Energy Continuum Flashcards
What is the energy continuum?
A term which describes which type of energy system is used for different types of physical activity and sport.
The contribution of each system depends on the intensity and duration of exercise.
What decides what energy system will be the main in use?
Intensity and duration of the activity
What energy system is used when?
Very high - less than 10 seconds = ATP-PC
High to very high - 8-90 seconds = ATP-PC and anaerobic glycolytic
High - 90 seconds to 3 minutes = anaerobic glycolytic and aerobic
Medium to low - 3+ minutes = aerobic
How is the energy continuum often explained?
In terms of thresholds
What is the ATP-PC/anaerobic glycolytic threshold?
The point as which the ATP-PC energy system is exhausted and the lactic acid system takes over.
What’s the ATP generation for slow twitch fibres?
The main pathway for ATP production is in the aerobic system
It produces the maximum amount of ATP available from each glucose molecule (up to 36 moles of ATP).
Production is slow but these fibres are more endurance based, so less likely to fatigue.
What’s the ATP generation for fast twitch fibres?
The main pathway for ATP production is via the lactate anaerobic energy system (during glycolysis).
ATP production in the absence of oxygen is not efficient - only 2 ATP molecules produced per glucose molecule
Production of ATP this way is fast but cannot last for long as these fibres have least resistance to muscle fatigue.
