Aerobic and anaerobic loads: what to choose and how to combine?
QUICK NAVIGATION
📖 In this guide
Why figure skating programs demand both energy systems at once, how program length by level changes the training demand, and how to structure off-ice conditioning so your skater doesn't fade in the final 30 seconds.
Aerobic vs Anaerobic Training for Figure Skaters: Why Your Skater's Fitness Plan Needs Both
I had a skater a few seasons back — clean run-throughs in practice all week, jumps landing, spins centered. Then at her first regional-level competition, the same program fell apart in the last 30 seconds: a two-footed landing on an element she'd hit a hundred times that month, a step sequence that lost all its speed, a final spin that wobbled off-center. Her mother pulled me aside afterward, confused. "She's in great shape. She trains six days a week. What happened?"
Nothing happened, mentally. What happened is physiological, and it's one of the most common — and most fixable — gaps in off-ice training. A figure skating program isn't one kind of effort. It's two completely different energy systems, stacked on top of each other, for a fixed amount of time that doesn't care how tired your skater is. If a training plan only builds one of those systems, the program will always fall apart in the same place: near the end.
Aerobic threshold in training is a condition in which the level of lactate and lactic acid increases in the blood.
Why skaters fade in the final 30 seconds
Every jump, spin, and fast step sequence in a program is powered by the anaerobic system — short, explosive bursts that don't have time to wait for oxygen. But a program isn't just jumps. It's also the skating in between: the connecting steps, the spirals, the speed built into transitions — sustained work that depends on the aerobic system, the one that uses oxygen to keep muscles fueled over a longer stretch of time.
Sports scientists who've studied the physiological demands of figure skating (using middle-distance running as the closest comparable model, since a program's duration and intensity profile is remarkably similar to an 800m–1500m race) have found that a skater reaches 90–100% of their maximum heart rate within the first 30–60 seconds of a program — and has to hold something close to that intensity for the rest of it. That's not a "warm into it" sport. It's closer to sprinting a mile.
This is exactly why the fade happens near the end: if a skater's aerobic base isn't developed enough to sustain that heart rate for the program's full length, the body starts protecting itself — recruiting less muscle, shortening stride and rotation, losing the fine motor control that a clean landing or a centered spin requires. It's not a lack of willpower. It's a body running out of the specific kind of fuel a longer program demands.
For qualitative analysis of the anaerobic threshold, the athlete trains in a special mask that measures oxygen consumption
The two energy systems, in plain terms
Anaerobic = "without oxygen." High intensity, short bursts — jumps, fast spins, explosive step sequences. The body pulls energy from stored sources instead of waiting for oxygen delivery, which is why it can't be sustained for long before lactic acid builds up and muscles start to burn.
Neither system works in isolation once a program starts. A skater alternates between them dozens of times in one program — an explosive triple jump (anaerobic), immediately followed by connecting steps that need to maintain speed and edge quality without a break to recover (aerobic) — and then straight into the next jump. The transition between the two systems happens automatically in the body, but it only happens well if both systems have actually been trained.
Why program length changes everything
This is the piece most off-ice conditioning plans get wrong: a Juvenile skater and a Senior skater are not just doing "the same thing, but shorter." The required program lengths are set by U.S. Figure Skating specifically by level, and the jump from level to level is a real jump in the aerobic demand a skater's body has to be conditioned for — not just a jump in jump difficulty.
| Level | Free skate length | Continuous aerobic demand |
|---|---|---|
| Juvenile | 2:30 (±10 sec) | Shortest — still crosses the 30-40 second anaerobic-to-aerobic shift point multiple times |
| Intermediate | 3:00 (±10 sec) | 30 seconds longer than Juvenile — meaningful jump in sustained demand |
| Novice | 3:00 (±10 sec) | Same length as Intermediate, higher-difficulty content packed into it |
| Junior | 3:30 (±10 sec) | Approaching senior-level aerobic demand |
| Senior | 4:00 (±10 sec) | Comparable in energy-system demand to racing an 800m-1500m at speed |
When swimming, a new breathing automatism is developed, which is characterized by a decrease in the duration of the respiratory cycle, an increase in the frequency and minute volume of breathing.
Aerobic training.
Aerobic training allows you to:
Reduce the risk of heart attack, type 2 diabetes or stroke;
Normalize weight;
Increase endurance;
Reduce and control blood pressure;
Strengthen immunity by reducing the likelihood of colds or flu;
To strengthen the cardiovascular system;
To improve mood.
Aerobic training includes:
Fitness and aerobics;
Long-distance running and fast walking;
Swimming;
Jump rope exercises;
Dancing, sports games;
Climbing the stairs;
Skateboarding and skating skills.
Good warm-up
Before starting training, it is important to warm up the ligaments and joints, increase blood circulation and prepare the body for exercise. This will reduce the risk of injuries and sprains. There is no universal warm-up program, all exercises need to be selected individually. Pay special attention to the muscles and parts of the body that will be involved in the training. So, if you plan to jump rope or go for a run, be sure to make a few light warming movements in the hips, legs and ankle.
Training time
Beginner athletes may want to do the maximum at the first training. This is fraught with a long recovery of the body. The regularity of classes is much more important than their intensity, and the time of exercises can be increased with each subsequent training. Gradually, the increasing load is easier to overcome, and adaptation is the basis of progress.
Aerobics can be practiced at any time of the day: morning, afternoon, evening. Anaerobic exercises are recommended in the morning. If you perform intensive training in the evening, there may be problems with falling asleep. Aerobics can be done daily, as it is a low-intensity load. Anaerobic exercises can be done every other day or alternated two days after one or three in two. You need to let the body rest."
Calculation of your physical abilities
It is important to monitor heart rate and monitor its increase. Aerobic training involves 55-65% of the maximum heart rate. Anaerobic training implies a value within 75-85% of the maximum heart rate. It is calculated by the formula: 220 minus the age of the trainer.
When alternating types of exercises during training, you can go into anaerobic load, then return to aerobics. Thus, the type of load will change when the intensity and weight of the exercises change.
The optimal time of aerobic training with an optimal heart rate is half an hour/hour.
If you can talk for a long time while jogging, it's an aerobic type, there should be no breathing problems with it.
Anaerobic training.
The peculiarity of anaerobic training is that muscle strength increases. These exercises help:
Improve endurance;
Strengthen muscles and achieve a beautiful relief;
To support the musculoskeletal system;
Pump up the muscle corset, improve posture;
To increase immunity;
Reduce the risk of endocrine system diseases.
Anaerobic training includes:
Intensive sprint running;
Training on simulators;
Powerlifting and bodybuilding;
Strength training;
Weighted exercises, such as kettlebells and dumbbells;
Weightlifting;
High-speed cycling.
Recommendations for anaerobic training are similar to preparing for aerobic classes:
Do a warm-up before starting exercises;
Control your heart rate;
Increase the number of approaches gradually.
After anaerobic training, you need to do a small stretching of body parts that worked intensively. This will improve muscle elasticity, avoid shortening, increase flexibility and prepare for increased loads in subsequent training.
After anaerobic training, you need to do a small stretching of body parts that worked intensively. This will improve muscle elasticity, avoid shortening, increase flexibility and prepare for increased loads in subsequent training.
How to combine aerobic and anaerobic loads?
Aerobic and anaerobic classes can be held separately from each other if you allocate time and distribute them evenly during the week and month. There are several combinations that coaches advise to use in one workout.
Aerobic training for 30-60 minutes, and after it - power load up to half an hour.
Aerobic load of moderate intensity, at the end of which two to three minutes of active jumping or running.
Strength training with dynamic exercises on two or three approaches, in conclusion - statodynamic ones on one approach.
If the aerobic load was mainly on one part of the body (for example, legs during slow running), after it you can do strength exercises on your hands without restrictions.
There are several contraindications to the combination of exercises.
During the day, you should not combine two types of training in a large volume.
If there was a long strength work in the morning, it is better to conduct only a short recovery aerobic training in the evening.
Aerobic training with short powerful accelerations is not combined with a large number of jumps and statodynamics.
If you combine workouts that are not recommended to combine, you can achieve an overtraining effect. As a result, the next classes will be difficult, the recovery of the body will be delayed and the overall effectiveness of the process will decrease.
If a person is engaged in aerobics, most likely his goal is weight loss, and then he should also reduce the amount of carbohydrates consumed. This should be done gradually, not one day. The daily diet scheme is as follows: 35% - carbohydrates, 30% - proteins, 35% - fats
What are the benefits of aerobic training?
Aerobic classes have the following positive effect on the body:
1. Strengthening the cardiovascular and respiratory system, including
strengthening the heart muscle, increasing the efficiency of the heart, reducing the pulse at rest;
strengthening the muscles responsible for breathing;
improving blood circulation, lowering blood pressure;
an increase in the number of erythrocytes delivering oxygen to tissues;
prevention of cardiovascular diseases.
In the process of aerobic training, in order to provide the muscles with the necessary oxygen to the entire cardiovascular and respiratory system, you have to work with greater intensity, so the body trains. Over time, all indicators of the cardiovascular and respiratory systems improve, endurance increases, the body recovers from loads faster. You can train longer and with more intensity.
Regular training increases the content of "good" cholesterol in the blood (lipoproteins), which helps to fight atherosclerosis and reduces the risk of coronary heart disease.
2. The ability to control weight and weight loss due to fat burning during training.
In the process of aerobic energy formation, the body has the opportunity to use fats as a fuel source. Those who want to lose weight should remember that more oxygen is required to consume fat than to consume carbohydrates (glycogen). Therefore, the heart rate during training should not exceed 60-70% of the maximum. In addition, fats begin to be consumed not immediately, but 15-30 minutes after the start of training. After 40 minutes of training, fat becomes the main source of energy, so those who want to lose weight should practice for 40 minutes-1 hour.
Regular aerobic training allows you to increase the number of mitochondria in the muscles, as a result of which the muscles are able to take more oxygen. Therefore, with the same power of aerobic work, a more trained person will use more fat and less carbohydrates compared to a less prepared person.
If the aerobic load occurs for a long time without interruption, it also allows you to burn a fairly large number of calories.
3. Improving mood and mental state.
2-3 weeks after the start of physical activity, a person improves the overall mood background, anxiety recedes, sleep improves, fatigue decreases. Aerobic training lowers stress levels, is the prevention of depression.
4. Regular aerobic classes improve sleep and reduce fall asleep time.
5. Regular workouts improve the appearance.
6. Strengthening the skeletal muscles throughout the body.
7. Reducing the risk of diabetes.
8. Aerobic training helps to cleanse the body of toxins, including improving skin condition.
9. Increasing the overall endurance of the body.
10. Reducing the risk of certain oncological diseases (breast cancer, female reproductive organs, colon).
11. General recovery, increased vitality and life expectancy.
Aerobic training itself practically does not increase a person's muscle mass and therefore does not allow you to burn more calories at rest. Calories are burned only directly during training. In addition, long-term aerobic loads (more than 1 hour) can lead to the fact that the body will start using muscle protein as an additional source for obtaining energy, which is extremely undesirable. This, in turn, leads to a decrease in muscle mass. To prevent muscle destruction, we should not forget about proper nutrition.
If there was a long strength work in the morning, only a short recovery aerobic training can be done in the evening.
What are the benefits of anaerobic training?
Anaerobic classes have the following positive effect on the body:
1. Muscle growth and strengthening, increase in muscle mass.
When building muscles, attention should be paid to nutrition. If it is not sufficient, the muscles you are working on will grow at the expense of other muscles least involved in the exercises. By the way, it is anaerobic training that allows you to make the perfect relief for men and increase the attractiveness of the silhouette for ladies.
2. Beneficial effect on bones and joints, including:
bone density increases, that is, the bones become stronger;
correction of posture;
strengthening of joints;
the risk of injury in everyday life is reduced.
3. Improved metabolism, which contributes to fat burning.
In general, during anaerobic training, fewer calories are burned than during aerobic training. In addition, in the process of anaerobic exercises, fat is not an energy carrier. But strength anaerobic training increases muscle mass. Muscles themselves consume more calories. Consequently, with the increase in muscle mass, the metabolic rate also increases, depending on the volume and weight of the muscles. Increasing muscle mass begins to consume more calories, both day and night, no matter what you do.
In addition, increased metabolism, which contributes to the speedy burning of fat, persists after anaerobic training for another 36 hours. Given these two points, we can safely say that anaerobic training is a very effective weight loss product.
4. Increased endurance and ability to combat fatigue as a result of an increase in the body's ability to resist the accumulation of toxins (for example, lactic acid) and accelerate their elimination.
During anaerobic training, a by-product is formed in the blood - lactate or lactic acid. When acculating, it causes muscle fatigue. That's why anaerobic exercises last no more than 3-5 minutes. Over time, the body adapts and begins to react less acutely to lactic acid, in addition, the process of its removal from the blood improves. In addition, the production of buffer substances that delay the onset of fatigue increases. Thanks to these processes, endurance increases.
5. Strengthening the cardiovascular system.
6. Acceleration of the withdrawal of toxins from the body.
7. Positive effect on the psyche: improving sleep, reducing stress, improving mood and vitality.
8. Combating old age: prevention of muscle loss, prevention of osteoporosis and degenerative joint diseases.
9. Prevention of diabetes mellitus and relief of the course of the disease.
10. General improvement of the body and prolongation of life.
Anaerobic training involves a lot of effort. Therefore, such training is not intended for people without physical training.
Anaerobic training is contraindicated for pregnant women. People with diseases and injuries should consult a doctor before starting classes.
Anaerobic exercises with the wrong technique can lead to injury. The coach will be able to tell you how to perform this or that exercise correctly. Warm up your muscles before a serious load and reduce the likelihood of injuries will help warm up, do not neglect it.