Anaerobic Exercise: Definition, Benefits & Examples

Anaerobic Exercise: Definition, Benefits & Examples

Anaerobic exercise, why it's good for you, and different kinds of workouts.

What is Anaerobic Exercise?

Anaerobic means without oxygen. 

Anaerobic exercise is a kind of exercise that happens in short bursts (like weightlifting, jumping, and sprinting), where your body needs more oxygen than it is getting.

Glycolysis

While aerobic exercise relies on oxygen, anaerobic exercise is fueled by energy stored in your muscles through a process called glycolysis.

Glycolysis...

-Glycogen= a complicated sugar molecule

-When you exercise, the glycogen in your body is broken down into glucose, which is simplified sugar.

-This glucose is then made into energy. This process (known as glycolysis) happens in your muscles during anaerobic exercise. The lack of oxygen in this process also creates lactic acid.

Lactic acid:

Lactic acid forms when your body breaks down glucose for energy when oxygen is low.

In other words, lactic acid is what makes your muscles sore after a work out!

Open Ended

Anaerobic exercise isn't just good for handling lactic acid... it can benefit your overall health! Name ways that anaerobic exercise (quick bursts of movement with little oxygen) can benefit your body and health:

Anaerobic exercise helps you:

• Build and maintain lean muscle mass (strong but slim!).

• Protects your joints. Increased muscle strength and muscle mass helps protect your joints, which can protect you from injuring yourself.

• Boosts metabolism. Anaerobic exercise helps boost metabolism because it helps build and keep lean muscle.

Open Ended

What is metabolism?

Anaerobic exercise also:

• Increases bone strength and density. Anaerobic activity will increase the strength and density of your bones more than any other type of exercise, which lowers your risk of osteoporosis (bone disease).

• Improves your energy. Your body relies on glycogen stored in your muscles as energy. 

• Increases sports performance. Regular anaerobic exercise increases strength, speed, and power, which will help improve your sports performance!

Open Ended

Knowing what you now know, give me some examples of good anaerobic exercises that you can do to help your muscles and bones:

Examples of Anaerobic Exercise

Examples of anaerobic exercise include:

-heavy weight training

-sprinting (running or cycling)

-jumping.

Basically, any exercise that consists of short bursts of energy and high-intensity movement is an anaerobic exercise!

WEIGHTLIFTING

SPRINTS

JUMPING