Understanding Exercise & Training Terms: Anaerobic training

We will post some very simple explanations to the confusing terms and concepts related to exercise and training. Our term to review today is anaerobic training.

Just what the heck is anaerobic training or the anaerobic threshold anyway?

Really understanding training terminology isn’t all that necessary, but, you sure can sound pretty smart when talking to your friends about your wild and effective exercise methods. Let’s cover a few simple points of physiology to help get us started.

Your body requires oxygen to live. Your body burns calories based on the how your muscles burn glucose in response to physical demand. Your body can burn glucose in the presence of oxygen and without oxygen. When muscles burn glucose with oxygen it is called aerobic. When muscles burn glucose without oxygen it is called anaerobic.

Anaerobic threshold

The anaerobic threshold is the highest level of maximum oxygen uptake achievable in exercise before a significant increase in blood lactate occurs. This means that as your body trains anaerobically it becomes better at utilizing oxygen while burning glucose. When your anaerobic threshold improves, your body becomes better equipped to train without having blood lactate levels or lactic acid levels cause a decrease in athletic performance. Athletes like Lance Armstrong have very high anaerobic thresholds. They can compete without having their muscular system fail due to increased lactate levels (or lactic acid accumulation).
It is just that simple. So here’s how that relates to training.

Training aerobically and anaerobically

Training aerobically can best be described by the 30 minute steady state treadmill run. That is running at a slow steady pace for an extended time period. Training anaerobically can best be described by short sprints that require all out effort for a brief time period.

Here’s why this matters to you. Both methods of training by themselves are valuable for any type of exercise enthusiast. But for an exercise program to be effective, it must incorporate both types of training. By far, the most challenging type of training is anaerobic. This can be characterized by high intensity interval training or station-based resistance training with short rest periods. This method of training is extremely effective for people that desire weight-loss as a side effect of the exercise program.

Here is one important point for you to know. If you are new to anaerobic training, it may take a little while for your body to become an efficient fat-burning machine. However, the longer you exercise properly utilizing anaerobic methods, the better your results could be in both weight-loss and cardiovascular enhancement.