Thread: Where you muscles get their energy...

Good info here, but now can you tell us when our body uses these types of fuel?

Durring lifting, cardio, everyday etc.

Wich are good, bad sourses?

I know a bit about it but would like to hear what you or anyone else going to school is learning about it.

[This message has been edited by Scotty the Body (edited 02-14-2001).]

Class is in session!

------------------
If you build it they will come

I will try and do this to best I can, remember, I'm learning this as I write it.

What your body uses for energy, ATP, is the only chemical able to make cells function. ATP can be converted from many different sources, glucose, fat, proteins, etc.

What your body does is take the easiest way to make ATP and use that before the more difficult conversions. As I stated before, your body has on reserve only a few seconds of ATP for each cell. Now, when this runs out, your body will start the conversion of Creatine into ATP (Creatine is stored with only a few seconds on reserve).

The harder you work your body, the faster you will deplete your resources of stored ATP and creatine. And eventually your body will begin converting glycogen into ATP. Each conversion yields 36 ATPs, (which isn't much, because you use a few trillion every second). Now, after you've depleted your body of its glycogen resources, it will begin to use the stuff every wants to get rid of, fat. This is 4th in the list because it's not an easy thing to convert. Remember, fat is stored energy, kind of all wrapped up in a bunch of tape, and real hard to open up. It's a safty feature for long periods of time without food. That's why really obese people could live far longer than those of us who are quite fit. They have lots of energy in storage, whereas we do not. So, the body is now using the fat, converting it into glycogen, and then, through cellular respiration, getting ATP.

The last part where your body gets energy from, (and it should never come to this point, if it does you're a dumb ass and should learn how to live better), muscle. Particularly the proteins in the muscle. In endurance race like the Iron Man, I am sure it gets close to this point, because those people aren't too chubby to begin with, so they don't have a lot of fat on reserve. Those people are crazy!!

I will get some more information out to you all later, muscle developement primarily. I have to get ready for a night class.





------------------
Pianomahnn.com

Life is fun!!

Cool but from what I know, your body will use these diffrent energy sourses in diffrent order depending on the strain your putting it through.

Weighlifting, for the most part uses 1,2 and 3 while cardio will use 3,4 and 5.
The problem with cardio, in my case and many other cardio junkies is the use of #5 for energy sourse.

When doing cardio above your target heart rate, your body will use Protien from muscle over fat for energy as its a better and easyer sourse of energy for the body to convert.
I know from experience that its very easy to go over your target heart rate, I never thought I'd endorse the use of heart rate monitors but it has become my best tool for burning the right fuel and saving my muscles.

[This message has been edited by Scotty the Body (edited 02-14-2001).]

Scotty, not intending to disagree with you, I only state what my bio prof. tells me. And said that the body uses those above mentioned resources in that order, because that's the ease in which they can be converted into Adenine Triphosphat (ATP).

Now, depending on your workout, certain things will occur. I forgot to mention that certain workouts (cardio) may utilize two sources at once, to meet the demands of the body.

How many of you know what lactic acid is? If you don't, it's a bi-product of a process that makes ATP. And that's what makes your body ache, and sometimes like you want to puke. The process that makes this lactic acid only produces about 4 ATPs, and as I stated earlier, your body uses a few trillion every second, so this is a bad process, but it happens when cellular respiration (36 ATP) isn't enough to supply the body.

I know this is very broad, so I will see if I can put together some stuff this weekend. I'm just jam packed with other projects. College is nasty!!

------------------
Pianomahnn.com

Life is fun!!

I posted on this subject on wannabebig.com.

Your body does go through stages, remember that your body does not just use one energy source at a time,they are all used it's just that one is more predominantly used over the rest.

As the duration of the exercise increases the energy systems will switch.You need ATP to just walk but your body is not just using ATP it is using the rest of the energy sytems as well,its just that ATP is the primary source at that time.
I'm sure you'll learn that as you get into a higher bio class.


------------------
train smart not hard

As piano said, creatine is also truned into ATP for energy. This brings up the point that creatine increases STRENGTH as well as cell volume!

------------------
Got Muscle?
Train hard, play fast, go strong.

Originally posted by Pump_Daddy:
As piano said, creatine is also truned into ATP for energy. This brings up the point that creatine increases STRENGTH as well as cell volume!

I actually, I believe you're a little off.

Creatine increases endurance, which contributes to your muscle cells ability to create new fibers which increases strength. Consume all the creatine you want, all it will do is sit and wait for you to use it as a source of energy.

One question, when you stated the increase in cell volume, where you speaking of a general increase in size of the existing muscle cells, or in an increase in the number of cells?

I need to go to school...bug first, it's breakfast time.

------------------
Pianomahnn.com

Life is fun!!

Mac cleared up my earlier point, I agree that your body uses all these stages in order but depending on your activity level, you will use more of one source than another.

I think that creatine increases endurance because more available creatine in the muscle speeds the process of converting ATP to ADP, liberating more energy to be used.



------------------
-Crowman
MASS ABOVE ALL

Your right Crowman about adp and atp but as far as increasing endurance I don't understand,Creatine does not improve the endurance aspect of a weightlifter or athlete.

Creatine supplementation does not appear to to enhance aerobic-oriented activities(Balsom,P.D.,et al.1993."Creatine Supplementation,Per Say Does Not Enhance Endurance Exercise Performance.")



------------------
train smart not hard

Ya, I guess it wouldn't really increase endurance, but it definitly increase power.



------------------
-Crowman
MASS ABOVE ALL

Yes it can.

------------------
train smart not hard