If you eat meat, you have at one time or another come across different shades of meat.

In some cases,
especially with turkey, you may be asked at a restaurant which colour you prefer.

Did you know that the colour (usually classified as white or dark) of the meat tells you about its properties?
The meat we eat is predominantly muscle, and muscle is made of fibres. These fibres are responsible for
producing force when asked to contract and in turn, replenish energy stores used for that contraction.

It is generally accepted that muscle fiber types can be broken down into two main types:

1. slow twitch (Type I)

2. fast twitch (Type II) muscle fibres
○ Type IIa fibres
○ Type IIb fibres

These distinctions seem to influence the ways muscles generate force and energy. Human muscles contain,
to a large extent, a genetically determined mixture, on average, 50% ST and 50% FT. The key difference
between slow twitch or fast twitch fibres is the ability to use oxygen. Type 1 fibres use oxygen to generate
energy; Type IIA also uses oxygen to produce energy but can also produce energy without it, whereas FT
Type IIb fibres does not use any oxygen to produce energy.

As you will learn in the following activity, there are 3 energy systems in the body and only one of them uses
oxygen, namely the Aerobic system (cellular respiration). If you were to look at muscle fibres that
predominately use this form of energy production you will notice that it is dark in colour. Why?

In blood we have a protein called hemoglobin which is responsible for carrying oxygen around the circulatory
system. Muscle fibres that use aerobic respiration for energy production contain a similar protein called
myoglobin, which is responsible for carrying oxygen molecules in the muscle fibre. Hence, it’s this extra
oxygen carrying protein that gives the muscle (meat) a darker colour. So the next time you are eating a
chicken wing or piece of pork, take a look at the colouring of the meat and try to guess what kind of activity
that muscle is best suited for. Remember, dark meat is for endurance (ie. walking, long flights) and white meat
is for short, explosive bursts of power (ie. fast swimming, short flights)!

Read the following article: https://www.verywellfit.com/fast-and-slow-twitch-muscle-fibers-3120094

A time for action, but first let’s eat! - Energy production and nutrients
When driving a car, to accelerate you have to press down on the gas pedal. This adds fuels to the engine and
in turn, signals an increase in "work" to be done by the engine so it starts to pick up speed. If you drive a
manual transmission car (often called a standard transmission) you physically have to change gears as the
car accelerates, whereas in a vehicle with an automatic transmission the changing of gears is done for you.
This automatic changing of gears allows you to drive at a higher speed.

Much like a car, your body needs fuel in order to move as a response to a "workload" being applied to it. Our
fuel is Adenosine triphosphate, or ATP. Instead of going to a "refueling station" like a car does, we eat food,
taking in different forms of fuels that in one way or another get converted into our universal fuel, ATP. It is
these different forms of “conversions” and ingredients used for that conversion, that our body calls on when it
is confronted with a demand for energy that allows it to perform tasks of varying intensities and durations.

Depending on the activity in which you are engaged, the body will make use of different fuels to help power
energy systems (like gears in a car) which will produce the only form of energy needed for our muscles to
work, ATP. These systems have been adapted for supplying energy at the required rate and in the necessary
amount for that activity or "workload" placed on the body.

Let’s take a closer look at the main nutrients we must eat for our body to produce the needed ATP to tackle
physical activities we may encounter. The three main nutrients are fats, carbohydrates, and proteins.

Fats:

Fats typically provide more than half of the body's energy needs. Fat from food is broken down into fatty acids,
which can travel in the blood and be captured by hungry cells. Fatty acids that aren't needed right away are
packaged in bundles called triglycerides and stored in fat cells, which have unlimited capacity. Fat is stored
predominantly as adipose (fat) tissue throughout the body and is a substantial energy reserve which produces
9.3 kilocalories of energy per gram.

Fat is less accessible for cellular metabolism as it must first be reduced from its complex form, triglyceride, to
the simpler components of glycerol and free fatty acids. So although fat acts as a vast stockpile of fuel, energy
release is too slow for very intense activity but is a very important fuel for longer duration, low intensity
activities such as walking, swimming, rollerblading and running a marathon.

Carbs:

The carbohydrates in food are digested into small pieces, turning into glucose, or a sugar that is easily
converted to glucose, that can be absorbed through the small intestine's walls. After a quick stop in the liver,
glucose enters the circulatory system, causing blood glucose levels to rise.

Once the cells have had their fill of glucose, the liver stores some of the excess for distribution between meals
just in case blood glucose levels fall below a certain threshold. If there is leftover glucose beyond what the
liver can hold, it can be turned into fat for long-term storage so none is wasted. A heavy training session can
deplete carbohydrate stores in the muscles and liver, as can a restriction in food intake. Carbohydrate can
release energy much more quickly than fat, however it only releases 4.1 kilocalories of energy per gram.

Protein:

You can get energy from protein, but it’s not your best choice. Protein has other jobs to fill that take priority
over using it as an energy source, such as building muscles and producing the protein-based substances that
make muscles contract. It also takes your body longer to turn protein into energy compared to the quick boost
you can get from carbohydrates.

Read the following article: https://www.livestrong.com/article/495813-does-protein-give-you-energy/

Protein is used as a source of energy, particularly during prolonged activity; however, it must first be broken
down into amino acids before being converted into glucose. As with fat, protein cannot supply energy at the
same rate as carbohydrates, delivering only 4.3 kilocalories of energy per gram.

Examine "Break it down - Where do we get the building blocks for our energy?"

Hands-on: Discussion time

In a discussion with your classmates, hypothesize how the human body was designed to maximize its energy
uses by its fuel choices. Justify your thinking.

In addition, suggest an explanation for how the human body has been designed to prepare itself for periods
where energy input levels are lower (ie. starvation, famine).
 The Three Metabolic Pathways
Energy production in the human body is both time and intensity related. Compare the three metabolic
pathways to see how they are similar and how they differ.
The ATP - Phosphocreatine (PC) system -
(Anaerobic Alactic System)
Fact: This is the most immediate system of energy
production which can produce very large
amounts of energy for a short amount of
time by using the small amounts of fuel that
is naturally stored in muscle at rest. This is
the system to get you started in any
movement and/or when you need to make a
fast, short burst of speed or movement.
Where does The ATP-PC system takes place in the
it take cytoplasm of the muscle cell.
place?
What fuel is The first fuel used is the ATP that is stored in
used to the muscle before the available
produce phosphocreatine is used.
ATP?
Does it use This system is ANAEROBIC which means
Oxygen? that it does not use oxygen to produce ATP.
This system is also referred to as the
“Anaerobic Alactic” system because it does
not use oxygen (anaerobic) and does not
produce the waste product of lactic acid
(alactic).
How many The ATP-PC system produces 1 molecule of
ATP does it ATP at a very fast rate.
produce?
Glycolysis - (Anaerobic Lactic
System)
This system produces ATP at a high
rate but is mostly limited to the
“burning” feeling you get in your
muscles when you push them for a
longer period of time. That “burning”
feeling is the waste product, lactic
acid, accumulating in your muscles.
Glycolysis takes place in the
cytoplasm.
This system uses glucose (sugar)
as its fuel source in the production
of ATP.
The glycolytic system does not use
oxygen and thus is considered
ANAEROBIC, similar to the ATP-PC
system. This system is known as
the Anaerobic Lactic System as it
does not use oxygen but it does
produce lactic acid as a byproduct
of the breakdown of sugars.
Glycolysis produces 2 molecules of
ATP for every molecule of glucose.
Cellular Respiration - (Anaerobic
System)
Cellular respiration or the Aerobic
system, is one of the most used and
important energy systems in the body.
Cellular respiration is reflective of the
relationship between the
cardiorespiratory system and muscular
system as the ability to bring in oxygen
and transport it to needed areas. This is
pivotal to the efficiency and success of
this form of energy production.
Cellular respiration takes place in the
mitochondria, the powerhouse
organelle, of cells.
This system uses all 3 nutrients
(glycogen, fats, and proteins) in the
production of ATP.
This system is known as the AEROBIC
system reflecting the important use of
oxygen in the production of ATP.
36 molecules of ATP are produced per
molecule of glucose.
 How long This system only can produce energy from This system lasts from 15 seconds The aerobic system kicks in at around
does it last? the creation of ATP for 10-15 seconds. up to 180 seconds (3 minutes). 120 seconds, or 2 minutes, and can last
beyond that depending on the state of
the athlete’s overall fitness.

How many The ATP-PC system is a simple process Glycolysis is a larger process Cellular respiration involves the complex
chemical needing only 1-2 chemical reactions for ATP involving 11 chemical reactions. relationship between glycolysis, the
reactions are synthesis. Krebs cycle (a series of chemical
in the reactions that occur in the mitochondria
conversion? of the cell) and the electron transport
chain (ETC).

What are the There are no waste products from the The waste product of glycolysis is The simple waste products of cellular
waste ATP-PC system. lactic acid. This acid results from respiration are carbon dioxide (CO2)
products the breakdown of sugars and is the and water (H2O). This is the reverse
produced? reason milk goes sour after a long reaction to photosynthesis in plants
period of time. where they produce carbohydrates and
oxygen (O2).

What types Explosive power and speed events such as The glycolysis system is good for This form of ATP production is good for
of physical sprints, jumps, and lifting. activities that are intermediate in long duration activities such as
activity is it length such as swimming a 100 marathons, triathlons, hiking and
good for? meter butterfly race, sprinting for endurance events.
200-800m and the average hockey
shift.

What are the The largest benefit from the ATP-PC system
Pros and is that it is a very quick surge of power but
Cons of the its largest limitation is that it depletes its
system? ability to breakdown ATP and PC just as
fast. So overall the ATP-PC system
produces energy and runs out of ATP and
PC extremely fast.
The advantage of the glycolytic The benefit to cellular respiration is the
system is that it produces a large long duration that the system can
surge of energy over a longer continue to produce ATP for. The
period of time than the ATP-PC downside to the aerobic system is that it
system. The build up of the waste requires large amounts of oxygen (O2)
product, lactic acid, is the largest and is slow to react and reach its peak
downside to this system, as it output.
causes pain and fatigue. If an
athlete can tolerate the pain and
train their system to buffer the acid,
they will be able to maintain a
longer duration of activity at a
higher energy output.
How do you Training the High Energy Phosphate System The rate of lactic acid accumulation,
train this which is higher at higher workloads,
system? Interval training: can be adapted in the trained
individual.
● 20% increase in CP (creatine
phosphate) stores This rate can be decreased by:
● no change in ATP stores
● increase in breaking down of ATP
and CP 1. reducing the rate of lactate
production (increase in the
effectiveness of the aerobic
Sprint training: oxidative system)
2. increasing the rate of lactate
elimination (increased rate of
● increase in CP stores up to 40% lactic acid diffusion from active
● 100% increase in resting ATP muscles, increased muscle
stores blood flow, increased ability to
metabolize lactate in the heart,
liver and in non-working
muscle)
Endurance training is the most effective
method (long duration several times per
week):
● increases vascularization within
muscles
● increases number and size of
mitochondria within the muscle fibres
● increases the activity of enzymes
(Krebs cycle)
● preferential use of fats over glycogen
during exercise
● increases the max aerobic power of
a sedentary individual by 15-25%
regardless of age, however, an older
individual does adapt more slowly so
it is important to maintain aerobic
fitness from an early age

Ever think you’ve pushed yourself to the limits of your exercise capabilities? Check out these 2 athletes that
literally emptied their tanks to finish what they started.
https://youtu.be/MTn1v5TGK_w

"Timeout with T" - Connecting learning to the real world

This episode of "Timeout with T" is about trying to relate energy systems in the human body to driving a car.
Watch it to fine tune your understanding of how the three energy systems combine to start and keep you
moving.

https://youtu.be/J62WYXyVKrg