Energy system Flashcards
What is Aerobic activity?
Activity that uses oxygen
What is Anaerobic activity?
Activity that doesn’t use oxygen
What is ATP?
Adenosine tri-phosphate
Only energy source for all bodily functions
What is ADP?
Adenosine di-phosphate
One of ATP’s 3 phosphates
What is an endothermic reaction?
A reaction that absorbs energy from the surroundings / heat taken
What is an exothermic reaction?
A reaction that releases energy into the surroundings / releases heat
What is the formula for ATP?
ATP = ADP + P + energy
How is energy released to perform a movement?
An enzyme (ATPase) is released in an exothermic reaction.
This breaks the bond joining the final phosphate in the ATP chain and releases energy.
This leaves ADP and a phosphate alongside the energy.
How long is ATP storage?
2 seconds
Due to short storage what must happen to allow energy usage? Why?
ADP must be resynthesized back into ATP because the body only uses ATP for energy
How is ADP resynthesized back into ATP?
By providing energy from an endothermic reaction from a combination of 3 energy systems.
What is the formula for ATP being resynthesized?
ADP + P + energy = ATP
What are the 3 energy systems?
ATP-PC system
Lactic acid system
Aerobic system
How is energy provided in the ATP-PC system? For how long?
Energy is provided by Phosphocreatine (PC)
There’s enough PC to resynthesize ATP for 8-10s of work
What type of exercise is the ATP-PC system used for? Examples?
High intensity exercise with short, powerful bursts of energy
e.g. 100m sprint, Golf swing, Baseball swing
Advantages of the ATP-PC system?
+ No fatiguing by-products
+ Energy stored in the muscles
+ Energy provided immediately
+ Doesn’t require oxygen
+ Fewer reactions involved
Disadvantages of the ATP-PC system?
- Only lasts 10s
- Only produces 1 ATP molecule for every 1 PC molecule
- There are limited stores of PC that can’t be greatly increased
- The system is only useful for short, high intensity exercises
What is the recovery time for the ATP-PC system?
2-3 minutes
Once the supply of PC is broken down to resynthesize ATP, another energy system (aerobic system) is needed to resynthesize the PC stores
How is energy provided in the Lactic acid system? For how long?
The food fuel source, carbohydrate, is broken down to form glucose, some glucose goes into the blood stream and some of it is converted into glycogen and stored in muscle cells and liver.
Then that glucose and glycogen is used in anaerobic glycolysis.
Energy is supplied for 30s-3mins of work
What is Anaerobic Glycolysis?
When glucose and glycogen are partially broken down by the lactate system to produce ATP.
What type of exercise is Lactic acid system used for? Examples?
Medium length of highly intense exercise
e.g. weight lifting, 400m sprint, circuit training
Advantages of the Lactic acid system?
+ It has fast speed of reaction for fast work
+ Doesn’t require oxygen
+ Fewer chemical reactions
+Provides 2 ATP molecules for every 1 glucose molecule
Disadvantages of the Lactic acid system?
- Lasts between 30s and 3mins
- Produces by-product, Lactic acid, that is fatiguing to muscles
What is the recovery time for the Lactic acid system?
8 minutes
Produces lactate unless oxygen is available to break it down. So as the lactate accumulates it changes the acidity of the blood, reducing efficiency of muscle contraction. Recovery of 8 mins will aid removal of lactic acid from muscles and give time to replace the glycogen stores.
How is energy provided for the Aerobic system? For how long?
The system uses oxygen for energy and uses carbohydrates and stored fats as a fuel source. They are broken down into glucose, glycogen and fatty acids. There are 3 main processes within the system.
Can last forever as long oxygen is supplied.
What are the 3 main processes?
Glycolysis
Krebs cycle (citric acid cycle)
Electron transport chain
What is Glycolysis?
Identical to anaerobic glycolysis but due to presence of oxygen, pyruvate is broken down later in the process rather than forming lactate.
2 ATP molecules are produced.
What is the Krebs cycle?
This takes place in the mitochondria of the muscles. The pyruvate from glycolysis forms Acetyl-CoA. This is broken down using oxygen to form carbon dioxide and hydrogen.
2 ATP molecules are produced.
What is the Electron transport chain?
Hydrogen from the Krebs cycle combines with oxygen to form water as a waste product.
34 ATP molecules are produced.
What type of exercise is the Aerobic system used for? Examples?
Long duration of low intensity exercise, usually for long distances.
e.g. marathon, triathlon, long distance cycling
Advantages of the Aerobic system?
+ Very efficient
+ Almost limitless energy production potential
+ No fatiguing by products
+ It uses fats as an energy source
Disadvantages of the Aerobic system?
- It’s only suited for low to moderate intensity activities
- It takes time to transition to the system
- It takes up 20mins to start to use fats as an energy source
Recovery time of the Aerobic system?
The time for recovery can be a few hours or 2-3 days.
What is the Energy Continuum?
How intensity and duration of exercise determines which energy system is predominant.
