During anaerobic exercise, your heart rate speeds up, putting you closer to your maximum heart rate, or MHR. Anaerobic exercise differs from aerobic activity in other ways, too. Working out within this training zone isn't associated with prolonged physical activity required during aerobic exercise. Rather, anaerobic exercise is associated with activities that require short, intense bursts of energy.
Aerobic and Anaerobic
"Aerobic" literally means "with oxygen," and "anaerobic" means "without oxygen." During aerobic activity, your body uses oxygen to convert carbohydrates into fuel. During anaerobic exercise, your body uses the carbohydrates stored in your muscles, called glycogen, according to the American Council on Exercise, or ACE. One byproduct of anaerobic exercise is lactic acid, which makes your muscles ache and burn after a bout of intense activity, such as running up steps. This burning sensation is your physical cue to stop or slow down so your body can recover.
Heart Rate
You determine your maximum heart rate, or MHR, by subtracting your age from the number 220. Working out in the aerobic zone has your heart pumping at between 70 percent and 80 percent of its maximum. Your anaerobic zone is somewhere between 80 percent and 90 percent of your MHR, says sports coach Brian Mackenzie. For example, if you are 40 years old, your MHR is 180. When you train within the aerobic zone, your heart beats between 126 and 144 beats per minute, or bpm. Exercising in the anaerobic zone has your heart beating between 144 and 162 bpm.
Examples
According to the American Sports Medicine Institute, anaerobic activity is any activity that lasts from 30 seconds to two minutes. Examples include weight lifting, sprinting and any sport that involves a short burst of extremely intense activity. In the context of your fitness program, you may find yourself entering the anaerobic zone when you do interval training such as alternating between walking for two minutes and running for two minutes.
Cautions
If you've just started an exercise program, don't push yourself into the anaerobic zone. ACE indicates that most healthy adults exercise so their heart beats between 50 percent and 80 percent of their MHR. When starting out, keep your target heart rate at the low end of this range, ACE advises. Increase the intensity of your exercise as your body becomes stronger.
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