Energy System Research Paper

Energy Systems
The body contains three different types of energys systems which all work together to help us to contract our muscles and perform a variation of movements.

ATP-PC
ATP-PC is an energy source for the body. ATP is a molecule called Adenosine triphosphate it is an energy source for all movements. The ATP-PC Adenosine triphosphate phosphocreatine is for sudden or immediate movements at high intensity, this energy source only last for a few seconds around 8-10 seconds. Muscle cells contain ATP-PC naturally, but only enough for 8-10 seconds. The ATP breaks down to perform muscle contraction, this leaves ADP adenosine diphosphate and a single Phosphate. The phosphocreatine which is already in the muscle cells gives one of its Phosphates
to the ADP molecule, turning the ADP molecule into ATP. The ATP is replenished quickly only if there is a sufficient amount of phosphocreatine. The ATP energy system does not require oxygen and will not cause a buildup of lactic acid in the muscles. It will not cause a buildup of lactic acid as it does not gain its energy from carbohydrates, proteins or fats. Because ATP-PC is stored in the muscles it is the first energy system to be used in a high intensity workout. The ATP-PC energy system is commonly associated with sports like the 100m sprints or moments in basketball, football and rugby.

Anaerobic energy system
The Anaerobic energy system is for short term high intensity movements, it is used when there is not enough oxygen to sustain aerobic respiration.
Muscles contain large storages of complex carbohydrates called glycogens. Glycogens are the stored form of sugar found in our bodies. Through a complex series of chemical reactions glycogen breaks down into ATP as well as lactic acid. This system supplies ATP slower than the Phosphocreatine system. The body cannot produce enough ATP to maintain this energy source for longer than around 2 minutes. There is a limit to anaerobic respiration because of the lactic acid. The buildup of lactic acid will end up stopping the movement of the muscles are it beings to become painful. The anaerobic energy system is commonly associated with the 400m sprint, 100m swim, most teams sports and
sprints.

Aerobic energy
Aerobic energy system is where oxygen is supplying energy to the muscles by breaking down carbohydrates and fats to produce ATP. When oxygen is present, glycogen is broken down into glucose, the glucose molecules go through a number of reactions which allows our bodies to create more ATP. The aerobic energy system can also use fat to create ATP, but this way demands more oxygen. The by products of the aerobic energy systems are CO2(carbon dioxide) and H2O. The removal of the byproducts means that the body can maintain that muscle movement for an extended amount of time. Sports commonly associated with this energy system are long distance sports like marathons, cycling and swimming.

Interval training
One example of interval training is the fartlek run, it is a run where you alternating the speed of the run from sprinting at a anaerobic state and jogging at an aerobic state.
The times you change speed is varied as this is to imitate a race where you change speed to go up a hill or past someone at the finish line. It is effective at training the body's cardiovascular system as it trains the body to recover faster after being in the anaerobic state. The intensity of the training can cause adaptations to the body like capillarisation, strengthening of the heart muscles, improved oxygen uptake and improved flushing of lactic
acids.

Continuous training
Continuous training is a long distance based training where the athlete stays in the aerobic energy system for as he can. After hours of muscle movements the glycogen storage gets used up and now the body needs to use the fat supplies to produce ATP. Athlete refer to this moment as hitting the wall as the body is forced to slow down to increase the oxygen intake.