group". I know a 62-year-old aunt who has been running marathons for 20 years. She can complete the marathon in 3 hours and 40 minutes. She wears a mask, hat and sun protection clothing tightly every time she runs outdoors, and she does it 2 days a week. She exercises core and lower limb strength, and replenishes protein and carbohydrates immediately after running. Her body fat is stable at around 22% all year round. Her physical examination indicators are better than those of many 30-year-olds. The skin on her face is firm and shiny. Even people who say she is 40 years old believe her. The point of view of this school is also very clear: as long as your body can adapt to the intensity of exercise and do a good job of recovery and protection, the improvement in cardiopulmonary and metabolic waste removal efficiency brought about by long-term aerobic exercise is itself a very good anti-aging method.

I also went through related pitfalls two years ago. At that time, in order to quickly lose body fat, I ran 5 kilometers on an empty stomach every morning, and did strength training for an hour in the evening. I only ate 1,200 calories a day. In less than a month, I not only lost 2 kilograms of muscle, but my aunt was also confused. My face turned yellow as if I had stayed up all night for a week. I quickly made adjustments: I ran 40-minute jogs twice a week and did strength training on the remaining three days. I ate enough 1,800 calories a day and slept seven hours. After half a month, I returned to my normal state and my face became smooth again.

There is really no need to be obsessed with the type of exercise, and don’t believe in the extreme sayings that “aerobic aging occurs quickly” or “anaerobic muscle death”. You just need to remember a few core principles: Whether it is aerobic or anaerobic, the total amount of exercise per week should not exceed your body’s tolerance, and don’t practice fatigue just to improve your data.； Be sure to wear sunscreen when exercising outdoors. Don’t blame exercise for photoaging. ； After training, you should replenish your nutrition in time. Don’t exercise on an empty stomach and lose muscles. ； Sleeping for 7 hours is more effective than any supplement. If you don’t sleep well, cortisol cannot be reduced, and you will easily appear older regardless of any exercise.

Finally, let’s be honest, if you can’t move three times a week, it’s useless even if you choose the so-called “most anti-aging” exercise. Find an exercise method that you can stick to, don’t overdo it, don’t make it up, it’s much more effective than worrying about which exercise is better online. Exercise is meant to add points to life. If you make yourself tired and haggard for the so-called "optimal solution", then it is really not worth the gain.