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Anaerobic exercise is any type of activity that doesn’t use oxygen to break down glucose for energy. It comes with some significant health benefits! HIIT training, Pilates, yoga, and weight lifting all fall under the umbrella of anaerobic.
There’s a wide world of physical activities, from handball to ice skating to salsa dancing (just watch the Olympics late at night if you need proof). And while the specifics of how you move your body may vary, you might think that all exercise uses the same energy pathways. But that’s actually not entirely true.
For example, anaerobic exercise differs from other types of activity in the way it uses energy.
Unlike aerobic exercise (better known as cardio among gym-goers), anaerobic exercise breaks down glucose for energy without using oxygen in the process. Some forms of anaerobic exercise include sprinting, HIIT training, squats, and vinyasa yoga. Anaerobic exercise can burn fat, strengthen your bones, boost your mood, and more.
Want to learn the many benefits of this type of exercise? Read on for your guide to all things anaerobic.
Let’s talk about word origins for a moment, shall we? The word anaerobic means “able to live without oxygen” and comes from the Greek an (“without”), aēr (“air”), and bios (“life”).
This etymological root accurately describes anaerobic exercise. While aerobic activity uses oxygen to break down glucose molecules in the blood, anaerobic activity causes your muscles to contract faster than your body can supply oxygen.
So, how exactly does it work? Join us for phase two, this time for science.
Your body stores glucose (from carbohydrates in the foods you eat) in your muscles in the form of glycogen. During anaerobic exercise, muscle cells access glycogen and break it down into individual glucose molecules. These are then used for energy via a process called lactic acid fermentation.
Although this method of using glucose for energy is effective, it doesn’t produce as much energy as aerobic exercise. For this reason, most anaerobic exercise is done in short bursts, like the strength needed to lift a heavy dumbbell over your head or squat down deep.
Anaerobic exercise differs from aerobic exercise in that it doesn’t require oxygen to provide energy for movement. As explained above, a different process is used to get that all-important glucose.
Aerobic exercise, on the other hand, uses the oxygen in the air you breathe to power your workout. During aerobic activities like jogging, swimming or cycling, your breathing gets deeper and your heart rate increases. Your blood vessels even dilate to allow extra-oxygenated blood to reach large muscle groups like those in your legs, arms and chest.
Because aerobic exercise involves a constant cycle of breath and freshly oxygenated blood, it can be done for longer periods of time. (Think running a marathon or swimming the English Channel—or, for us more moderate folks, a 30-minute bike ride around the neighborhood.)
Even though anaerobic exercise comes in small bursts, it can provide big benefits. Here are some of the great results of doing your workout without oxygen.
You’d be hard-pressed to find a form of exercise that doesn’t help you lose weight—after all, using your muscles in almost any way consumes energy and uses up calories you’ve consumed with food.
However, in the past, anaerobic activities have been overlooked in favor of aerobic activities when it comes to weight loss. However, recent research shows that anaerobic workouts such as high-intensity interval training (HIIT) can be just as effective as sweaty cardio workouts for weight loss.
For example, a 2021 analysis that evaluated 12 reviews and 149 studies found that there was no difference between aerobic and HIIT exercise in terms of weight or fat loss as long as energy expenditure was the same.
Other research from 2015 showed that while weight loss was greater when overweight adults participated in aerobic exercise, they still experienced significant weight loss when they only performed anaerobic exercise.
What do weight lifting, yoga, and jumping rope have in common? They’re all anaerobic resistance exercises that can help build strength and density in your bones.
When you stress your bones through activities like these, it prompts the body to stimulate bone-building cells, which ultimately strengthens your skeleton.
If you’ve been feeling down, anaerobic exercise might blow away some of the clouds.
Regular strength training significantly reduced anxiety symptoms in a small 2020 study of young adults. And a 2021 study that included 33 randomized clinical trials found that resistance training was associated with a significant reduction in depressive symptoms.
Sure, cardio is good for your heart—but (surprise!) anaerobic exercise has benefits for your cardiovascular system, too. Research shows that this type of exercise can improve lipid profiles that correlate with heart disease risk.
The concentration and focus required to stay in eagle pose or reach your max on a bench press don’t come for free. Anaerobic activities like these challenge your balance and can help you develop healthy posture. Choose anaerobic exercises like yoga, Pilates, and weight lifting to see results in your physical balance.