Anaerobic exercises may last only two minutes or less, but this type of workout actually burns more calories than aerobic exercise. Unlike aerobic exercise, anaerobic exercise burns a higher percentage of calories from glycogen and provides a longer afterburn of calories. Check with your physician before you try anaerobic exercise, which raises your heart rate close to your maximum heart rate.
Anaerobic Exercise
Anaerobic exercise does not use oxygen to create energy during activity. You burn a higher percentage of glycogen than fat, and during quick movements, you use high-twitch muscle fibers. You engage your anaerobic energy system when you reach 80 percent or more of your maximum heart rate for many anaerobic exercises. Training at more than 90 percent of your maximum heart rate may not be appropriate for anaerobic workouts, since you may tire yourself too quickly to finish a full workout. Shoot for 80 percent to 90 percent of your maximum heart rate if your goal is calorie burning or improving cardiovascular stamina.
When you move your body, you deplete the adenosine triphosphate that helps you contract your muscles. When you use up your ATP, you need to create more to continue using your muscles. Your muscles convert glycogen to ATP to do this, creating lactic acid, which can cause muscle fatigue and cramps. Since your bloodstream removes some lactic acid during each recovery period and your muscles are able to replenish stores of adenosine triphosphate, you create less lactic acid than during aerobic exercise.
Sports
Activities such as tennis, racquetball, volleyball, basketball and football are anaerobic, because you perform points or plays at a very high intensity for less than two minutes. Your ability to recover after each point or play is important. Anaerobic workouts help you train your ability to recover more quickly, something aerobic exercise does not do.
Circuit Training
Often used to improve muscular endurance, circuit training is an efficient way to create an anaerobic workout. Use very little weight or resistance as you move from exercise to exercise. Work at a high intensity for 30 to 60 seconds, taking a two- or three-minute recovery break after each circuit. Bodyweight exercises and calisthenics are good choices for creating anaerobic exercises.
Resistance Training
Resistance training is another example of anaerobic exercise, because you perform repetitions for short periods at high intensities. You can bodybuild with high loads and fewer reps, or create a circuit-training routine using metabolic resistance training. In addition to bodyweight exercises, you can use dumbbells, resistance bands, a kettlebell, free weights or a home gym.
Sprint Training
Performing short, high-intensity sprints on a treadmill, while jogging, rowing or cycling, creates anaerobic exercises. Start with 30-second sprints followed by 90 seconds of recovery. Lengthen sprints and recovery periods as you build stamina.
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