15th March 2008
The Principles of Anaerobic Exercise
Anaerobic exercise is mainly associated with muscle building or
weight lifting. Technically all types of anaerobic exercises are
described as movements that are carried out “without oxygen.”
This means that on a molecular level, the cells are not requiring
additional oxygen through heavy breathing to accomplish the move.
Weight lifters still breathe but they are not in an oxygen
deficit constantly like aerobic exercisers are as they raise
their heart rate while exercising.
The principle of needing less oxygen is just the exact opposite
of aerobic exercises, which require more oxygen and an
accelerated heartbeat to work properly. Aerobic exercises include
such activities as cycling, jumping rope, swimming, spinning on a
stationary cycle, rebounding and running.
Different types of anaerobic exercises are typically used in
non-endurance sports to build muscle mass. Muscles that are
training under anaerobic conditions develop in a different way
then muscles that are training for activities that are of a short
duration. Muscles bulk up quickly and becoming very strong. This
is due to the contraction and protraction of muscle fibers, which
work a lot harder without the oxygen constantly being pumped into
the lungs as the result of the body going into a deficit.
Muscle training works differently because it forces the body to
use processes that are not dependant on oxygen to produce energy.
In fact the ideal intention of many types of anaerobic exercises
is to make muscles work harder. Muscles that don’t have
sufficient oxygen to meet the demands of the activity bulk up.
This does not mean that the body does not receive any oxygen at
all when you are working anaerobically in a gymnasium. It just
means that you are not using as much oxygen as if you were
jogging or swimming.
Anaerobic exercise involves muscular effort, usually short bursts
of activity followed by periods of rest. Types of anaerobic
exercises include rowing, push-ups, pull-ups, tug of war, sit-ups
and squats.
All weight lifting exercises are also anaerobic in nature. Many
types of anaerobic exercises associated with weightlifting
include working with pulleys, medicine balls and slant boards.
These are not expansive exercise and are typically performed in a
gym or weight room. This is very unlike an aerobic exercise,
which usually requires that the body travel unless you are using
a training machine such as a stationary bicycle.
Different types of anaerobic exercises can also be used as part
of interval training. Interval training is a very efficient way
to lose weight and build muscle. Interval training involves
practicing different types of anaerobic exercises such as weight
lifting in tandem with aerobic exercises such as cycling, jogging
and jumping rope. The combination of both exercises is an
effective way to lose weight and keep it off for good.
Even better, practicing anaerobic exercises can help you build
lean muscle. Lean muscle keeps on burning fat long after you stop
exercising. This is why anaerobic exercise is such an important
component of an exercise program that is geared towards achieving
weight loss.
|
