Edited by Mario Agamennone
In this article I will try to simplify as much as possible the description of aerobic and anaerobic activity.
Aerobic indicates - in the presence of oxygen -.
In short, energy is produced aerobically until the oxygen supplied to the muscles during exercise is sufficient, through the cardiovascular system. The more you are aerobically trained, the greater the oxygen carrying capacity.
That said, our skeletal muscles continue to produce energy even when the cardiovascular system is not able to supply enough oxygen to the muscles, so these generate anaerobically, that is, without oxygen .
Anaerobic metabolism - very short periods of 0-20 ", there is no production of lactic acid.
Lactate anaerobic metabolism - average short times, from 20 "-2'30" there is production of lactic acid.
Aerobic metabolism - long times from 2'30 "in po, but reaches maximum use after 20".
The anaerobic system provides most of the energy needed for strength training. During rest, but also during moderate efforts, your muscles work aerobically, because they consume mostly oxygen. In the range between 50% and 85% of maximum capacity, the work progressively turns into anaerobic, since the muscles are unable to use enough oxygen.
The anaerobic lactacid system consumes glucose, a simple sugar derived from the most complex carbohydrates and produces lactic acid, a toxic substance that causes burning sensation in the muscles and leads to fast fatigue. The aerobic system also uses glucose, but fat also burns during the oxidation process. The fat stored in the body is expelled into the bloodstream and transferred to the muscles, where in the presence of oxygen it is burned aerobically together with glucose to produce energy. Fat can only be burned aerobically but the most important thing is that the system's waste products (carbon dioxide and water) do not lead to muscle fatigue. So if reducing body fat is the purpose of your training you need to train aerobically for the purpose of burning a large amount of calories.
If you go into the anaerobic phase, the formation of lactic acid will lead you to a gradual fatigue, therefore to interrupt, in case, the training.
But how to recognize the anaerobic threshold, that is when the system moves from aerobic to markedly anaerobic? The lack of breath is a sign of inadequate oxygenation of the muscles, as well as hyperventilation. The sensation of muscle burning caused by lactic acid is another signal.
Even a fast fatigue that does not allow you to continue the activity is a symptom.
In conclusion, we can say that any aerobic activity such as: running, swimming, walking, cycling, can also be performed at an anaerobic pace.
However, recent studies have shown that the best condition is found in a workout called Interval Training. When we increase the intensity of the exercise and then decrease it to then bring it back to the aerobic threshold and repeating the cycle several times. This will develop a high level of cardiovascular form but do not forget to continue the exercise for at least 20/30 min.
