A Sampling of Sports Relying on Anerobic Metabolism

Anaerobic sports require maximal effort over relatively short periods of time. Imagine a baseball player swinging the bat or running to first base; imagine a gymnast sprinting down the runway to perform a vault. In both of these cases the athlete is using mainly existing energy stores that are both limited and easily depleted. You could never imagine a baseball player running to first base, back to home, and back to first base over and over again for 30 minutes with the same power and speed shown while running to first base a single time because it is physiologically impossible to do so. Nor could you ever ask a gymnast to repeatedly perform the floor routine over and over again without a break because it would be impossible to do. What follows is a sampling of sports that have these special characteristics: They involve extreme intensity performed with breaks between each bout of intense effort.

Baseball

Bodybuilding

Football (American)

Gymnastics

Hockey

Track and Field (Sprints, Jumps, and Throws)

Swimming (100 to 400 Meters)

Wrestling