ATP

• ATP


  • adenosine triphosphate
  • Chemical fuel
  • Most important fuel in the human body
  • Is responsible for every muscular contraction in the body
  • Consists of adenosine and 3 phosphates bound together by high-energy chemical bonds
  • When ATP splits it becomes ADP + Pi (this split produces energy)
• Resynthesizing ATP


  1. Limited ATP stored in muscles

  2. To continue contracting muscles, body needs to make more ATP

  3. The body uses other fuels available to add a phosphate back to ADP to make ATP
• ATP demand


  The amount of energy (ATP) that we need to produce to continue to maintain the level of exercise
• Intensity


  • How hard the body is working during exercise
  • ↑ intensity -> ↑ ATP demand
  • ↓ intensity -> ↓ ATP demand
• Duration


  • How long is the period of exercise
  • Longer duration -> ↑ ATP demand
  • Shorter duration -> ↓ ATP demand
• Relative Contribution


  • Rate - how quickly ATP is produced
  • Yield - how much ATP is produced
  • Each fuel has a specific rate and yield of ATP production
• Fuels Relative Contribution

  • How much a fuel is contributing to the production of ATP
  • If we require ATP at a faster rate due to a high intensity, a fuel that produces ATP at a fast rate will make an increased contribution
  • If we require a high yield due to a longer duration, a fuel that produces a high yield of ATP will make an increased contribution
  • When ATP demands fluctuate (due to intensity), our fuel usage will respond to that change