A short, fast sprint triggers the anaerobic threshold.
The word "anaerobic" means "without oxygen." Anaerobic exercise uses muscles at high intensity and at a rapid activity level for a short period of time, usually within two minutes. Anaerobic conditioning helps increase muscle strength and enables the body to act for quick bursts of speed. Examples of anaerobic conditioning exercise are weightlifting and sprinting.
How Anaerobic Conditioning Works
There are two types of anaerobic energy: high energy creatine phosphates and anaerobic glycolysis. The high energy phosphates are stored in very small quantities within muscle cells. Anaerobic glycolysis uses glucose as a fuel in the absence of oxygen; the consequence of rapid glucose breakdown is the formation of lactic acid. 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.
What Anaerobic Conditioning Does
The point at which anaerobic exercise forces the body to accumulate lactic acid in the blood stream it is called the anaerobic threshold or the AT. It is also known as the lactacte threshold or the LT. The lactate threshold is a useful gauge for deciding exercise intensity duration for training and racing in endurance sports such as long distance running, cycling, rowing and swimming. The LT varies depending on the individual and can be increased with training. It is also used by athletes in non-endurance sports to promote strength, speed and power in short bursts, particularly by body builders in order to build muscle mass.
Anaerobic vs. Aerobic
Muscles trained using anaerobic exercise develop differently compared to aerobic exercise. In contrast to the greater burst of fitness performance of anaerobic conditioning, aerobic exercise involves lower intensity activities that require a significant oxygen intake while training and that are performed for longer periods of time. Such activities include walking, swimming, cycling and skiing. For many athletes it is necessary to develop both systems of training to attain a peak level of fitness. Aerobic exercise relies on oxygen, anaerobic relies on glucose or glycogen. If both are used, muscles are toned more effectively and efficiently.
Types of Anaerobic Conditioning
Think brief and intense, and it is possible to condition the body with several anaerobic exercises throughout the day. Taking a short but brisk walk in the morning on the way to work or pushing young children in their strollers to the park can be incorporated into most daily routines. Move faster in 30 second to two minute intervals, resting between times. Invest in some small hand or ankle weights and lift them in the same interval period while you watch TV. As fitness levels increase, sprinting on the spot or cycling on a stationary bike can be used to raise the level of anaerobic conditioning.
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