Benefits of Anaerobic Exercise

The benefits of anaerobic exercise are realized from performing short intense work. These benefits consist of both training effect and long-term effects on health.

Anaerobic literally means 'without oxygen' and occurs when an exercise is of such intensity that the muscle receives insufficient oxygen to meet the demands of the activity. Anaerobic exercise consists of brief high-intensity spurts and is used to build power and muscle mass.

The anaerobic threshold or lactate threshold (LT) is the exercise intensity at which lactate starts to accumulate in the blood stream. This value represents the maximum intensity you can sustain during endurance exercise. You have a limited amount of time that you can spend above LT before you give in to muscle fatigue. The good news is that LT can be raised through training.

Although weight training is the most common form of anaerobic exercise, you can get a great anaerobic workout on the bike too. Fartlek, which means 'speed play' and is most commonly used by runners, is a method of anaerobic training in which you exceed your LT temporarily, then drop back down below LT slightly to recover for the next effort.

Another method, with which cyclists will be more familiar, is interval training. Intervals are similar to Fartlek in the sense that you will be increasing intensity above LT and then recovering below, but the goal is to spend short amounts of time well above LT with recovery well below. Both of these types of anaerobic training burn more calories than continuous aerobic sessions.

Studies have shown that anaerobic training can deliver results much faster than aerobic training alone. However, be careful that you have built a sufficient aerobic base before incorporating high-intensity anaerobic intervals into your training sessions in order to avoid injury.

There's no doubt that anaerobic training helps to build strength and endurance. But it also has been shown to improve posture, flexibility, joint health, sleep, blood pressure, and bone strength. Anaerobic training also increases metabolism to burn more calories and increases the occurrence of beneficial natural body hormones like Human Growth Hormone.

Add intervals to you training routine to increase strength, speed, and explosive power on the bike. The benefits of anaerobic exercise will have you making gains that will put you in the front of the pack.