Key facts
- Marks the shift toward anaerobic energy production.
- Closely tied to the lactate threshold.
- Effort beyond it can't be sustained for long.
- Raised through high-intensity training.
At low intensities, your body fuels exercise mostly aerobically, using oxygen. As intensity rises past the anaerobic threshold, it leans increasingly on anaerobic energy systems that don't need oxygen but produce fatigue and lactate quickly. Above this point, you're on borrowed time — the effort can't last long.
The anaerobic threshold is closely related to the lactate threshold and marks the divide between sustainable and unsustainable intensity. High-intensity interval training improves your ability to work at and above this threshold, expanding the range of efforts you can handle before fatiguing.
Frequently asked questions
What happens above the anaerobic threshold?
Your body relies increasingly on anaerobic energy, producing lactate and fatigue rapidly, so the effort can only be sustained for a short time before you have to slow down.
How do I improve my anaerobic threshold?
High-intensity interval training and efforts near threshold intensity push it higher, increasing how hard you can work before fatigue forces you to back off.
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