If you are like most, you understand the benefits aerobic exercise, ‘cardio’, can provide, but what about anaerobic exercise?
Aerobic and anaerobic are varying types of exercise. Both improve health and overall fitness level, reduce the risk of life-threatening diseases, and controls our weight. It is also excellent for building endurance, increasing performance running, or many other long distance sports.
If you are only engaged in either aerobic or anaerobic activities, you are missing out and not maximizing your workouts. To be truly healthy, you need to be engaged in both types of exercise. Odds are, you may already be performing an activity which is anaerobic. There is a cautionary tone, which we will discuss below.
So let us look at the definition, benefits, and uses of anaerobic exercise.
Anaerobic is different than aerobic. In terminology, aerobic (cardiovascular) exercise means ‘with oxygen’, and anaerobic refers to the ‘lack of oxygen’, or oxygen debt. Anaerobic workouts consists of several, short activities which pushes your body beyond the amount of needed oxygen it has available. With cardio-type exercises, we require oxygen to keep us in the game, breathing. With anaerobic, you will go into oxygen debt and start using the energy stored in our muscles.
Anaerobic workout sessions may include interval training, weight lifting, running, cycling, swimming, hill climbing, isometrics, etc. The key is to perform these properly, otherwise, they are just another version of cardio. Basically, you are looking for those activities you can perform ‘bursts’ with, multiple times for each session.
What are the benefits of anaerobic exercise?
By using your muscles at high intensity for short periods of time, you develop much stronger muscles, increase your oxygen capacity, fatigue at a slower rate, and improve your VO2 Max, which is the highest amount of oxygen you can consume during any exercise, and increase your metabolic rates. All this improves your cardiovascular and respiratory systems.
One aspect of aerobic versus anaerobic exercise is the amount of calories burned during each. You will find fewer calories are burned during anaerobic workouts, however, your anaerobic energy expenditure is greater and you will build and strengthen your muscles more so than with cardio alone. Contrary to belief….increased muscle mass actuals allows you to become leaner. Not I am not talking about becoming a bodybuilder, just strengthening and toning your muscles.
What is the purpose of anaerobic exercise?
When performing workouts which tap all oxygen stores, going beyond your aerobic capacity. Anaerobic exercise will increase heart rate and produce lactic acid, reaching your anaerobic threshold. This lactic acid builds up in your blood, which causes muscle fatigue and ultimately, reduces the amount of time in performing this exercise.
Based on the above, it doesn’t sound too impressive or practical. What actually occurs though, is no mystery…your body adapts to the level of fatigue and starts to counteract with both, strengthening your body and your mind. Your body works to purge the lactic acid from your blood quicker and your mind works on allowing such fatigue to affect your performance less.
How can anaerobic exercise be implemented?
First, reference your present level of fitness. As this type of exercise should be reserved for the experienced runner or other athlete. If you are just getting back into shape, it would be best to refrain from anaerobic activities, as it is more stressful on your body.
If you are at a fitness level to start such a grueling program, take some measure to reduce your chance of injury. Start by doing about ten minutes of aerobic exercise, such as jogging, and a slight round of stretching. You will want your muscles loose as you will tax your muscles to the point of exhaustion. Be sure also to have a good recovery segment for all sessions completed.
Outside of weight training, interval training may be your best starting point. Though exercising with weights pushes your muscles to the absolute edge of fatigue, you are not moving. Interval training calls for movement, as well as muscle strengthening exercises. There are several variations of interval training, such as track workouts, hill repeats, and fartlek’s.
In summary, here are a few tips to consider. If you are new to exercise, work first towards building some aerobic capacity before your start an anaerobic routine. Always make certain to get a clean bill of health from your physician before proceeding. Please forgo this type of training if you are pregnant. Schedule in complete warm-up and down-cool sessions.
