Final answer:
Aerobic exercises utilize slow-twitch muscle fibers more effectively as they are designed for endurance and sustained activity. Anaerobic exercises depend on fast-twitch muscle fibers for short, high-intensity actions. Aerobic activity like cycling and walking engages slow-twitch fibers, enhancing endurance.
Step-by-step explanation:
Between anaerobic and aerobic exercises, the one that better utilizes slow-twitch muscle fibers is Option 2: Aerobic. Slow-twitch muscle fibers are built for endurance and can operate for extended periods due to their high density of capillaries, abundance of mitochondria, and rich content of myoglobin, which allows them to carry more oxygen and efficiently use it for sustained aerobic activity. In contrast, anaerobic exercises rely primarily on fast-twitch muscle fibers, which are optimized for short bursts of high-intensity activity. Engaging in aerobic exercise, such as cycling or brisk walking, recruits these slow-twitch muscle fibers, enhancing cardiovascular endurance without the high force, rapid fatigue characteristics of anaerobic exercise. Through regular aerobic activity, endurance training can further improve these fibers by producing more mitochondria and increasing myoglobin content to boost oxygen storage and aerobic metabolism.