Slowcoach Endurance

In  Part 1  we saw that the body uses 3 distinct but interlaced energy systems: Alactic CP  last about 4 sec (250-420  kJ/min immediate but only lasts 2-4sec) recharged during recovery   Anaerobic lactic   last between sec4  - 2 min at maximum intensity (around 300 kJ/min almost immediately but it’s availability depends on how quickly it is used)  Aerobic  main system over 2 min + (63-84 kJ/min and takes around 60 sec to 90 sec to fully activate but can last for a considerable amount of time) You can think of  the three energy systems operating how a Hybrid car engine produces power to the wheels.  The Alactic  system works like the cars electric battery which provides immediate fast energy to provide max acceleration away from stationary or a short term boost. It is recharged from the other two systems when power demand is lower. The Aerobic  system is the body’s internal combustion engine which takes care of the long dis...

 Energy systems during Exercise Part 1 Why are we interested in how our body powers our everyday movements and in particular how they respond to increasing levels of exercise? After all it just all works automatically without any thought or intervention on our part. I suggest that during our daily and night time activities (including sleeping) we just let our bodies get on with it. However when it comes to athletic training it is important to have some understanding of the way out bodies are powered so that we can plan and complete effective training strategies. The above diagram gives a representation of when running at longer and longer durations that our amount maximum speed or power  falls off as shown by the shape of the black curve. It falls off quite rapidly at first before levelling off after a few minutes. We know that we can't keep running at our  maximum 100m speed for the full distance of a 10k race for example.  Power/Duration curve from WK05 created by ...