Anaerobic Endurance Exercises

Anaerobic exercise is short and intense. It works to expand your muscles and build strength and endurance, which enables you to work out longer and harder. Anaerobic exercise does not result in immediate weight loss, but it increases your muscles ability to work harder, which in turn burns more calories. Examples of anaerobic exercise include sprinting, weightlifting, push-ups, pull-ups, squats and jumping rope. Check with your doctor before embarking on any new exercise regime and always warm up beforehand.

  1. Sprinting

    • Try doing a 30 second sprint at 60% intensity, then recover by walking or jogging for two minutes, then sprint at 80% intensity for 30 seconds, and again recover by walking or jogging for two minutes. Next go all out at 100% intensity for 30 seconds as many times as you can, recovering for 2 minutes between sprints. When you start, you may want to only do four sprints. Build up to eight sprints and you'll find your fitness increasing.

    Squats

    • Imagine you are about to sit on a chair or a bench behind you. Lower yourself as low as you can go, with a 90 degree angle in your knee and keeping your back as straight as possible. When you can go no further, bring yourself back up again straight and repeat. Go down slowly, with more intensity than coming up and maintain a steady pace. Do squats in sets of one minute with a break of 30 seconds to allow recovery time and build up to three to five minutes, with resting time of 60 seconds. Repeat three times.

    Jump Rope

    • Get a rope that is fast and effective, like a lightweight plastic rope. Check for the correct length by putting your foot in the middle of the rope--the handles should stretch to your armpits. Start by jumping for 20 seconds at high intensity, and then recovering for 60 seconds. Build it up gradually to jumping rope for three minutes, resting for 60 seconds. Repeat six times.