What is meant by a threshold on the energy continuum?

A threshold is the point at which one energy system can no longer be the main supplier of ATP. The ATP-PC threshold, when phosphocreatine runs low, comes at about 10 seconds.

How does exercise intensity affect which energy system predominates?

The higher the intensity, the faster ATP must be resynthesised. Very high intensities rely on the anaerobic systems, while low intensities are met aerobically.

How does exercise duration affect which energy system predominates?

Short maximal efforts rely on the ATP-PC system because it is fast but small. Longer efforts shift towards the glycolytic and then the aerobic system as stores run down.

Which energy system predominates in a 1500 m race, and why?

The aerobic system predominates in a 1500 m race, which lasts several minutes. The finishing kick draws heavily on the glycolytic system.

A chart shows the ATP-PC contribution peaking in the first few seconds and falling steeply by 10 seconds. What explains the fall?

Phosphocreatine stores in the muscle are running out. The glycolytic system takes over as the main supplier of ATP.

OCR A-Level Physical Education H555

Skeletal and Muscular Systems

Topic overview Shoulder, elbow and wrist joints and muscles Hip, knee and ankle joints and muscles Planes of movement, muscle roles and contractions Analysing movement in sporting actions Motor units and muscle fibre types

The Cardiovascular System

Topic overview Heart rate, stroke volume and cardiac output at rest The cardiac cycle and conduction system Cardiac responses to exercise and recovery The vascular shunt mechanism Venous return and heart rate regulation

The Respiratory System

Topic overview Breathing frequency, tidal volume and minute ventilation Mechanics of breathing at rest and in exercise Regulation of breathing Gas exchange at the alveoli and the muscles

Energy for Exercise

Topic overview ATP and coupled reactions The ATP-PC system The glycolytic system The aerobic system The energy continuum and intermittent exercise EPOC and the recovery process

Environmental Effects on Body Systems

Topic overview Altitude and oxygen delivery Acclimatisation and timing arrival at altitude Exercise in the heat and cardiovascular drift

Diet, Nutrition and Ergogenic Aids

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Aerobic Training

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Strength and Flexibility Training

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Periodisation of Training

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Training and Lifestyle Diseases

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Injury Prevention and Rehabilitation

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Biomechanical Principles and Levers

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Linear and Angular Motion

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Fluid Mechanics and Projectile Motion

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Skill Classification, Practice and Transfer

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Guidance and Feedback

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Memory Models

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Personality and Attitudes

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Anxiety

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Aggression

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Social Facilitation and Group Dynamics

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Goal Setting

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Attribution

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Confidence and Self-Efficacy

Topic overview Sports confidence, self-efficacy and self-esteem Vealey's model of sports confidence Bandura's four sources of self-efficacy Building confidence in performers

Leadership

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Stress Management

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Sport in Pre-Industrial and Industrial Britain

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Sport in the 20th and 21st Centuries

Topic overview Amateurism and professionalism in the 20th century Social change and sport in 20th-century Britain Class, gender and access in 21st-century sport The globalisation of sport

The Olympic Games and Global Sporting Events

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Drugs in Sport

Topic overview Legal supplements and illegal doping Why elite performers dope Consequences of doping for society, sport and performers Strategies against doping

Violence and Gambling in Sport

Topic overview Causes of player and spectator violence Implications of violence in sport Preventing violence among players and spectators Match fixing, bribery and illegal betting

Commercialisation and the Media

Topic overview What drives the commercialisation of sport Impacts of commercialisation Television, radio, press and internet coverage Positive and negative effects of the media Sport as a commodity and the golden triangle

Routes to Sporting Excellence

Topic overview From talent identification to elite performance Schools, clubs and universities in elite success UK Sport and the national institutes Drop-out from elite programmes

Modern Technology in Sport

Topic overview Technology and elite performance Technology and general participation Technology and fair outcomes Technology and entertainment

Energy for Exercise

The energy continuum and intermittent exercise

3 things to know
Component 01

Overview

The energy continuum and thresholds, intensity and duration, the 1500 m and the 100 m, reading energy system charts and tables, the interplay in netball and tennis, recovery periods, OBLA and fitness level.

What you need to know

Answer each one before you reveal it.

Your recallNot started

Numbers

How does exercise duration change the predominant energy system, and which system drives a 1500 m race?

Key term

How do the intensity and duration of each burst affect the energy systems in intermittent exercise?

Key term

What is the energy continuum?

Questions from this subtopic

Each one with the model answer underneath.

1
What is the energy continuum?
Model answer
The energy continuum describes how the contribution of each energy system shifts with the intensity and duration of exercise. All three systems work at once, but one predominates.
2
What is meant by a threshold on the energy continuum?
Model answer
A threshold is the point at which one energy system can no longer be the main supplier of ATP. The ATP-PC threshold, when phosphocreatine runs low, comes at about 10 seconds.
3
How does exercise intensity affect which energy system predominates?
Model answer
The higher the intensity, the faster ATP must be resynthesised. Very high intensities rely on the anaerobic systems, while low intensities are met aerobically.
4
How does exercise duration affect which energy system predominates?
Model answer
Short maximal efforts rely on the ATP-PC system because it is fast but small. Longer efforts shift towards the glycolytic and then the aerobic system as stores run down.
5
Which energy system predominates in a 1500 m race, and why?
Model answer
The aerobic system predominates in a 1500 m race, which lasts several minutes. The finishing kick draws heavily on the glycolytic system.
6
A chart shows the ATP-PC contribution peaking in the first few seconds and falling steeply by 10 seconds. What explains the fall?
Model answer
Phosphocreatine stores in the muscle are running out. The glycolytic system takes over as the main supplier of ATP.

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Skeletal and Muscular Systems

The Cardiovascular System

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Energy for Exercise

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