Anaerobic exercise
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Anaerobic exercise is complementary to aerobic exercise. The early stage of all exercise is anaerobic.
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Introduction
Anaerobic literally means "without air", and refers to the energy exchange in muscles during short, high intensity workouts. Anaerobic exercise is one where anaerobic metabolism is taking place. In a long exercise the glycogen supply local to the muscle runs out and the body converts to aerobic metabolism; when aerobic metabolism is sustaining the workout it is an aerobic exercise.
During the anaerobic phase, energy is released and made available to muscles by converting immediately available sugars in the blood to lactic acid. In the following aerobic phase, a more slowly available oxygen supply is required, enabling the lactic acid to be broken down to carbon dioxide and water, releasing larger amounts of energy.
Examples of anaerobic exercise include heavy weight lifting, sprinting, and jumping; any exercises that consist of short (roughly no more than 3 minutes, typically a few seconds) exertion is an anaerobic exercise. Most anaerobic exercises are performed in sets. Anaerobic exercise is typically used by athletes in non-endurance sports to build power and by body builders to build muscle mass. Muscles that are trained under anaerobic exercise develop biologically differently giving them greater performance in short duration-high intensity activities. While aerobic exercise is more popular for weight loss, anaerobic exercise helps in weight loss by increasing the resting metabolism of an individual.
Anaerobic exercise uses muscles at high intensity and a high rate of work for a short period of time. Anaerobic exercise helps us increase our muscle strength and stay ready for quick bursts of speed. Think of short and fast when you think of anaerobic exercise.
Lactic acid contributes to muscle fatigue and must be burned up by the body during a recovery period before another anaerobic bout of exercise can be attempted. The recovery period also allows the muscles to use oxygen to replenish the energy used during the high intensity exercise.
Aerobic exercise, on the other hand, includes lower intensity activities performed for longer periods of time. Activities like walking, jogging, swimming, and cycling require a great deal of oxygen to make the energy needed for prolonged exercise.
Both aerobic and anaerobic exercises are needed for the development of physical fitness. Check with your healthcare provider before you start an exercise program. Choose activities that you enjoy, and that are readily accessible.
Anaerobics
Anaerobics are activities that are carried out 'without oxygen'. (Note: in anaerobic exercise we are never truly without oxygen, it's just that oxygen cannot meet the demand of the activity.) They involve higher-intensity, shorter-duration bursts of activity to produce the training effect. Anaerobics are therefore the opposite of aerobics. You can incorporate anaerobic activities into your workout by increasing the intensity of your training.
The benefits of this type of training include:
- Higher calorie consumption
- Increased metabolism
- Shorter, more effective workouts
- The exercise is anabolic in nature, meaning that it promotes lean tissue.
Anaerobic threshold
The anaerobic threshold (AT) is the exercise intensity at which lactate (lactic acid) starts to accumulate in the blood stream. This happens when it is produced faster than it can be metabolized. This point is sometimes referred to as the lactate threshold, or the onset of blood lactate accumulation (OBLA). When exercising below the AT intensity any lactate produced by the muscles is removed by the body without it building up.
The anaerobic threshold is a useful measure for deciding exercise intensity for training and racing in endurance sports (eg distance running, cycling, rowing, swimming and cross country skiing).
Accurately measuring the anaerobic threshold involves taking blood samples (normally a pinprick to the thumb) during a ramp test where the exercise intensity is progressively increased.
Although the anaerobic threshold is defined as the point when lactic acid starts to accumulate, some testers approximate this by using the point at which lactate reaches a concentration of 4 mM (at rest it is around 1 mM).
A person's anaerobic threshold can be improved by exercising, and can vary between different sports. By definition a person's anaerobic threshold will never exceed their VO2max - the point at which their body cannot supply any more oxygen to the muscles. The relation between the two is reliant on the amount of training - an untrained individual reaches their AT at approximately 55%-60% of their VO2 max, whereas elite endurance athletes reach their ATs at about 80-90% of VO2 max.