Energy supply - How does your metabolism actually work when running

Burn VO2 max, lactate, carbohydrates...

These are all terms that everyone has heard before. But what is it actually about and how does that relate to running performance?

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Energy supply - insight into your muscles

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Where does the energy actually come from when we run? The fact that our body can take one step ahead of the other via our muscles and tendons may be the most normal thing in the world for most people. However, this movement actually involves very complex processes that are all coordinated and run together perfectly. It all starts with energy supply, a process that provides our cells with the necessary “power” to perform their tasks. This process is called METABOLISM. During sports activities such as running, most energy is required directly in the muscles to make the muscle cells contract and thus move the body forward.

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The energy supply in the muscle cell - your muscles as a hybrid motor

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As already mentioned, the energy processes in our muscle cells are already quite complex. However, the whole thing, simplified and broken down, can be compared very well with a hybrid combustion engine in a car. Anyone who has ever driven a hybrid car knows this: The “dirty” gasoline combustion engine always comes into play first when the car starts and starts at traffic lights. It can perform strenuous accelerations as well as high speeds at the rear. Once rolling, the “clean” electric motor comes into play. Although it can keep the car moving and gently and economically provide energy that allows the car to continue driving, it does not generate any spikes.

You can imagine it in a very similar way with the supply of energy in our cells. Metabolism in our cells is nothing more than “burning” fuel. Our system can also be thought of as a hybrid engine. Viewed schematically, we generate energy in 2 interconnected systems...

It all starts with carbohydrates

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The first way in which our muscle cells can generate energy very quickly and effectively is via the anaerobic metabolism of carbohydrates. This process is also known as anaerobic glycolysis. Anaerobic translates as “without oxygen” (because it doesn't need it for this). Glycolysis roughly means the “decomposition” of carbohydrates. What happened here (in simplified terms) is actually quite simple. Take a carbohydrate, divide it into 2 equal parts, and voilà, we get immediately usable energy! The two parts that are produced in this process are referred to as pyruvate, which is closely linked to lactate. For the sake of simplicity, you can even think of this step away and save for the moment that carbohydrates are converted into lactate and energy is provided!

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The problem with the anaerobic system

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This anaerobic system is similar to our internal combustion engine in hybrid cars. This form of energy supply works extremely fast and can therefore achieve rapid accelerations, hard sprints and high efforts. However, there are “snags” in this system right away. On the one hand, our fuel, namely the carbohydrates, is consumed very quickly and at some point the tank would simply be empty. On the other hand, at some point, the resulting “exhaust gas” of this process bothers us, which is virtually directed back into the car via a hose (to stick to the metaphor of the car) and thus forces us to take our foot off the gas. We “over-acidify” (= the pH value in our muscle cells changes) and our system doesn't like that at all!

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The rescue - The basis of any energy supply with the aerobic system

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In order to be able to provide energy in the long term, an alternative is needed. Similar to hybrids, we need a system that produces “clean” energy, saves resources and keeps us running sustainably and economically. The aerobic system performs this task. The primary fuel here is fats (actually free fatty acids or triglycerides), but carbohydrates are also further processed here (which is then referred to as aerobic glycolysis). Basically, the two substrates (fuels) fats and the resulting lactate from the anaerobic system compete for “space” in the aerobic motor.

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But the aerobic system also has its limitations

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This “aerobic motor” processes the fuels fats and lactate - in contrast to the anaerobic motor - in a very complex, lengthy and “sluggish” process, which is the disadvantage of the aerobic system. Although the system can provide large amounts of energy (depending on its capacity, the VO2 max), it is slow and therefore cannot achieve rapid spikes, accelerations and high-intensive loads that require a lot of energy in a super short period of time.

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The complex interaction of the two systems of energy supply

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Now we've got to know both systems. The fast, lively anaerobic engine that we can imagine as a “turbo igniter.” And the aerobic motor, which as an “evergreen” delivers sustainable energy over the long term and successively, but has to get going first. It is exciting that lactate basically functions as a binding metabolite here. When we run a sprint, the anaerobic system is immediately booted up very strongly and a lot of lactate is produced. As a result, we quickly feel flat and have to slow down. Now the aerobic system comes into play, which has slowly picked up steam in the background and now absorbs the lactate that has formed, processes it further and thus restores the pH balance in the cell!

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The importance of energy supply for your performance and training

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Understanding these two systems and their importance in providing energy during exercise can take your training to the next level! This schematic approach explains on a cellular level why some are able to sprint quickly but travel long distances and vice versa why some are true “endurance monsters” but always fall off when they start quickly. We incorporate the knowledge of these physiological processes into our Twaiv app and try to calculate your own physiological profile in our performance model. This then allows us to make very specific, individual training recommendations, i.e. to identify and improve the weak points or potentials of each individual very precisely.

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