Chemistry in Life

Muscular hypertrophy occurs through anaerobic training and also causes an increase in lactate tolerance since the lactate produced is less concentrated enabling athletes to tolerate increased amounts. The greater extent of muscular hypertrophy and therefore lactate tolerance in males compared to females is evident in the greater number of attacking efforts performed by them whilst on field. During the 20 minutes of the game spent on field, males performed 88.5 attacking skills (approximately 4.43 maximal efforts per minute), while females performed 76.4 attacking skills (3.82 per minute) (Appendix 2). Due to insufficient recovery of CP, the anaerobic glycolysis system would have been dominant for these efforts. Males can tolerate more lactate hence perform more efforts. Furthermore, males had a higher average of 15.40 seconds in the speed endurance test compared to 17.19 seconds for females, indicating that males have greater lactate tolerance due to developed anaerobic adaptations including muscular hypertrophy (Appendix 1). As men have a greater lactate tolerance, they can work at higher anaerobic intensities for longer durations, therefore perform more maximal efforts such as repetitively

The initial burst of speed and subsequent 5 seconds in the 100m sprint, is fuelled by the Phosphagen ATP- PC system as there is 4-5 times more Phosphocreatine (PCr) readily available in the skeletal muscles compared to that of ATP (1). The initial ATP stored is used within 2 seconds of maximal activity by the Myosin ATPase enzyme to cleave energy, leaving Adenosine Diphosphate (ADP)

This process does not require oxygen and is referred to as fermentation. This process partially breaks down carbohydrates and it obtains a small amount of energy, again in the form of ATP. Pyruvic acid has to be broken down in respiration when formed by breaking down of glucose molecules, this can't be done in the same way as in aerobic respiration. When anaerobic respiration is taking place carbon dioxide and ethanol is formed.

The Wingate Anaerobic Test is used to evaluate anaerobic cycling performance. This study was undertaken to determine whether there is a relationship between peak power and fatigue index for endurance (n=9) vs power (n=4) athletes. A total of 13 subjects, including 8 males and 5 females, were included in the study. The subjects were divided into sporting types, such as endurance and power. Data collected from the Wingate test included peak power (W), mean power (W), time to peak (S), minimum power (W) and fatigue index (%). When the peak power and fatigue index were considered together for endurance athletes, a significant relationship

Before camp, I typically ran four or five miles on the days without a practice, but thanks to the training I received there, I now know how to schedule my workouts to best achieve success. Nowadays, my typical training week includes a long run, a tempo run, two scheduled practices with my team, an easy run, and a day off before a cross-country meet. I also learned what these different types of runs do. For instance, jogging over a long distance allows muscle cells to recruit mitochondria, which improves aerobic respiration, while a tempo run – running quickly for a short period of time – “flushes” the lactic acid caused by the repetitive motion of the long run. Running at

During the race the respiratory system is working hard to deliver oxygenated blood to the muscles. Gaseous exchange takes place and becomes faster as it is more common during exercise. This will allow more oxygen into the blood stream which will get to the muscles quicker. The inspiration movement becomes harder and faster and this allows more oxygen to be breathed in. Expiration becomes quick during physical activity. The nasal cavity will increase the temperature of the air that is being inhaled and it will filter it to make sure that there is no dust.

One of the most significant reactions in Glycolysis is reaction one which involves the phosphorylation of glucose to form glucose-6-phosphate. Through the transfer of the hydrolysis of ATP, this supplies energy for the reaction and makes it essentially irreversible, having a negative free energy change, which allows for a spontaneous reaction in cells. Although the preparatory phase is energy consuming and uses up 2 ATP, the pay off phase synthesizes 4 molecules of ATP, with the transfer of 4e- via 2 hydride ions to 2 molecules of NAD+. Therefore, a net gain of 2 ATP is achieved through the glycolytic pathway alone. Following the glycolytic pathway, due to the absence of oxygen, as oxygen cannot be supplied fast enough to undergo aerobic respiration, the athlete will instead, undergo lactic acid fermentation. Lactic acid fermentation involves pyruvate that is formed from the glycolytic pathway to be reduced to lactate, with the aid of the enzyme, lactate dehydrogenase, while the coenzyme Nicotinamide Adenine Dinucleotide (NADH) is oxidised to NAD+. The product NAD+ then re-enters the glycolytic pathway in order to produce 2 ATP. This process of lactic acid fermentation produces 2 ATP for each cycle, and thus, rapidly supplies the body with a small amount of energy. However, with the buildup of lactic acid in the body, the athlete will eventually encounter the feeling of discomfort as this accumulation of lactate causes the body to

A). The anaerobic metabolism of glucose to pyruvate is called glycolysis. This sequence of reactions will generate two molecules of pyruvate for every one molecule of glucose. This metabolism is anaerobic, which means that it does not require oxygen to be completed. The first phase of the process of glycolysis is called the preparatory phase. The entire process of glycolysis is started once glucose is trapped inside

These are the smallest of the muscle fibres. These will be red in colour as they have a good blood supply and will also have a dense network of blood vessels. They also contain many mitochondria to make them more efficient at producing energy using oxygen. They contract slowly and also fatigue slowly suiting them best to aerobic endurance activities such as the 10,000m. These fibres are most effective during the middle part of the race when the athlete has found a constant speed, allowing the muscles to work for longer, as they are not being over-exerted. This is because they give there energy over a long period of time allowing the athlete to run for a sustained period of time. They are also slow to fatigue because they have an incredibly high aerobic capacity, meaning the athlete will be able to run long distances without feeling tired. To be able run a long distances, the

What limits the speed and stamina of most endurance athletes is the ability of their heart and lungs to deliver oxygen at a steady rate

For needed energy, a molecule of glucose is broken down through a process called glycolysis to form 2 ATP’s. The by-product is lactic acid. During intense, anaerobic muscle activity, anaerobic hydrolysis occurs. The Cori Cycle is activated to recycle the accumulated lactic acid back into useable energy. The lactic acid travels through the bloodstream to the oxygen-rich liver and is converted back to glucose by a process called gluconeogenesis. The glucose is then returned to the muscle to resupply it with energy. This conversion process uses up 6 ATP’s to make 2 ATP’s for the muscle to reuse. This creates a net loss of 4 ATP’s. The Cori cycle is meant to be a temporary shift of energy production from the oxygen-depleted muscles to the liver.

I know that the more times I skip, lactic acid will build up in my legs, from my own experience this makes you fell horrible. As our bodies perform strenuous exercise, we begin to breathe faster as we attempt to move more oxygen to our working muscles. The body prefers to generate most of its energy using aerobic methods, meaning with oxygen. The cells follow the aerobic process when the blood supplies enough oxygen to the cells, which is:- Glucose+ oxygen—>Carbon Dioxide+ water+ Energy. But when the blood cannot get the needed oxygen to the cells, it has to get the energy from the glucose in another way. The cells use the anaerobic pathway; It does this then by breaking glucose down into lactic acid, Glucose—>Lactic Acid+ Energy. Lactic acid is released into the muscles when they have used up glucose stores but still have intense energy needs. Small amounts of lactic acid operate as a temporary energy source, which helps you avoid fatigue during a workout. However, a build-up of lactic acid during a workout can create burning sensations in the muscles that can slow down or halt your activity. This is not an effective energy source for long periods of exercise, so the blood takes lactic acid to the liver which coverts it back into glucose to be used in the normal aerobic process. Scientist are always looking into ways to decrease lactic acid build up in elite athletes so they can perform faster

Uniquely, glycolysis is both anaerobic and aerobic. The end product pyruvate, from glycolysis, is anabolized to lactic acid when there is a need for energy without an adequate supply of oxygen available. This last step or reaction enables glycolysis to continue producing ATP without the need for oxygen, which is why it is called the anaerobic energy system (Fink, 2009).

The physiology principles of running are VO2max, Running Economy, and Lactate Threshold. VO2max is you maximal oxygen intake. Running economy is the energy demand for a given velocity of submaximal running. Lactate Threshold is the exercise intensity at which lactate starts to accumulate in the blood stream.

pyruvate (3 carbon sugar), 2 NADH and 4 ATP (2 net) per molecule of glucose. During