Introduction[edit | edit source] Show
Anaerobic exercise is any activity that breaks down glucose for energy without using oxygen. Generally, these activities are of short length with high intensity. The idea is that a lot of energy is released within a small period of time, and the oxygen demand surpasses the oxygen supply. Exercises and movements that require short bursts of intense energy are examples of anaerobic exercises. These include:
Anaerobic energy system[edit | edit source]The body has three primary ways of creating energy. These physiological pathways are called energy systems.
The anaerobic energy system (also called the lactic acid system) is the body’s way of creating energy in the form of ATP quickly. Primarily using glucose as fuel, this energy system powers the muscles anywhere from ten to thirty seconds for intense efforts. The anaerobic system bypasses the use of oxygen to create ATP quickly through glycolysis (see image 2). Even though this energy system produces energy rapidly, because of anaerobic byproducts, it is limited due to the excess byproducts. Physiology[edit | edit source]The anaerobic energy system produces significantly less ATP than its aerobic counterpart and leads to the build-up of lactic acid. Exercises typically thought of as anaerobic consist of fast twitch muscles eg sprinting, high-intensity interval training (HIIT), power-lifting. Sustained anaerobic exercise, causes a sustained increase in lactate and metabolic acidosis. As the effort becomes more intense, the amount of lactate eventually outpaces the body’s ability to use and clear it. This transition point is referred to anaerobic threshold (AT).
Through the process of glycolysis, blood glucose or muscle glycogen is converted to pyruvate, which will either enter the mitochondria or be converted to lactate, depending on the intensity of exercise.
Lactate production should not be viewed as a negative metabolic event, but as a consequence of high-intensity exercise. With this increasing exercise intensity there is a shift toward the recruitment of more fast-twitch muscle fibers, which have metabolic characteristics that are geared toward glycolysis. Slow twitch oxidative muscle fibers are metabolically suited for lactate oxidation[5]. Anaerobic Capacity and Anaerobic Power[edit | edit source]
2. Anaerobic power: Maximal power (work per unit time) developed during all-out, short-term physical effort; reflects energy-output capacity of intramuscular high-energy phosphates (ATP and PCr) and/or anaerobic glycolysis. This system is depleted quickly and is used for short bursts of intense power output[7]
Benefits[edit | edit source]Anaerobic exercises push your body and lungs to rely on energy sources stored in the muscles. The benefits include:
Anaerobic high intensity interval training (HIIT)[edit | edit source]Anaerobic high intensity interval training (HIIT) is a highly desirable workout, because it engaging all muscle fibers, the fast twitch as well as the slow twitch. This makes anaerobic (HIIT) good for a complete training effect. The benefits from anaerobic (HIT) exercise depend on the effort put in. Maximum “effort” by a large muscle mass, such as the legs, produces optimum benefits for the whole body.
Examples of Health Related Research
References[edit | edit source]
Which energy system is most active during short bursts of high intensity activity?The anaerobic lactic (AL) system (also known as fast glycolysis) provides energy for medium to high-intensity bursts of activity that lasts from 10 seconds to a max of approximately 90 seconds.
Which energy system is used during short intense periods of activity?ATP-PC system is predominantly used during maximum intensity activities lasting no longer than 10 seconds.
Which energy system is used during very short duration high intensity exercise?So to recap, high intensity exercises (HIIT, sprinting, etc) rely primarily on the phosphagen (anaerobic) energy system and fast glycolysis (anaerobic).
Which energy system is used primarily during high intensity activity?The phosphagen system– This system provides ATP primarily for short-term, high-intensity activities such as sprinting and resistance training. This energy system relies on hydrolysis of ATP (when the energy is released) and the breakdown of another high-energy phosphate called Creatine phosphate or phosphocreatine.
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