The Importance of Anaerobic Training

There's a  view that training should always be long duration. This is especially true in what are considered aerobic activities , ( any activity over 30 seconds ) mainly running , swimming, and biking. Some strength training programs also train in an aerobic manner . This training is viewed as very good for the heart and as the best method for conditioning , as well as helping people to burn fat . People often train in what's commonly called " long slow distance " training ,i.e 30 + minutes , often a an hour or even more.
While there's a place for such training it's not necessary for everyone . For endurance athletes like marathoners , long distance swimmers, and long distance bikers such training is a must. But even they shouldn't always train long and slow . And for most people , there's no need for long workouts, at least not all the time . What's often overlooked is anaerobic training . Anaerobic simply means no or little oxygen is used . Obviously such activities are very short, often only a few seconds . Sprinting is most often associated with anaerobic activities but other examples include bench presses , Olympic snatch , and gymnastic somersaults. These are stop and start activities that don't last long . They do however require intense effort.
2 articles I recently saw really drive home that point . One at naturalrunningcenter.com ,  was ironically an article on building endurance .But part way down ,the article mentioned incorporating some sprints into your training in order to make your running complete . The other article, at livestrong.com , lists the many benefits of sprinting including , increased oxygen capacity , greater fat burning , as well as shaving time off your runs . Training in a long , slow , pace all the time will eventually lead to staleness, and even regression . I know because it happened to me . Some years ago after my success in my first half marathon ( first in my age group ,1:34 ? , 7th overall ) I tried to take it even further . I also thought about trying a full marathon , as well as misunderstanding how good runners train, i.e. , 10+ miles a day . Well I started to run at least 10 + miles a day , often finishing Saturday with a 13 + mile run .Remember ,I mean 10 miles at the same pace for the most part .The first week was pretty good but by the second week my times started to go up . I tried to mix up the speed but I found I couldn't bring the speed . I was devestated .I was only trudging through . I changed my training ,  bringing short sprints like 100 meters on an interval, into the picture . I also cut the mileage , and never ran the same amount twice a week . After awhile my speed returned and my times went back down.
While I mentioned running just now ,the same rules apply to other activities like swimming and even strength training . Lifting the same light weight every day or doing the high rep, low intensity ab work will eventually work against you . You need to throw in some short intense work outs such as 1 or 2 rep heavy lifts or a few  explosive jumps . Such intense work as mentioned earlier improves your vO2 max , your maximal oxygen capability , and builds muscle , among other things.
So remember , whatever your goals , a little intensity goes a long way.