What is the difference between aerobic and anaerobic exercise, and when is each used?
Aerobic and anaerobic exercise: the definitions, the word equations for aerobic and anaerobic respiration, examples of sporting situations using each, and how the training zones (using maximum heart rate) relate to aerobic and anaerobic work.
A focused answer to Eduqas GCSE PE Component 1 on aerobic and anaerobic exercise: the definitions and word equations, sporting examples of each, lactic acid and the oxygen debt, and the aerobic and anaerobic training zones calculated from maximum heart rate.
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What this dot point is asking
Eduqas wants you to define aerobic and anaerobic exercise, give the word equations, supply sporting examples of each, explain lactic acid and fatigue, and calculate the training zones from maximum heart rate.
Aerobic exercise
Anaerobic exercise
Lactic acid, fatigue and the oxygen debt
During hard anaerobic work, lactic acid accumulates and causes the muscles to ache, tire and eventually stop working efficiently. After exercise the body needs extra oxygen to break down the lactic acid and return to normal: this is the oxygen debt (or EPOC), repaid by breathing hard for a while after stopping. This links directly to the recovery topic.
The training zones and maximum heart rate
Why most sports use both systems
Very few activities are purely aerobic or purely anaerobic. A games player such as a footballer, netballer or hockey player switches between the two throughout a match: long periods of jogging and steady running are aerobic, but the sudden sprints, jumps and tackles are anaerobic. This is why a method such as Fartlek (varied-intensity continuous training) suits games players, because it trains both systems at once. When you are asked which system a sport uses, look at the intensity and duration: sustained moderate work is aerobic, short maximal bursts are anaerobic, and most team sports are a mix of the two.
The duration of the activity is the quickest guide. As a rule of thumb, efforts lasting only a few seconds to about a minute at maximum intensity (a sprint, a single lift, a throw) are mainly anaerobic, while efforts lasting several minutes or more at a pace you can keep up (a distance run, a long swim, a road cycle) are mainly aerobic. A trained performer can also work aerobically at a higher intensity than an untrained one, because training raises the point at which they have to switch to anaerobic energy and start producing lactic acid.
Exam-style practice questions
Practice questions written in the style of WJEC Eduqas exam questions on this dot point, with worked answer explainers. The year tag is the paper they imitate, not the source.
Eduqas 20194 marksExplain the difference between aerobic and anaerobic exercise, using a sporting example of each.Show worked answer →
A Component 1 energy question. Two marks for the distinction, two for the applied examples.
Award marks for: aerobic exercise is exercise of low-to-moderate intensity that can be sustained for a long time because the body has enough oxygen to release energy: glucose plus oxygen produces energy plus carbon dioxide and water. An example is a marathon, a long-distance swim or a steady cycle. Anaerobic exercise is exercise of high intensity and short duration where the body cannot supply enough oxygen, so energy is released without oxygen: glucose produces energy plus lactic acid. An example is a 100 m sprint, a weightlifting lift or a sprint to the line. The build-up of lactic acid causes fatigue, so anaerobic work cannot be sustained for long.
Markers reward the oxygen distinction and a correct example of each. A common error is calling a long, steady activity anaerobic.
Eduqas 20223 marksA 16-year-old performer wants to train aerobically. Calculate their maximum heart rate and the heart-rate range of the aerobic training zone (60 to 80 percent of maximum).Show worked answer →
A Component 1 training-zone calculation. Marks for maximum heart rate and both ends of the zone.
Maximum heart rate is beats per minute. The aerobic zone is 60 to 80 percent of this: lower end , so about bpm; upper end , so about bpm. So the performer should keep their heart rate roughly between 122 and 163 beats per minute to train aerobically.
Markers want maximum heart rate shown () and both percentages applied. Forgetting to subtract the age, or only giving one end of the range, loses marks.
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Sources & how we know this
- Eduqas GCSE (9-1) Physical Education C550QS specification — Eduqas (2016)