What is Anaerobic respiration?

Anaerobic respiration is when cells make energy without needing oxygen.

Imagine you're playing tag at recess and you run really fast, you might feel out of breath because your body needs oxygen to keep going. But sometimes, like when you’re hiding under the swings and can’t catch your breath, your body uses a different way to get energy: anaerobic respiration.

Think of your cells as little pizza chefs. Normally, they use an oven (oxygen) to make their pizzas (energy). But when there’s no oven around, like during a sprint or when you’re doing jumping jacks, they still want to make pizza. So instead of using the oven, they use a quicker method that makes a simpler kind of pizza: lactic acid.

This simple pizza gives them energy fast, but it also makes your muscles feel tired and sore afterward, just like how you might feel after running really hard without stopping!

So whether you're playing tag or doing jumping jacks, your body uses anaerobic respiration to keep going when there's no oxygen around.