There’s No Way Around Aerobic Capacity

You have (at least) three main gears that fuel your output. You’ll use a different energy source for a one rep max deadlift (mostly ATP) than you would use to run a marathon (mostly oxygen), for example. 

To simplify, these gears we all have are generally aerobic or generally anaerobic. As you move about your day from riding in the car and talking on the phone to training in the gym and cooking dinner, our bodies are running a symphony of energy sources to make the magic happen.

While lower intensity efforts than are sustained for several minutes or longer a time are traditionally aerobic (or oxygen based) and shorter more intense bouts like lifting weights and sprinting are traditionally anaerobic (or ATP based), the reality is we often use more than one system at once. 

The aerobic system has taken a beating lately with the important rise in popularity in strength training. 

Nonetheless, it’s important to note that all human efforts are built on a foundation of aerobic capacity. Even a powerlifter who is an anaerobic athlete will only be able to train as hard and recover as well as he/she is aerobically able. 

If you find yourself buying into the dogma of strength training trumps all, keep in mind you’ll need to pay rent to your aerobic base regardless. It pays to have capacity in the aerobic system  no matter what your goals are!