Exercise that is anaerobic --- meaning "without air" --- strengthens speed and power by using your muscles for short, intense bursts. Anaerobic exercise does not use oxygen for energy and, therefore, does not last longer than about two minutes, at which point oxygen will have to be used to keep the body going. There are several types of anaerobic exercises that you can incorporate into your workouts to increase speed and strength.
Sprinting
Sprinting provides an anaerobic workout that can increase muscle power. Sprint workouts can be done in distances ranging from 60 m to 400 m, or one lap around a standard-size running track. Sprint workouts can help you cut your race times if you are a runner, or help you build muscle, especially leg muscles, as well as boost your metabolism permanently, helping you burn more calories even when you are at rest. Sprinting requires no equipment except comfortable running clothes and shoes.
Weightlifting
Weightlifting is another aerobic workout that strengthens muscles and increases metabolism, as well as reduces the risk of conditions such as osteoporosis and lower back pain, according to The President's Council on Fitness, Sports & Nutrition. Weightlifting can vary from short, intense intervals of lifting heavy weights to circuit training, which incorporates aerobic exercises and light weights. Weightlifting works by overloading the muscles with more resistance than they are used to, which causes muscle tissue to break down and rebuild itself to become stronger. It is important to rest for at least one day between weightlifting workouts so your muscles have time to heal and rebuild.
How Anaerobic Exercise Works
Anaerobic exercises do not last long because oxygen is not used. During the intense effort of anaerobic exercise, you cannot breathe in enough oxygen to sustain yourself, so you need to rest and recover by breathing. Since anaerobic exercises do not use oxygen for energy, lactic acid is produced. Lactic acid causes muscle fatigue and must be burned up by the body during recovery before you can do more anaerobic exercise. The recovery period also allows the muscles to use oxygen to replenish the energy used during anaerobic exercise.
Recommendations
The American College of Sports Medicine recommends doing eight to 10 strength-training exercises, with eight to 12 repetitions of each exercise twice a week. For strength training, you can do weightlifting exercises, sprinting workouts or a combination of both. Instead of eight to 10 sprinting exercises, try doing sprint repeats, such as six 100 m sprints or a set of two 400 m, 200 m and 100 m sprints.
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