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All About Your Metabolic Energy Systems

Metabolism is the process by which your body converts what you eat and drink into
energy. During this complex biochemical process, calories in food and beverages are
combined with oxygen to release the energy your body needs to function.
Three different metabolic energy systems power your workouts and your
day. Heres how each one works, and how to make the most of them all.
Most of us understand our bodies about as well as we understand our cars. We
know were supposed to take them out for a spin once in a while, and keep them well
fueled. But when it comes to grasping precisely how that fuel gets converted into
motion well, were not entirely sure.
So lets take a look under the hood, shall we? Like a hybrid engine, your body has
several ways of turning the stuff you eat into the stuff you do. All of these metabolic
energy systems are switched on during physical activity, but each plays a different
role depending on available energy and the specific demands of the task. Each
burns a particular type of fuel at a particular rate thereby affecting fat loss and
muscle gain in a particular way.

The adenosine triphosphatecreatine phosphate (ATP-CP) system, or

phosphagen system, supports very brief, high-intensity activities like a
single-effort vertical jump.
The glycolytic system provides energy for activities of slightly longer
duration and lower intensity like strength training.
The oxidative systemsupports long-duration, lower-intensity activities like
walking or distance running.

In recent years, exercise physiologists have learned how to target each system with
specialized training to better prepare individuals for a specific event or sport.
On the next few pages, youll discover how your bodys energy systems interact, and
learn how to challenge each one so you can reach your fitness goals faster and with
less wasted effort.
FIRST RESPONDER: THE ATP-CP ENERGY SYSTEM
Whether youre running a 40-meter dash, jumping up to answer the phone, or
catching a child falling off the monkey bars, the adenosine triphosphatecreatine
phosphate (ATP-CP) system is first to respond. Among your three energy systems,
its the one most prepared for emergencies. It kicks in whenever the oxidative
system, your bodys normal method for providing energy, isnt up to the demands
youre placing on it.

All three of your energy systems ultimately run on ATP: Its the fuel source for all your
physical functions, from eating to breathing to running hill sprints. Your glycolytic and
oxidative systems (which well cover shortly) make most of this ATP to order,
cobbling it together from the food you eat and the air you breathe as need arises.
But a small quantity of ATP is socked away in your muscles for when you need to
expend a short burst of energy in a hurry. Lets say youre doing a single barbell
squat with close to max weight. As you power the weight up, the muscles of your
hips, thighs and lower back immediately burn through their ATP stores. Once the
ATP has done its job, its either further broken down or recycled (with the help of
another substance, creatine phosphate, or CP), so it can provide more energy to
your working muscles.
How fast does the ATP-CP system gear up? Blink and youll miss it. Once you begin
hard activity, says Christopher Scott, PhD, associate professor in the Department of
Exercise, Health and Sport Sciences at the University of Southern Maine and an
expert in metabolism, it takes just thousandths of a second for the phosphagen
system to kick in.
Theres a cost for this speed and efficiency, however: You can store only enough ATP
and CP in your muscles for about six to 10 seconds of serious effort. Though training
the ATP-CP pathway will improve your explosive speed and power (so you can jump
higher, sprint faster and throw farther), it wont increase your storehouses of ATP-CP
or give you the ability to operate at full throttle for longer than a few seconds.
Thats why activities like javelin throwing, Olympic weightlifting, and the 100-meter
dash are one-and-done endeavors, even at the elite level. Most trained athletes
need three to five minutes of rest before their ATP is replenished and they can
perform near the level of their previous effort.
The highlight reel moments in soccer, tennis, basketball, hockey and many other
sports are powered in large part by ATP-CP. But it also comes strongly into play
whenever you need to move quickly (as when youre making a dash to catch an
elevator or grabbing a vase before it topples off a counter).
As we age, we lose a lot of our ability to exert strength quickly, says Scott. So
doing some of this training is important simply for maintaining quality of life.
ATP-CP training doesnt typically burn a lot of fat or build a lot of muscle, but that
doesnt mean you should cut it out. For one thing, it can be a lot of fun; and since
youre using lower reps, it probably wont make you particularly sore. Most important,
ATP-CP training is the best way to build serious strength, speed and power.
How do you train the ATP-CP system? Intermittent training, says physical therapist
Bill Hartman, CSCS, co-owner of Indianapolis Fitness and Sports Training. This
means very brief periods (10 seconds or less) of high effort with lots of rest (two
minutes or more) between activities.

Training Your ATP-CP System

Speed: Fast
Primary Fuel: Adenosine triphosphate and creatine phosphate, stored in your
muscles
Sample Activities: Swinging a golf club, sprinting to first base, lifting a heavy weight
How to Train It: Heavy strength training, medicine-ball throws, jumps, short sprints,
sports-specific drills
Sets/Reps/Rest:

Three to eight sets

Brief, maximum-effort sets lasting eight to 15 seconds; one or two heavy reps
in strength-training activities

Long rest between sets (up to five minutes); full recovery between efforts

Frequency: Up to three times a week

How fast does the ATP-CP system gear up?

Blink and youll miss it.
ATP-CP athletes are fast, strong and explosive, specializing in brief, single-effort
activities like swinging a golf club or baseball bat, Olympic weightlifting, highjumping, and shot-putting. Athletes in field and team sports like soccer, lacrosse,
tennis, martial arts, basketball and other activities also rely heavily on the ATP-CP
system during the highest-effort moments of sprinting, serving, kicking or driving to
the hoop.
FAST AND FURIOUS: THE GLYCOLYTIC ENERGY SYSTEM
As your ATP-CP system sputters out, your glycolytic system steps in and keeps you
moving for about another minute or so before it, too, begins to run out of fuel.
Because glycolysis relies on energy converted from carbohydrate (glucose) into ATP,
your glycolytic system is slightly less responsive than your ATP-CP system. But it
can still provide as much as half the energy you need in the first few seconds of
intense exercise. (See An Energy Systems Timeline, below.)
If youve ever done an all-out set of max pushups, or a 400-meter sprint, youre
familiar with what it feels like to exercise the glycolytic system at close to its
maximum. In a word, it hurts.

Contrary to popular belief, the burning sensation you get when you exercise
intensely is caused not by lactic acid (another fuel source) but by a buildup of
hydrogen ions, a byproduct of glycolysis, which can inhibit muscle contraction, giving
you wobbly knees after a minute or so of full-out running or cycling.
The more you train your glycolytic system, however, the better youre able to buffer
these ions and the faster you can recover between sets of medium-to-high-intensity
exercise.
The discomfort that comes from glycolytic training is well worth it. Increasingly,
fitness pros are recommending this type of training for people who want to gain
muscle, lose fat and get the most out of their time at the gym.
A 200-meter sprinter is a great example of an athlete whose training is mostly
glycolytic, says energy systems researcher and body-transformation expert Mike T.
Nelson, MS, PhD candidate, founder of MikeTNelson.com. Its a nice compromise
between strength and endurance work.
One reason glycolytic training burns fat so effectively is that it creates a significant
metabolic disturbance, Nelson explains. And recovering from it requires work from
all three energy systems. In this way, glycolytic training improves not only the
functioning of each individual system, but also your ability to transition smoothly
among them.
Nelson argues that such metabolic flexibility is a significant, though little-known,
component of long-term health and fitness. Diabetics and obese people cant
transition well between energy systems theyre metabolically inflexible, he says.
Smart training doesnt just develop the three systems in isolation it also develops
your ability to transition from one fuel source to another so all three metabolic
pathways work together effectively.
The best way to train your glycolytic system is through repeated high-effort activity,
with less-than-complete recovery between efforts: 20- to 30-second sprints on foot,
in a pool or on a bike, with a minute of rest between them, or strength training in sets
lasting 30 seconds to one minute.
Many field and team sports also train the glycolytic pathway.

Training Your Glycolytic System

Speed: Medium-fast
Primary Fuel: Carbohydrate
Sample Activities: Traditional strength training; 200- to 400-meter sprinting; 50meter freestyle swimming
How to Train It: Medium-intensity strength training; interval training; running stadium
stairs or hills; shaking battling ropes; jump-rope sprints; kettlebell workouts;
swimming repeats
Sets/Reps/Rest:
Two to four sets
High effort for sets lasting 20 to 40 seconds; eight to 12 reps in strengthtraining activities

Short rest between sets (two minutes or less); partial recovery between efforts

Frequency: Twice a week per muscle group or area of the body trained
If youve ever done a 400-meter sprint, youre familiar with what it feels like to
exercise the glycolytic system.
In a word, it hurts.
Glycolytic athletes specialize in activities lasting 30 seconds to two minutes or so.
Theyre fast and seemingly tireless though perhaps not quite as strong as the
ATP-CP athlete, nor as enduring as the oxidative athlete and they tend to be
muscular and lean. This type of training is ideal for burning fat (in recovery) and
building muscle mass. Strength training using sets of eight to 12 reps and sprinting
400 meters or less typify glycolytic training.

LONG, SLOW BURN: THE OXIDATIVE ENERGY SYSTEM

The oxidative (or aerobic) system is your slow-burning furnace, always humming in
the background, whether youre fast asleep or running hard. Its fueled largely on fat
and glucose, and, of the three metabolic pathways that support exercise, its the only
one that directly requires oxygen to function.
Were predominantly aerobic creatures, says Scott. We can go weeks without
food, days without water, but if were deprived of oxygen for more than a few
minutes, were dead.
So although its last to kick in after you start to exercise, the oxidative system is the
most important energy system of all. If it doesnt work, neither do you.

Athletes in any long-distance endurance sport cycling, running, triathlon all

need exceptional aerobic capacity, as do athletes in all continuous-action field and
team sports, like basketball, lacrosse and soccer.
Fortunately, the aerobic system is very responsive to exercise. Through training,
you can increase the capacity of your aerobic metabolism up to 240 percent, says
Hartman. And the better it works, the more effectively you burn fat in your
workouts.
Although the oxidative system is continuously active and produces loads of energy,
the process of converting fat into usable energy can take a while. Once it gets
started, though, its your bodys most reliable engine over long periods of time. In a
10- second sprint, Hartman says, your aerobic system is able to kick in only about 13
percent of the necessary energy; on an intense four-minute run, however, that figure
rises to 80 percent.
Exercise physiologists used to believe that the best way to develop the oxidative
system was through long, slow cardio exercise an hour or more several times a
week. Your aerobic system certainly responds well to this type of training, but recent
research suggests that the oxidative system also works hard very hard, in fact
to help you recover after a high-intensity anaerobic effort like a set of squats or a hill
sprint.
Do a second, third and fourth set before youve fully recovered from the previous
one, and the oxidative system ramps up its efforts even higher.
A strength-training workout resembles a series of escalating waves of effort for the
oxidative system, says Nelson. Thats why youre winded after high-intensity bouts
of strength training and sprinting, even though the activities themselves are
technically anaerobic. The oxidative system shifts into overdrive to replenish the
depleted ATP-CP stores and clear out the glycolytic byproducts produced by your
other two energy systems.
At the conclusion of an intense strength-training or interval-training workout, your
oxidative system often continues to work overtime, sometimes for nearly two days.
This is a phenomenon known as excess post-exercise oxygen consumption, or
EPOC, which can burn additional fat and calories long after the workout ends.
Scott and Nelson both concede that some of these processes remain theoretical.
The actual effect of EPOC and the true energy demands of anaerobic activity can be
hard to measure accurately. For the fitness enthusiast, though, the take-home lesson
is that, unless youre a competitive endurance athlete, lots of long, slow cardio is
probably not the best way to exercise your aerobic system. Higher-intensity activities
may be a more effective and efficient way to build your cardiovascular system and
to burn fat.
Exercise your oxidative system by jumping rope, training with light weights, or doing
standard cardio exercises for periods of one to five minutes, resting one to five
minutes between sets, for up to six sets.

If youre serious about building your aerobic capacity, you can also do one to five
high-effort bouts of 10 to 20 minutes long, resting five to 10 minutes between them.
Because low-intensity aerobic activity speeds recovery from the minor damage
caused by other forms of exercise, perhaps the best use of oxidative training is as a
restorative tool on your off-days.

Training Your Oxidative System

Speed: Slow to medium
Primary Fuel: Fat
Sample Activities: Jogging, slow swimming, cycling, walking, hiking, martial arts,
continuous-action team sports (basketball, ultimate Frisbee, soccer)
How to Train It: Light circuit training; running five minutes or more; long-distance
cycling; traditional cardio machines; long, slow swimming
Sets/Reps/Rest:
Either three to six one- to five-minute medium-high efforts with one to five
minutes rest between sets, or
One to three eight- to 20-minute medium efforts, resting four to 10 minutes
between reps
Frequency: One to three times a week
Although its last to kick in, the oxidative system is the most important energy
system
of
all.
If it doesnt work, neither do you.
Oxidative athletes are typically leaner and lighter than the other two athletic types.
They can go on forever at a slow-to-medium pace, burning mostly fat the ultimate
high-efficiency, slow-burning fuel. Oxidative training is essential for endurance
sports, but athletes in field sports shouldnt neglect this kind of training. Done in
moderation, oxidative training is also great for helping you recover from other, more
intense forms of exercise.

AN ENERGY SYSTEMS TIMELINE

Lets say youre going out for a serious run and you want to see just how hard you
can go and for how long. You lace up your trainers, start your stopwatch, and off you
go, full speed ahead. Heres a moment-by-moment timeline of whats going on in
your three energy systems as you burn up the track:
0 seconds10 seconds: ATP-CP System
The millisecond you sound the exercise alarm, all three energy systems go to work.
But the very first to fire up is the ATP-CP (or phosphagen) system, which burns
highly combustible fuels, like adenosine triphosphate, that are stored right inside
your working muscles. Like a dragster engine, it burns hot and fast. Its all but spent
in about 10 seconds.
10 seconds75 seconds: Glycolytic System
Next to get going is the glycolytic system, which ramps up its efforts just seconds
into your run, and draws primarily on carbohydrate fuel. As your leg muscles churn
through those carbs, hydrogen ions and other byproducts inhibit muscle contraction
and make your legs ache. Try as you might, you cant help but slow down a bit.
75 seconds10 minutes and more: Oxidative system
The oxidative system has been generating energy this whole time, but its been
working on other projects simultaneously (like digestion and cardiovascular function).
During your run, your body shifts more of its focus to delivering oxygen to your
working muscles, using fat as its primary fuel. Burning fat takes longer than burning
carbs, though, so youll be compelled to slow your pace.
Once your oxidative system kicks in, it generally stays on the job, and can keep
going long after the other two systems peter out. If you find your top aerobic pace (a
point just below your anaerobic threshold, or AT), you should be able to hold on to
it for quite a while hours if you are well trained. And highly trained endurance
athletes can hover near or even a little above their AT for an hour or so.

FUEL FROM START TO FINISH

The chart above shows how the bodys three energy systems interact and support
each other during the first 130 seconds of sustained activity. Out in front is the ATPCP system (blue), providing a short, initial burst of intense energy. The glycolytic
system (red), only minimally involved at the start, quickly increases its output as the
ATP-CP system drops off. As more sustained effort becomes necessary, the
oxidative system (green) takes over. You can see from the transitional phases how
the three systems cooperate to provide just the right energy at the right time.

RECOMMENDED READING ON ANAEROBIC THRESHHOLD

The A.T. Factor (May 2005)
Overtraining: Myths, Facts and Fantasies (June 2011)

All Heart (October 2010)

Fitness Technology: 3 Ways to Work Out Smarter Than Ever (October 2010)

The Tabata Tune-Up (March 2008)