Anaerobic exercise is a short sharp burst of strenuous activity, ordinarily considered to last less than two minutes in duration. The literal translation of anaerobic is 'without air' or, more pertinently, 'without oxygen'. Essentially the rigorous demands of the exercise means that you will use more oxygen than you can provide your muscles with, which therefore means that your body has to rely on something else for its energy - in this case, creatine phosphate and glycogen.
Benefits & Dangers of Anaerobic Exercise
Through a series of complex internal microbial reactions and processes, the burning of both creatine phosphate and glycogen helps improve metabolism and increase physical fitness. Unfortunately one bi-product of this process is a lactic acid build-up. Whilst lactic acid doesn't have a detrimental effect on the body - barring a bit of a stitch or a touch of cramp - in small doses, too much can be harmful; which is why anaerobic exercise should only be done in short spurts, with sufficient resting period afterwards to allow the body to recover and reduce the levels of lactic acid in the blood stream.
In time however, the body will gradually build a greater tolerance to the lactic acid build up and gradually increase its natural lactate threshold. As with aerobic exercises, when done regularly, anaerobic activities will help improve your cardio-respiratory system, aiding future workouts and improving general health and fitness.
Whilst aerobic exercise primarily builds endurance as well as improving general fitness, anaerobic exercise is a far more focused regimen, requiring a near maximal level of energy. Over time anaerobic exercises will help improve your speed and fitness, giving you a greater ability to inject bursts of energy into sports and activities.
Boosting Fitness with Interval Training
Interval training is an excellent way of getting a particularly extensive anaerobic workout. As the name suggests, interval training is an anaerobic exercise performed in intermittent bursts, interspersed with longer aerobic sessions or rest periods to allow the body to recover before starting again.
This could mean walking for a few minutes, jogging or sprinting for 30 seconds to a minute, walking again for a few minutes, before repeating the process. Of course this process can be also be applied to a variety of activities, including swimming, cycling and rowing. As you would expect, this form of exercise can be particularly strenuous; therefore it is not advised that people just beginning their fitness programme attempt interval training, at least not until a sufficient level of fitness has been attained.
Finding the Right Activity
As with all forms of exercise, it is always best to try and find an activity that you enjoy. Whilst the very idea of an intensive training session may be enough to put some people off, counteracting this with an enjoyable sport or exercise routine may well help you get the most out of it. So whether you enjoy rigorous circuit training or prefer getting out on your bike, there really is no limit of options available to you. Better still and thanks largely to cardiovascular home gym equipment like the exercise bike, cross trainer and treadmill, you don't even need to leave the safety of your own home in order to get a great anaerobic workout.