Anaerobic Exercise Analysis

Anaerobic and aerobic exercise were determined to effectively influence muscle oxygen uptake at the cellular level. Evaluating and measuring the effectiveness of the two types of exercise on oxygen uptake would inform the advantages and disadvantages they have on muscles. Significant amounts of oxygen are consumed by the human muscles when moderate intensity aerobic work is performed. Contradictorily, anaerobic exercise causes the body to break down stored glycogen in muscles for energy. Therefore, oxygen availability, biological factors, and exercise intensity are factors contributing to muscle oxygen uptake. Oxygen uptake by muscles during aerobic exercise is affected by the convective and diffusive components of the respiratory system. During aerobic exercise such as running and jogging, convective transport rapidly increases the flow of red blood cells to arterioles and capillaries. Whereas, diffusive transport is more efficient, yet slower in moving oxygen from capillaries to muscle cells (Pittman 2000). Diffusive transport is effective in aerobic exercises where little muscle activation is needed. At low muscle contraction intensity, muscles consume oxygen at a slower rate than at high muscle contraction intensity. The less intense activation of the muscle group causes limited amount of oxygen inhaled (Kooistra et al. 2006). Similarly, Kubo et al. (2008) found no change in the total hemoglobin level, which are red blood cells that have oxygen bound to them, of muscles and tendon elasticity after performing short periods of muscle contraction in walking. However, tendon elasticity improved and oxygenated hemoglobin increased after performing long periods of walking (Kubo et al. 2009). Research by Richards et al. (2012) involving excessive hand-grip exercise showed that greater muscle involvement during performance was associated with high muscle blood flow. Results of these studies revealed that oxygen uptake is limited at a low aerobic exercise intensity, but greater at a more intense level. Variations in oxygen uptake by muscles were shown in a study involving runners on the treadmill at inclined level versus normal level. Inclined running required greater muscle tension in which the body demanded high amount of oxygen to supply to muscles (Pringle 2002). Reis et al. (2012) confirmed this study by studying the effects of swimming on oxygen uptake and ventilator threshold, which is when the body inhale oxygen slower than oxygen uptake by muscles. As predicted, oxygen uptake increased and ventilator threshold only occurred during heavy-intensity swimming. Furthermore, Currie et al. (2009) investigated the effects of cycling on peak oxygen consumption and arterial stiffness in young males for six consecutive days. The researchers determined that peak oxygen consumption remained the same but the participants’ arteries became more elastic due to chronic exposure to greater arterial pressure. Arterial …show more content…
Exercise economy is the amount of oxygen required to maintain movement. Hunter et al. (2008) studied changes in muscle strength and flexibility after performing various resistance exercises, such as jump squats, bench press, and sit-ups, and found that as muscle strength increased there was an increase in glycogen stores in muscles. Glycogen is a type of substrate that can be converted to energy when oxygen supply is insufficient (Hoppeler and Weibel 2000). Stored energy in muscles can then be utilized for both aerobic and anaerobic exercise. Moreover, Albracht and Arampatzis (2013) reported that resistance training paired with endurance training increased tendon stiffness as well as improved running economy. Running economy is the amount of energy required to travel a certain distance. Conversely, Mann et al. (2014) discovered that sprinting on the treadmill resulted in high post-exercise oxygen uptake and slow heart rate recovery. A slow heart rate recovery indicates the amount of oxygen needed for the body to return to its normal state. Ideally, a fast heart rate recovery shows that the body is functioning at the optimum level. High intensity anaerobic exercises typically cause high post-exercise oxygen uptake because the body is incapable of providing adequate oxygen during the physical activity. However, prior entering the Krebs Cycle, the insufficient activation of the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex (PDC) prevents pyruvate from converting to acetyl coenzyme A. The deficiency of PDC inhibits the Krebs Cycle and thus limits the amount of oxygen produced. The Krebs Cycle is a complex series of reactions that living organisms use to produce energy. The result of this phenomenon causes certain muscle groups to not be able to reach maximum oxygen consumption after heavy exercise (Bangsbo