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Energy Systems – Energy Production In The Cells

Exercise Physiology

ATP – The Energy Molecule

The energy needed for a muscle contraction is known as adenosine triphosphate or ATP. This is the body fuel or energy source. ATP has three pathways or series of chemical reactions, which are the aerobic system, anaerobic glycolysis, and the creatine phosphate system.

The Aerobic Energy Systems

Aerobic literally means with oxygen, which uses mitochondria, which are often referred to as the power houses of the cell. When you exercise, your body adapts and creates more mitochondria. Therefore your body has a greater ability to utilize more O2 and give more energy. That is why you see many people who work out often jumping all over the place because their body is so efficient at creating energy. I often use the comparison of having a Yugo or something similar and changing it into a Porsche!

The Anaerobic Energy Systems

Anaerobic literally means without oxygen. Anaerobic ATP production occurs inside the bodies cells, but outside the mitochondria. The mains source of producing ATP anaerobically is glucose or carbs. Another source of producing ATP anaerobically is creatine phosphate, which the combination of ATP and creatine phosphate is know as phosphagens, which are very limited in muscle cells. This is one of the many reasons many athletes supplement with creatine phosphate.

Aerobic Capacity – Maximal Oxygen Consumption

Our bodies ability to consume oxygen at our bodies cells is referred to the VO2 Max or Maximal Oxygen Consumption. A person’s maximum aerobic capacity is a function of the bodies ability to deliver oxygen to the working muscle cells by the blood – the cardiac outputs, and our bodies ability to extract O2 from the blood at the capillary level and use it in the mitochondria. The maximal aerobic capacity is a person’s cardiac output times the maximum oxygen extraction or

VO2 Max = CO x OE

VO is the Maximum O2 Consumption, CO is the Cardiac Output, OE is the Maximum O2 Extraction. The resting VO2 is 3.5 ml/kg/min, which is known as one Metabolic Equivalent or 1 MET. Activities can be measured in METs.

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