I get some great questions about exercise all the time. A few days ago one client ask me to define anaerobic exercise. Many people know the general concept of anaerobic exercise, but I wonder if we know exactly how to define anaerobic exercise. Well here it goes.

Anaerobic exercise comprises brief, strength-based activities, such as sprinting or weight training, whereas aerobic exercise is centered around endurance activities, such as marathon running or long-distance cycling.

Anaerobic means "without oxygen", and refers to the energy exchange in living tissue that is independent of oxygen. Anaerobic exercise is brief, high intensity activity where anaerobic metabolism is taking place in muscles. During extended periods of exercise aerobic metabolism supplies the bulk of the energy and the exercise is termed aerobic exercise.

Examples of anaerobic exercise include weight lifting, sprinting, and jumping; any exercise that consists of short exertion, high-intensity movement, is an anaerobic exercise. Anaerobic exercise is typically used by athletes in non-endurance sports to build power and by body builders to build muscle mass.