80% aerobic and 20% anaerobic: this is what your weekly workout should be like
If you’ve ever finished a ride thinking, “I could keep going for ages,” or the opposite, “I need to lie down immediately,” you’ve already experienced the difference between aerobic and anaerobic training.
Without realising it, we constantly move between aerobic and anaerobic states. For example, a ride you planned before work can quickly become a goal to beat a PB on a climb. That final push, or multiple surges when trying to catch a rider ahead, changes how your body feels immediately, even if you don't consciously notice the change.
So without getting too complicated, I’m going to explain just how it feels, what it’s for, and how you can spot it while you’re training. Once you understand the difference between aerobic and anaerobic workouts, training stops being just random and starts to have purpose.
- You’ll find that aerobic workouts have a steady, easy feel, and you can chat in short sentences. You can just keep going.
- Anaerobic workouts are particularly tough going. They feel intense, making you breathe hard, and your legs feel the burn.
- Most recreational athletes find that doing more aerobic workouts is beneficial overall.
- You don’t need fancy tools or data to feel the difference because your body knows what it likes.
- Indoor cycling is a way to enjoy both types of workouts in a safe and controlled way.
Now, let’s take a closer look.
What is an aerobic workout?
An aerobic workout feels like settling into a comfortable rhythm and staying there.
Breathing stays deep but controlled, while your heart rate climbs, then levels out. Muscles feel warm and engaged, but not strained. You might be training, but you’re not fighting for survival.
On the bike, this often resembles a steady ride where conversation is manageable. Not chatty coffee stop banter, but shortish sentences. You could keep going, but maybe not forever, but long enough to forget about the time for a while.
After all, aerobic training runs on oxygen. Your body has enough air coming in to keep energy flowing smoothly with no power spikes involved.
For many athletes, this is the kind of riding that builds confidence. It feels productive without being punishing, so you finish tired and energised, but not wrecked.
Aerobic fitness grows gradually. You don’t always notice it day to day, but over time you’ll find that climbs feel easier, endurance lasts longer, and recovery comes quicker.
That’s the magic of endurance training. It’s quite subtle, steady, and actually, underrated.
What is an anaerobic workout?
However, an anaerobic workout arrives with less warning.
Breathing becomes hard, talking suddenly comes to an abrupt halt, and your legs start to protest. The familiar burn creeps in, and suddenly, the next few seconds are about survival. You’ll be asking yourself, ‘How long can I hold this insane pace?’
On a bike, this might be a short climb where you attack too hard, a sprint to close a gap to the next bunch of riders, or a surge that feels thrilling for about ten seconds and questionable immediately after.
It demands more energy than oxygen alone can provide. So your body changes tactics. It works fast and hard, but not for that long. Anaerobic training, on the other hand, feels intense by nature. You need to really commit to it, knowing you can’t stay there comfortably.
And yes, it can feel brutal, but it also builds anaerobic capacity. You’ll be able to handle short bursts of very high effort. The kind you need when the road kicks up, or pace suddenly changes. You’ll know you’ve crossed into anaerobic territory when you’re counting seconds, not minutes.
Aerobic vs anaerobic workout: Key differences
Aerobic exercises feel consistent, rhythmic, easy to manage, and calming. But while those steady sessions help you find your zen, anaerobic workouts feel intense, short, uncomfortable, and mentally demanding.
Aerobic training builds your stamina, supporting endurance, recovery, and long efforts. Once you have that foundation, anaerobic training comes in to fine-tune. It prepares you for moments when things get hard fast, though neither style is better; they just serve different purposes.
And here’s the truth. Most of us tend to spend too much time hovering between the two, riding hard enough to feel tired and uncomfortable but not long or intense enough to get the full benefit of either.
Understanding aerobic and anaerobic exercise differences helps you avoid that vague grey zone without obsessing over metrics and data.
In my own training, the 80/20 ratio is helpful and beneficial. This method provides me with the fastest results. I do prefer it to training in ‘no man’s land’, where the only thing I’ve really achieved is exhaustion and tired legs.
How do aerobic and anaerobic exercise feel?
Your body tells you a lot if you listen to it.
During aerobic exercise, the effort follows a steady rhythm, with controlled, regular breathing. Your muscles feel engaged and are working comfortably without being overwhelmed. You may appreciate the mental clarity, with thoughts drifting freely.
During anaerobic exercise, everything intensifies, and your focus narrows. Breathing deepens, grows louder, and becomes more persistent. The legs feel heavy and, at times, burn. There’s a sense that this can't go on for much longer.
Neither sensation is wrong. Both are useful training methods. However, confusing one for the other often leads to frustration.
If you expect an aerobic ride and accidentally get distracted and turn it into an anaerobic sufferfest, fatigue piles up fast. If you expect a hard effort and never push hard enough, progress slows down.
Examples of aerobic and anaerobic activities
This is often the point where it makes sense.
Aerobic workout examples:
- A steady indoor ride where you could pedal for an hour or more.
- Easy to moderate outdoor cycling on rolling terrain.
- Comfortable jogging at a pace you can settle into.
- Brisk walking that warms you up without making you out of breath.
- Long swims at a relaxed, repeatable pace.
- Chances are, you’re already doing more aerobic work than you think, even if you’ve never labelled it that way.
Anaerobic workout examples:
- Short, hard sprints on the bike.
- Steep climbs taken aggressively.
- Fast intervals that leave you out of breath.
- All-out efforts that last only seconds or a couple of minutes.
- Bodyweight circuits done at full intensity.
You don’t need to think too hard to recognise these efforts. Your breathing and legs usually tell the story straight away.
The same activity can be aerobic or anaerobic depending on how you approach it.
Cycling isn’t automatically aerobic, and running isn’t automatically anaerobic. Intensity and duration shape the experience. Once you feel that difference, you’ll spot it instantly.
Why both aerobic and anaerobic training matter
This is where this important difference and balance come in.
Remember that aerobic training creates your foundation. It supports daily energy, consistency, and long-term enjoyment. Without it, everything feels harder than it should.
Your anaerobic training adds resilience. It teaches your body how to cope when effort spikes. It builds confidence for tough moments, both physical and mental.
Together, aerobic and anaerobic training make your sessions feel complete.
Yes, that often-quoted idea of 80% aerobic and 20% anaerobic exists for a good reason. Not as a strict rule, but as a reminder that most of your training time benefits from being steady and sustainable. A smaller slice benefits from being challenging and intense.
This mix keeps your motivation high and burnout low. Constantly pushing yourself can quickly become tiring, while staying relaxed all the time might feel boring and lead to training plateaus.
