What happens in my body during anaerobic activity?

During anaerobic activity, carbohydrate must be converted into energy very quickly in order to meet sudden and massive energy demands. Such demands occur when you lift, jump, kick, hit, sprint or throw movements included in many sports.

In order to meet these sudden, huge demands, glucose bypasses the energy producing pathways that would normally use oxygen, and follows a different route that does not use oxygen. This saves a good deal of time. Instead of making the usual 38 molecules of A TP per glucose molecule, the body can make only two ATP molecules using its anaerobic response, because glucose is only partially broken down in these conditions. It is converted into lactic acid, instead of carbon dioxide and water.

In order to generate a sufficiently large amount of ATP, a lot of glucose must be broken down. The body's glycogen stores dwindle quite quickly, proving that the benefits of a fast delivery service come at a price.

Unfortunately, producing A TP as rapidly as this cannot be kept up for very long - 90 seconds at most. This is due to a build-up of lactic acid, a by-product of this rapid means of glucose breakdown. Lactic acid prevents the production of further energy by creating an acidic environment in the body that eventually hinders the contractions of muscles. For this reason no one can keep running or cycling at an all-out pace for very long.

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