Adenosine Triphosphate

Adenosine Triphosphate (ATP) is the common energy currency for skeletal muscle contraction as well as all other energy requiring processes in the human body. All of the food and/or energy containing supplements that you consume must first be converted into this high-energy compound in order to be used as fuel. Therefore, it is easy to see that ATP is a very important compound for strength training. ATP is synthesized in the body by three pathways or energy systems:

• Phosphocreatine System
• Glycolytic System
• Oxidative System

The fastest pathway for ATP synthesis is the Phosphocreatine System that combines molecules of Adenosine Diphosphate (ADP) and Inorganic Phosphate (Pi). This system provides energy for high-intensity activities that last less than 10 seconds. The Glycolytic System is the principal energy system for activities lasting 30 seconds to 2 minutes by synthesizing ATP from carbohydrates. The Oxidative System is the primary system that provides energy for activities that last longer than 3 minutes and produces ATP from a combination of fat, protein and carbohydrate sources. All three of these systems are active at all times; however, one system may be providing substantially more ATP than the other systems at any given time during an acute bout of exercise, depending on both time and intensity of activity.