SECTION ONE: ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY

UNIT ONE: METABOLISM

I.
II.

III.

I.

INTRODUCTION
HOMEOSTASIS
A. Metabolism
1. Your metabolic set point
2. Food and metabolism
3. The environment and metabolism
4. Exercise system changes
a.
Aerobic system changes
b.
Anaerobic system changes
B. Energy metabolism
1. ATP Production
a.
The ATP/CP energy pathway
b.
The glycolytic pathway
c.
How the systems interact
d.
Glycogen depletion and metabolism of
fatigue
C. Monitoring your metabolism
CONCLUSION

INTRODUCTION

Training effect:
increase in functional capacity of muscles and other bodily tissues as a
result of increased stress (overload) placed upon them.
Your bodys adaptation to the learned and expected stress imposed by physical
activity.
The body begins to change at the cellular level, allowing more energy to be
released with less oxygen.
The heart and capillaries become stronger and more dispersed in order to allow
a more efficient flow of oxygen and nutrients.
The muscles, tendons and bones involved with the activity also strengthen to
accommodate a better proficiency at performing this activity.
The body releases unnecessary fat from its frame and your stride (paso)
become more efficient.
The resting heart rate and blood pressure drop.
An

Where does energy come from?

All

energy on earth comes from the sun.

use the light energy from the sun to form carbohydrates, fats and
proteins.
The body uses carbohydrates, fats and proteins consumed to provide the
necessary energy to maintain cellular activity both ate rest and during
activity.
Metabolism: Thousands of chemical reactions that occur throughout the body
all day long. All of these reactions must be regulated to maintain a balance
and a constant internal environment or steady (estable) state. This steady
state must be maintained regardless of the external environmental changes.
Homeostasis: The automatic tendency to maintain a relatively constant internal
environment.
Plants

II.

HOMEOSTASIS
Homeostasis:

Processes that maintain a constant internal body environment.

The body maintains a constant temperature of 98.6 F. If
temperature rises the body starts sweating. If it drops the body starts
shivering.
Some metabolic functions:
o
Hormone production and concentration level maintenance.
o
Maintenance of serum oxygen levels and carbon dioxide levels.
o
Ph balance in the blood and cells.
o
Water content of cells and blood.
o
Blood glucose levels and other nutrient levels in the cell.
o
Metabolic rate.
Shift in homeostasis when powerlifting: Muscles grow larger because of more
protein synthesis in the muscle and hormone levels accommodate to this
growth.
Example:

 Shift

in homeostasis when running: Muscles develop a higher endurance

capacity, stimulate the formation of more fat burning slow twitch
(contraccin) muscle fibers and develop a higher capacity to use oxygen in
energy production.
Nutrient intake can affect your homeostatic balance. Too much fat and calories
and your body will store fat. Not enough protein and the muscles break
down. Not enough carbos and you will feel tired.
For optimum homeostasis and metabolism, eating the right nutrients in the
right amounts at is the right times is vital.
A. Metabolism
Metabolism:

Chemical processes occurring within a living cell or organism (not

include the changes to substances that take place in the digestion of foods
in the gastrointestinal system) that are necessary for the maintenance of
life. In metabolism some substances are broken down to yield (dar) energy
for vital processes while other substances, necessary for life, are
synthesized.
The body needs energy in order to build biomolecules and sustain life and it
obtains it by the breakdown of nutrients like glucose, amino acids and fatty
acids. To construct molecules there must be molecular destruction going on
simultaneously to provide the energy required to drive these biochemical
reactions.
The many biochemical processes can be categorized in two phases:
o
Anabolism: Chemical reactions that combine different simple biomolecules
to create larger more complex ones. As a result, new cellular material is
made (enzymes, proteins, cell membranes, new cells, and growth in many
tissues). That energy is stored in the form of glycogen and/or fat, and
muscle tissue. Anabolism is necessary for growth, maintenance and repair
of tissues.
o
Catabolism: Chemical reactions that break down complex biomolecules
into simpler ones for energy production, to recycling of molecular
components, or for their excretion. Catabolism provides the energy
needed for transmitting the nerve impulses and muscle contraction.
When anabolism exceeds catabolism, net growth occurs.
When catabolism exceeds anabolism, net loss of substances and body tissues,
and may lose weight.
1. Your metabolic set point
Metabolic

set point: The base rate of metabolism that your body seeks to
maintain and the average rate at which your metabolism runs. Results in
your basal metabolic rate. This set point is controlled by your genetics,
environmental (climate), nutrition, exercise, and other factors.

 Basal

metabolic rate: The minimum energy required to maintain the bodys life
function at rest. Usually expressed in calories per hour per square meter of
the body surface.
People with slow metabolism seem store fat easily. When individuals go on a
low calorie diet, the bodys metabolic set point becomes lower to conserve
energy. It actually resets itself to burn fewer calories, thereby conserving
energy.
People with fast metabolism seem to be able to eat and never get fat. Exercise
tends to keep the metabolic rate up, and more aerobic exercise tends to
cause the body to burn more fat for energy.
2. Food and metabolism
The

food you eat can either be burned to liberate energy, converted into body
weight, or it can be excreted.
All food release heat when they are burned.
Calorie: A unit of heat.
Kilocalories: The amount of energy released when food is digested.
Not all foods are burned completely to produce energy.
Proteins are used for maintenance, repair and growth of new tissues and
organs.
Calories from carbos are used for energy.
Calories from conventional sources of fat are prone to be stored as fat since
they already have the same molecular structure as body fat.
Thermogenic effect: The heat liberated from a particular food is thus a measure
not only of its energy content but also of its tendency to be burned as heat.
Increased thermogenesis means increased heat production, which correlates
with increased oxygen consumption, and an increased metabolic rate. The
more heat your body produces, the more oxygen it needs because heat
cannot be liberated in the absence of oxygen.
Food efficiency: Is a measure of how efficiently a particular food is converted to
body weight. Foods with high food efficiency are prone to be converted to
body weight while foods with low food efficiency are prone to be burned as
energy.
Understanding how your body will use the calories you consume can help you
in setting up your nutritional program.
The heat liberated from a particular food is determined by its particular
molecular structure, and this structure determines its thermogenic effect.
The higher the thermogenic effect of any particular food, the higher your
metabolic rate.
Know what you are consuming, but more importantly know how your body will
use your consumed calories.
Respiratory quotient (RQ): A method that gives a way to measure the relative
amounts of fats, carbos and proteins being burned for energy.
RQ = Volume of CO2 expired / volume of O2 utilized.
RQ for carbs is 1.0.
RQ for proteins is 0.8.

 RQ

for fat is 0.7. Fat has a lower RQ value since fatty acid require more oxygen
for oxidation than the amount of carbon dioxide produced.
Average person at rest will have an RQ of about 0.8; however, this is using a
mixture of fatty acids and carbs for energy production, nor from protein.
Proteins/amino acids are not usually used for energy.
In a normal diet containing carbs, fat and protein, about 40% - 45% of the
energy is derived from fatty acids, 40% - 45% from carbs, and 10% - 15%
from proteins. However, this rate of energy production will vary depending
on diet, physical activity, and level of physical training.
When the diet is high in carbs, the RQ is higher and therefore more energy is
being produced from carbs.
When the diet is low in carbs and higher in fat, more energy is produced from
fat.
Training intensity will affect the energy source during exercise:
o
Exercise rate below 60% of maximum oxygen uptake (VO2 max) results in
RQ of about 0.8, which indicates an equal portion of energy derived from
fatty acids and carbs.
o
When training intensity increases above 60% VO2 max, more carbs is
used for energy.
o
Exercise intensity at 100% VO2 max (which can only be sustained for
minutes) yields a RQ of 1.
o
Amino acids, in particular BCAA (branch chain amino acids that aid in
recovery), are also being used for energy during exercise and at rest
perhaps as much as 10% or more during exercise.
Physical conditioning lowers the RQ, which means more energy is being
obtained from fatty acids. However, more energy is being obtained from
proteins. Carbs is always being used for energy.
At rest, fatty acids are the predominant energy source in most people. As
exercise begins, carbs utilization increases.
High intensity exercise uses more carbs, while low to moderate intensity
exercise uses fatty acid and carbs for energy.
Composition of the diet and intensity of physical activity will determine which
energy substrates are used. Therefore, thats why different sports require
different dietary considerations.
3. The environment and metabolism
The

outside environment influences metabolic rate.

you are exposed to a progressively colder climate, your body will
increase its metabolic rate to keep the body temperature constant and to
prevent shivering. When things begin to warm up, even a 60 F day can
seem extremely hot, because your metabolic rate is running at a fast rate.
After several days of acclimation to the hot climate, your metabolic rate will
decrease and 80 F will feel as hot as the 60 F day did a few months earlier.

When

4. Exercise system changes

 Exercise

will stimulate a series of metabolic responses that affect the bodys

anatomy, physiology and biochemical makeup.
Changes that are stimulated by endurance exercise:
o
Increased muscle glycogen storage capacity.
o
Increased muscle mitochondria density.
o
Increased resting ATP content in muscles.
o
Increased resting CP content in muscles.
o
Increased resting creatine in muscles.
o
Increased aerobic enzymes.
o
Increased slow twitch muscle fiber %
o
Increased cardiac output.
o
Increased Krebs cycle enzymes.
o
Increased capillaries.
o
Decreased fasts twitch muscle fiber %
o
Decreased resting heart rate.
o
Decreased body fat.
The magnitude of these changes is driven primarily by whether the exercise is
anaerobic or aerobic.
High intensity exercise simulates fast twitch muscle fiber development.
Low intensity exercise results in slow twitch muscle fiber development.
There are also hormonal changes.
a.

Aerobic system changes

Aerobic

training increases the bodys functional capacity to transport and use

oxygen and to burn fatty acids during exercise.
Some of the major changes:
o
Increased mitochondria density in slow twitch muscle fiber which results in
higher energy production from fatty acids. Maximum oxidative capacity
develops in all fiber types.
o
Higher aerobic capacity.
o
Increased in train muscle capacity to utilize and mobilize fat, resulting
from higher amounts of fat metabolizing enzymes, and increased blood
flow.
o
Greater development of slow twitch muscle fibers, increased myoglobin
content, which is an iron-protein compound in muscle, which acts to store
and transport oxygen in the muscles.
b.

Anaerobic system changes

Anaerobic

training increases the bodys functional capacity for development of

explosive strength and maximization of short-term energy systems.
Some of the major changes:
o
Increased size and number of fast twitch muscle fibers.
o
Increases in enzymes involved in the anaerobic phase of glucose
breakdown (glycolysis).
o
Increased tolerance to higher levels of blood lactate.
o
Increased muscle resting levels of ATP, CP, creatine, and glycogen
content.

Increased growth hormone and testosterone levels after short bouts (45 to
75 minutes) of high intensity weight training.

B. Energy metabolism
Energy

metabolism: Series of chemical reactions that result in the breakdown

of macronutrients by which energy is produced, used and given off as heat.
The body is about 20% efficient at trapping energy released. About 80% is
released as heat, which explains why your body heats up quickly when you
exercise.
Classification of physical activities, based on the energy systems that are used:
o
Strength-Power: Energy coming from immediate ATP stores. Lasts about 0
to 3 seconds of all out effort. Examples are power lift, high jump, golf
swing, tennis serve or a throw.
o
Sustained-Power: Energy coming from immediate ATP and CP stores. Lasts
about 0 to 10 seconds of near maximum effort. Examples are sprints,
football lineman, etc.
o
Anaerobic Power-Endurance: Energy coming from ATP, CP and lactic acid.
Lasts about 1 to 2 minutes. Example is 200 to 400 meter dash.
o
Aerobic-Endurance: Energy coming from the oxidative pathway. Events
lasting over 2 minutes in duration.
Power events, which last a few seconds or less, the muscles depend on the
immediate energy system, namely ATP and CP reserves.
Speed events use the immediate and non-oxidative, or glycolytic energy
sources.
Endurance events use the immediate and non-oxidative energy sources, and
the oxidative energy mechanisms become a more important source of
energy.
ATP and CP are replenished from energy derived from complete breakdown of
glucose, fatty acids and some proteins.
1. ATP Production
a. The ATP/CP energy pathway
b. The glycolytic pathway
c. How the systems interact
d. Glycogen depletion and metabolism of fatigue
C. Monitoring your metabolism
III.
CONCLUSION