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A few days back I was checking out some of the supplements that the fitness enthusiasts often use these days – the supplements other than proteins and fat burners, like creatine phosphates etc. The range of these supplements make me woner how people get to know that their body needs these things? May be they delve deep into the science of food-exercise-body so they are able to find out what’s happening inside at the cellular level.
A few days back, I posted this status on fb: “Why do we feel very thirsty or we crave for sugar after cardio? Or after doing something as simple as climbing a staircase? Whereas, why not feel that way even after an intense session of lifting or yoga. Rather, after doing yoga or weights, we have an urge to pee..?”
It has a logical answer to it. It has to do something with different energy pathways used during different types of workout. Let us find out how.
We need energy (calories) for every activity. This energy comes from the food that we eat. In a very broad sense this is how our food is broken down.
Food-> carbohydrates, fats and proteins-> Digested and form-> Glucose, fatty acids and amino acids -> Used as fuel in two ways: Produce energy as ATP or is stored for later use.
Glucose is stored as glycogen. Fatty Acids is stored as Body fat(adipose tissue). Protein is seldom used for energy. It is mainly used for growth or repair of cellular structures.
Now when we workout, this food is converted to energy or ATP (Adinosine triphosphate).
Our body has 3 different energy pathways. And it chooses and uses any of the 3 pathways based on the energy demands placed on it.
Before I start telling you about the 3 energy pathways, I want to cite a few examples on what I mean by different energy demands.
Example 1 is that I used above. The difference in our body’s reaction to a long cardio activity and to heavy weight lifting or yoga
Example 2 is that when we walk, we take deep breaths, demanding oxygen from our system. As we switch to running, this oxygen demand increases and soon we start feeling short of breath and as soon as we start sprinting, we suddenly start requiring an immense burst energy, which last for few seconds. We also feel cramps and fatigue and short of breath after but soon after an interval of rest we are able to pick up again. Agree?
From walk to run to sprint, our body needs different energy pathways and burns calories in a different way.
Energy is always manifested in the form of ATP (Adinosine tri phosphate) . So whatever pathway we use the ultimate aim is to get energy (ATP)
The 3 Energy Pathways
1. Phosphate System
This energy system is used for high intensity explosive exercises. For example, this energy system would be the main energy source for a 100 m sprint, or a short set of a weightlifting exercise. It can provide energy immediately, it does not require any oxygen. Basically Creatine Phosphate is present in our muscles in a limited quantity. So when we need high burst of energy from our muscles, this CP bond is broken to release (ATP). And this energy can be replenished again by a short period of rest after a interval of high energy exercise.
This is the reason HIITs are planned in intervals of bursts of workouts and rests.
2. Aerobic Production of ATP
When we workout at medium intensity, the energy demands by our body are compensated by the supply of energy by burning of glucose present in the blood or glucose stored as glycogen in the muscles or by burning of fatty acids in the blood or fats(adipose tissue) stored in the body, in the presence of oxygen.
The energy supply at this lower intensity is dependent on how efficiently oxygen can be delivered to, and processed by, our muscles. A continuous supply of oxygen allows us to maintain a reduced intensity level for a long period of time. So basically, by using this energy pathway, to produce ATP in the presence of oxygen, we burn our body fat.
This energy pathway may also use the blood sugar and water present in the body to produce energy. This is the reason we feel thirsty or we crave for sugars post prolonged cardio activities.
3. Anaerobic Pathways
This system is the dominant source of muscle energy for high intensity exercise activities that last up to approximately 90 seconds. Essentially, this system is dominant oxygen energy system but you continue to exercise at an intensity that is too demanding for your aerobic energy system to handle. So in this case our cells do not get enough oxygen in return to their demand for oxygen so they produce energy without oxygen, by a process called glycolysis i.e conversion of stored glycogen, that came from eating carbs, into ATP.
Basically, glycogen is broken down to ATP and lactic acid. This lactic acid is a waste material that leads to muscle fatigue or burn. This is generally removed by the circulatory system.
Now you know the reason for the urge to pee after weight training or yoga sessions 
. If we overdo the exercise then this lactic acid accumulation can be high, causing a lot of muscular pain. This mostly happens with beginners. There lactic acid accumulation is high. So the best remedy is to have proper post and pre workout meals. Proper rest post workout also allows this accumulated lactic acid to dissolve. So rest is the best
Also, body builders mostly use the first CP pathways. They need a lot of CP in their muscles else they would end up using the anaerobic pathway and in turn producing a lot of lactic acid. May be this is the reason they need CP supplements.
