When it comes to physical activity there are two different forms: aerobic and anaerobic. Anaerobic exercising is the activities that do not require oxygen, and cannot be sustained for long periods of time. These activities rely mainly on the fast twitch muscle fibers. A few examples of anaerobic are sprinting or weight lifting. These types of activities cannot be done over an extended period of time.
However, they do help build lean tissue and improve the quality of body composition. An anaerobic capacity test is a test conducted that will measure the individual’s body ability to take on exercise for short time period, but at a very high intensity level. The Wingate cycle test determines the muscular strength, power, and muscular endurance of the individual.
On the other hand, aerobic fitness or otherwise known as cardiovascular fitness is the body’s ability to exercise over an extended period of time in the presence of oxygen. These forms of activities rely mainly on the slow twitch muscle fibers. Some of the activities include marathon running and cycling. A benefit to these forms of exercise is that they help increase the red blood cells, and make the heart stronger and more capable of delivering blood to the numerous organs.
It is important to have a training program that incorporates both cardiovascular and muscular fitness, which will allow more oxygenated blood to be delivered per beat and increases the amount of myglobin in the muscles so they can take on more amounts of oxygen, therefore allowing more work to be completed. This is why most fitness trainers will recommend cross training.