Training Dictionary
Anaerobic Training
Definition: Anaerobic training is exercise that is difficult enough to stress muscles hard enough to produce energy without oxygen.
The training must be both intense enough and long enough to bring about an appropriate training stimulus. Depending on the mix of intensity and duration, a variety of anaerobic training adaptations can be made ranging from becoming a faster sprinter to being a stronger climber.
Effects of Exercise
Anaerobic training increases the capacity to work in anaerobic conditions due to a greater extraction rate of energy from fuel and a greater capacity to recycle waste products into fuel (lactate --> energy).1
Anaerobic training also increases muscular strength due to hypertrophy (enlargement of muscle cells) and neuromuscular adaptations (more synchronous, efficient usage of muscles).
With enough training stimulus at a high enough level, some fast twitch (oxidative) muscle convert to fast twitch (glycolytic) muscle.
Important Details
Spending time riding in your anaerobic zones will bring you great gains in fitness but it's playing with fire in a paper factory if implementing it into your training without a plan
Sources:
1 Nelson D. L., M. M. Cox 2005. Principles of Biochemistry. 4th Edition. W. H. Freeman & Company, New York 857 p.
