Energy Systems Part 1
Understanding energy systems plays a vital role in understanding how to periodize a model to train for sport in the long term and in an offseason training program. Thank you to Joel Jamieson & the BioForce Conditioning Course for creating a better picture of what conditioning for sport should look like.
“Everything comes back to energy”
Energy is supplied to the body in the form of ATP. However, before we understand the energy systems we must have a basic understanding of stress. Any stress to the body, physical or mental will activate the autonomic nervous system (sympathetic branch) & elicit a stress response that will drive up energy production.
The Constrained Theory of Energy Expenditure
Training & recovery both need energy — if physical activity continues to take up most of the energy, there will not be enough energy left for recovery or the rest of the body to function properly. Overtraining can be detrimental.
There are 4 stages to training that allow the body to adapt to the stressors placed upon it
1. The Training Session
2. The Signal to Adapt
3. Genetic Pathways Activated
4. Remodeling & Adaptation
1. The Training Session
Physical training disrupts homeostasis and elicits the aforementioned stress response
This causes an increase in body temperature & blood pressure, a decrease in blood pH & changes in blood sugar and hydration as well
2. The Signal to Adapt
After the stress response, signaling comes from the metabolic byproducts during the change in homeostasis & from hormones. The specific signals depend on the type & environment of training. Not all fatigue is the same, but this is for another day
3. Genetic Pathways Activated
Depending on the type & environment of training (meaning volume/ intensity of the work & how stressful the environment is) different pathways are activated which leads to upregulation of protein synthesis at the cellular level
4. Remodeling & Adaptation
Allowing the neuromuscular system to recover allows for adaptation. This generates bigger, stronger, faster & more durable tissues. This will also allow adaptations for improved energy production & more efficient energy expenditure
Understanding these 4 stages allow coaches to understand the basic process of how proper adaptation takes place. Whether it’s in the short or long term, breaking down athletes without allowing for sufficient recovery will be detrimental to performance & overall health
Energy Systems Part 2
The Breakdown of the Energy Systems
There are 2 basic pathways that produce ATP (energy):
1. Aerobic
2. Anaerobic
— Lactic
— Alactic
1. The Aerobic System
This system is reliant on oxygen to function & will provide energy for any exercise lasting longer than 60seconds. It’s the most economical system due to the production of ATP, however it takes a longer time so it doesn’t produce as much power as other systems. The aerobic system is also important to recovery & homeostasis. Rest periods after anaerobic bouts are driven by the aerobic system due to the body’s use of oxygen to recover. Therefore, the aerobic system aids the anaerobic system to recover at a faster rate
There are 3 stages of the aerobic pathway: Glycolysis, Krebs Cycle, Electron Transport Chain
Adaptations to Aerobic Training
1. Improved oxygen supply
- cardiac output ⬆️, improved vascular network
2. Improved oxygen utilization
- muscles more efficient at using oxygen to produce energy
3. Substrate availability
- ⬆️ substrate storage capacity & hormonal regulation
These adaptations improve aerobic fitness through:
1. Heart delivering more oxygen to working muscles
2. Bigger vascular network delivers more blood & oxygen through body
3. More mitochondria that power the cells through the use of oxygen
2. The Anaerobic System
This system can be broken down into the Lactic & Alactic Anaerobic systems. These systems do not utilize oxygen to produce ATP.
The Lactic System
This system is mainly used in producing energy up to ~30s
It’s role is to anaerobically generate power for longer periods of time than just the Alactic (Phosphocreatine) System can produce. There is a old myth that I know is especially relevant in baseball & specifically pitching that lactate buildup is bad & causes soreness. People assume that since lactate builds up after anaerobic bouts that it causes more fatigue, fatigue is much more complicated than that. Lactate is actually an important fuel source in many tissues including the heart, that aids in producing ATP. It runs on glucose, so if carbs are being broke down, there will be lactate present — a buildup will happen if there is not enough oxygen to oxidize the lactate
The Lactate Shuttle
Lactate can be transported to other cells in working tissues. Muscles that are composed of fast twitch fibers are usually anaerobically driven & build up lactate — this lactate can be transferred to other muscles that can use the aerobic system to create ATP. This is important because the lactate shuttle allows continued higher intensity bouts for longer periods of time because the lactate can be turned into ATP aerobically. Lactate is the “bridge” between the aerobic & anaerobic systems.
The Alactic System
Also known as ATP-Phosphocreatine System
This system generates power the fastest because it’s driven by the most powerful substrate-Phosphate
Energy Systems Part 3
What does conditioning actually mean & how do we utilize these energy systems to optimize performance in sport?
“Conditioning is training the physical & mental ability to utilize developed fitness to meet the demands of the environment” - Joel Jamieson
Meeting this criteria is the job of a strength & conditioning coach
It’s necessary to train the athletes to have a high level of fitness relative to their sport but conditioning also includes the aspect of getting the athlete to perform in a competitive environment. Coaches must teach the athletes to manage their energy to perform. To do this, coaches need to implement proper training protocols that build a high level of fitness based on the energy system for a given sport, the athlete needs to be able to think when tired, they need to perform technical skills efficiently & execute in stressful environments. It’s necessary that coaches understand the energy systems involved in their sport & how they work. All energy systems work together but the rate & duration of energy production tells a coach how to build a conditioning program for sport. For example, in a team sports like football & basketball, energy production is technically driven mainly by the aerobic-alactic system which is slightly contradictory based on what has been discussed. However in these sports, they include short, repeated bursts of high power that are driven by the alactic system & the more bouts that are repeated, the more the aerobic system is involved as well as the aerobic system aiding the alactic system in reproducing creatine for ATP.
For example: A drive in football. Each play is short alactic energy production. If there is a 12 play drive, that means those short bursts of energy are repeated and the aerobic system will aid in generating ATP and recovery. This doesn’t mean that the lactic system is not involved at all, because it will technically always be producing lactate during any anaerobic energy production. However in terms of training for sport, it is interesting to think about what the optimal way to maximize energy is. A conditioning coach must take all of this information as well as understand the stress response and fatigue caused by the intensity of these bouts of energy production in order to optimize a periodized program that will allow the athletes to holistically train for their sport. All of these principles remain true in terms of long term athletic development for sport as well as in an offseason program. All aspects of performance work holistically & to optimize performance a coach should attempt to learn information that will benefit their athletes
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