If you want to challenge your endurance level and enhance your cardiovascular fitness, you can do anaerobic exercises at home.
Anaerobic training includes exercises that are performed at high intensity for a short duration, typically for 10 to 30 seconds, for example – sprinting, Tabata, and resistance training.
The anaerobic exercises are so fast that when you do them, your body breaks down stored glucose within the muscle to generate energy without needing oxygen.
In this article, I’ll outline the four best examples of anaerobic exercises you can do at home: Tabata, Plyometrics, HIIT, and Resistance Training. These exercises will promote cardiovascular health, reduce body fat, improve body composition, and take your fitness to the next level.
Combining anaerobic exercises with aerobic ones, you’ll become fitter, stronger, and faster over time.
However, due to the high-intensity nature of this training, I recommend consulting a professional before doing any anaerobic workout mentioned in this article.
4 Best Anaerobic Exercise Examples You Can Do at Home
- Tabata
- Plyometric Jumps
- High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT)
- Strength Training
These workouts require little to no equipment and can easily be done at home.
1. Tabata
Tabata is the best example of anaerobic exercise that you can do at home. It is a high-intensity training program involving short, intense bursts of activity followed by brief intervals (recovery period).
It requires you to perform exercises quickly, typically at 85 to 100 percent of your maximum heart rate.
The one set of Tabata lasts for four minutes and includes 8 rounds. In each round, you’ll exercise for 20 seconds with maximum effort, followed by 10 seconds of rest.
Here’s an example of a 10-minute Tabata workout:
Perform two sets with 2 minutes of rest in between.
- Jumping Jacks: 20-sec work, 10-sec rest
- High Knees: 20-sec work, 10-sec rest
- Pushups: 20-sec work, 10-sec rest
- Squats: 20-sec work, 10-sec rest
- Mountain Climber: 20-sec work, 10-sec rest
- Flutter Kicks: 20-sec work, 10-sec rest
- Shoulder Tap: 20-sec work, 10-sec rest
- Crunches: 20-sec work, 10-sec rest
Tabata is an excellent way to improve aerobic and anaerobic fitness but requires decent stamina and a healthy heart. That is why it is best to avoid it if you’re a beginner or have any cardiovascular health issues.
2. Plyometric Training
Plyometric is another high-intensity anaerobic workout that involves jumping with all effort. A study has shown upper and lower-body plyometric training optimizes performance, reduces the risk of cardiovascular diseases, and promotes a healthy lifestyle.1 EFFECTS OF LOWER AND UPPER BODY PLYOMETRIC TRAINING ON CARDIOVASCULAR VARIABLES OF ATHLETES – ResearchGate
Plyometric training primarily includes jumping exercises, such as vertical jump, squat jump, kneeling jump, and tuck jump.
Here’s an example of 20-min plyometric training:
- Rest between exercises: 30-45 seconds
- Rest between circuits: 2-minute
| Circuit 1 | Circuit 2 | Circuit 3 |
|---|---|---|
| Ankle Hops | Split Jump | Tuck Knee Jump |
| Double Leg Butt Kick | Shoulder Tap Push-up | Plyo Lateral Lunge |
| Plyo Pushups | Broad Jump | Kneeling Squat Jump |
| Single-leg Vertical Jumps | Single-leg Deadlift Jump | Squat Jump |
| Barrier Jump | Pike Jumps | V ups |
3. High-intensity Interval Training (HIIT)
High-intensity interval training involves exercising at a fast pace, giving your all in 10-20 seconds, followed by a short interval period. It can be another workout to include in your anaerobic home workout.
It is similar to Tabata, which I shared above. However, activity and interval time can be adjustable in HIIT. For example, you can perform a certain exercise for 30 seconds and then rest for thirty seconds, unlike 20:10 in Tabata.
You can adjust the activity and interval time. However, you should perform each exercise at a maximum heart rate to stimulate your anaerobic capacity.
Here’s an example of a 20-minute HIIT at home:
| Exercise | Activity | Interval |
|---|---|---|
| Ankle Hops | 20-sec | 20-sec |
| Jumping Jacks | 20-sec | 20-sec |
| Mountain Climber | 20-sec | 30-sec |
| Squat Jump | 10 reps | 30-sec |
| Flutter Kicks | 20-sec | 30-sec |
| Shoulder Taps | 20-sec | 30-sec |
| Burpees | 5 reps | 30-sec |
| High Knees | 20-sec | 30-sec |
| Kneeling Squat Jump | 5 reps | 30-sec |
4. Weight Training
Strength training is also considered an anaerobic workout, especially when lifting heavy weights (above 80% of your one rep max).2 Vianna, Jefferson M et al. “Aerobic and Anaerobic Energy During Resistance Exercise at 80% 1RM.” Journal of Human Kinetics vol. 29A (2011): 69-74. doi:10.2478/v10078-011-0061-6
When you lift at your maximum strength, your body requires instant power, forcing your body to elicit anaerobic energy.
So, if you want to boost your anaerobic fitness while gaining strength and mass, you can lift dumbbells or barbells at home.
Here’s an example of a 20-minute full-body anaerobic dumbbell workout:
- 3-4 Overhead Presses
- 3-4 Bent-Over Dumbbell Rows
- 3-4 Dumbbell Bench/Floor Presses
- 3-4 Dumbbell Deadlifts
- 3-4 minute break, then repeat.
- Do as many rounds as possible in 20 minutes
How Long Should You Do Anaerobic Exercise at Home?
30-75 minutes per week is enough to maximize your endurance and agility. For example, if you train five times a week, you can split the 75 minutes of aerobic training into five days by doing 15 minutes per session.
However, if you’re a beginner and want to level up your anaerobic power, you should start with a short 10-minute workout per session and increase the duration according to your needs.
Can You Lose Weight with Anaerobic Exercises?
Yes, anaerobic exercises can help you lose weight if you do them consistently and eat the right food and quantity.
A study has shown that anaerobic exercises positively influence the lipid profile and can help you lower your body fat percentage.3Patel H, Alkhawam H, Madanieh R, Shah N, Kosmas CE, Vittorio TJ. Aerobic vs anaerobic exercise training effects on the cardiovascular system. World J Cardiol. 2017 Feb 26;9(2):134-138. doi: 10.4330/wjc.v9.i2.134. PMID: 28289526; PMCID: PMC5329739.
Anaerobic workouts help you kindle more calories quickly, enhance your metabolism, and allow your body to use stored fat for energy, which positively impacts weight loss.
But remember, exercise alone may not help you lose weight. Weight loss is a complex process that requires a strict diet and consistent training.
I also recommend eating low-calorie foods that fill you up, following intermittent fasting, and consuming fat-loss supplements to speed up your weight loss.
References
- 1
- 2Vianna, Jefferson M et al. “Aerobic and Anaerobic Energy During Resistance Exercise at 80% 1RM.” Journal of Human Kinetics vol. 29A (2011): 69-74. doi:10.2478/v10078-011-0061-6
- 3Patel H, Alkhawam H, Madanieh R, Shah N, Kosmas CE, Vittorio TJ. Aerobic vs anaerobic exercise training effects on the cardiovascular system. World J Cardiol. 2017 Feb 26;9(2):134-138. doi: 10.4330/wjc.v9.i2.134. PMID: 28289526; PMCID: PMC5329739.
