Last blog, I discussed the benefits of aerobic activity. For this blog, I’m going to discuss anaerobic activity, which is the opposite of aerobic activity. Instead of keeping a slow pace, we use a short burst of exercise at high speed. Besides being the opposite of aerobic, what exactly does anaerobic mean? Well, aerobic activity thrives off of the use of oxygen. Being that anaerobic is the opposite of aerobic, it means without air. How can one participate in any type of activity without air? Type is the key word.
Anaerobic activities are short term activities that rely solely on power, speed and explosion for execution of said activity. Examples of anaerobic activities include sprinting, power lifting, or basketball. What is it about these sports that makes them anaerobic sports? For the majority of the time, athletes must use fast-twitch muscle fibers in order to execute necessary movements throughout the activity. For example, when a sprinter is coming out of the blocks, he/she explodes out as hard and as fast as they can without losing control of their movements. Or think of when a basketball player goes up to dunk the ball. He/she is not going to jog up to the goal and effortlessly hop up and dunk the ball, he/she will more than likely be approaching the goal close to full speed in order to obtain maximum or optimal momentum for their jump. Why is it important to be anaerobically efficient?
Whenever I’ve asked friends I’ve met in the gym to run with me, the only concern that ever comes up is weight loss. I get comments like, I’m trying to gain some weight, or I don’t want to lose muscle mass. Well contrary to aerobic activity, anaerobic activity doesn’t burn as many calories, and helps build overall strength and muscle mass. Sprinting is a good way to gain some of the benefits of aerobic activities without having to sacrifice what you would gain from anaerobic activities.
As a sprinter myself, I can say that I’ve maintained around the same weight for the past five years, while enjoying an abundance of energy and a fast metabolism.
References
1Anaerobic: MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia. (n.d.). Retrieved May 23, 2016, from https://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/002230.htm
2Aerobic Vs. Anaerobic Fitness. (2015). Retrieved May 23, 2016, from http://www.livestrong.com/article/334601-aerobic-vs-anaerobic-fitness/
Nice read, I enjoyed reading why it is important to be anaerobically efficient. I agree, good way to gain some of the benefits of aerobic activity.
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