What is anaerobic respiration? 

Anaerobic Respiration relies solely on carbohydrates to make energy and does not utilize oxygen in its processes. It cannot use fat or protein cells for energy as aerobic or cellular respiration does.

The production time of anaerobic methods meet the energetic needs of the body very quickly making it great for short term energy needs but not long distance or endurance style activities.

Football players for example would spend a lot of time training anaerobically as most of their sport is quick explosive bursts of activity. Anaerobic respiration only produces 2 molecules of ATP, as compared to the 30-38 molecules from its aerobic counterpart.

What is anaerobic training? There are no set of exercises that exist in a column for aerobic or anaerobic as again your body is smart enough to utilize both methods to create ATP, but it is surely safe to say that all high intensity exercises make us winded. Think about the last time you did burpees, or wall balls, or suicide drills.

You cannot breathe in the amount of oxygen that your body needs, which is why you feel like you can’t breathe.  So because of this, the body learned a way to create energy while you catch your breath. 

Anaerobic Activities Include:

Sprinting

HIIT – High Intensity Interval Training

Olympic Lifts

Tabata

Explosive calisthenics like jumping, burpees, etc.

If most of your training consists of highly intense exercises, you must consume enough carbohydrates in your regular diet to fuel anaerobic respiration.