Energy system

Question 1

What is Aerobic activity?

Answer 1

Activity that uses oxygen

Question 2

What is Anaerobic activity?

Answer 2

Activity that doesn’t use oxygen

Question 3

What is ATP?

Answer 3

Adenosine tri-phosphate

Only energy source for all bodily functions

Question 4

What is ADP?

Answer 4

Adenosine di-phosphate

One of ATP’s 3 phosphates

Question 5

What is an endothermic reaction?

Answer 5

A reaction that absorbs energy from the surroundings / heat taken

Question 6

What is an exothermic reaction?

Answer 6

A reaction that releases energy into the surroundings / releases heat

Question 7

What is the formula for ATP?

Answer 7

ATP = ADP + P + energy

Question 8

How is energy released to perform a movement?

Answer 8

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.

Question 9

How long is ATP storage?

Answer 9

2 seconds

Question 10

Due to short storage what must happen to allow energy usage? Why?

Answer 10

ADP must be resynthesized back into ATP because the body only uses ATP for energy

Question 11

How is ADP resynthesized back into ATP?

Answer 11

By providing energy from an endothermic reaction from a combination of 3 energy systems.

Question 12

What is the formula for ATP being resynthesized?

Answer 12

ADP + P + energy = ATP

Question 13

What are the 3 energy systems?

Answer 13

ATP-PC system
Lactic acid system
Aerobic system

Question 14

How is energy provided in the ATP-PC system? For how long?

Answer 14

Energy is provided by Phosphocreatine (PC)
There’s enough PC to resynthesize ATP for 8-10s of work

Question 15

What type of exercise is the ATP-PC system used for? Examples?

Answer 15

High intensity exercise with short, powerful bursts of energy
e.g. 100m sprint, Golf swing, Baseball swing

Question 16

Advantages of the ATP-PC system?

Answer 16

+ No fatiguing by-products
+ Energy stored in the muscles
+ Energy provided immediately
+ Doesn’t require oxygen
+ Fewer reactions involved

Question 17

Disadvantages of the ATP-PC system?

Answer 17

• 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

Question 18

What is the recovery time for the ATP-PC system?

Answer 18

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

Question 19

How is energy provided in the Lactic acid system? For how long?

Answer 19

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

Question 20

What is Anaerobic Glycolysis?

Answer 20

When glucose and glycogen are partially broken down by the lactate system to produce ATP.

Question 21

What type of exercise is Lactic acid system used for? Examples?

Answer 21

Medium length of highly intense exercise
e.g. weight lifting, 400m sprint, circuit training

Question 22

Advantages of the Lactic acid system?

Answer 22

+ 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

Question 23

Disadvantages of the Lactic acid system?

Answer 23

• Lasts between 30s and 3mins
• Produces by-product, Lactic acid, that is fatiguing to muscles

Question 24

What is the recovery time for the Lactic acid system?

Answer 24

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.

Question 25

How is energy provided for the Aerobic system? For how long?

Answer 25

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.

Question 26

What are the 3 main processes?

Answer 26

Glycolysis
Krebs cycle (citric acid cycle)
Electron transport chain

Question 27

What is Glycolysis?

Answer 27

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.

Question 28

What is the Krebs cycle?

Answer 28

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.

Question 29

What is the Electron transport chain?

Answer 29

Hydrogen from the Krebs cycle combines with oxygen to form water as a waste product.
34 ATP molecules are produced.

Question 30

What type of exercise is the Aerobic system used for? Examples?

Answer 30

Long duration of low intensity exercise, usually for long distances.
e.g. marathon, triathlon, long distance cycling

Question 31

Advantages of the Aerobic system?

Answer 31

+ Very efficient
+ Almost limitless energy production potential
+ No fatiguing by products
+ It uses fats as an energy source

Question 32

Disadvantages of the Aerobic system?

Answer 32

• 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

Question 33

Recovery time of the Aerobic system?

Answer 33

The time for recovery can be a few hours or 2-3 days.

Question 34

What is the Energy Continuum?

Answer 34

How intensity and duration of exercise determines which energy system is predominant.