Pilates for the Super Advanced Student

Let’s begin with the crab.,Here is how to do this super advanced exercise:The Rocking**Swimming...

Pilates for the Super Advanced Student

Now that you are a super advanced student in Pilates, you should be moving from routine to routine at a brisk pace and there should be minimal down time between each exercise. These exercises are sure to give you a run for your money. Let’s begin!

If you want to have great looking abs, it will happen if you can do the exercises correctly. You have to properly pull in the abs and not let the muscles move forward or bunch up. To ensure that you are getting the very best kind of balanced development in addition to core strength, the flat AB exercise focuses on the deep scoop of the abs that is balanced in perfect tune with the length and breadth of the spine.

Let’s begin with the crab.
Here is how to do this super advanced exercise:

1. Sit on you exercise mat with your legs straight out in front of you and make sure they are together.

2. Your spine should be rounded and your chin tucked in to your chest. Now bring your knees up to your chin. At this point, you should look sort of like an elongated ball.

3. Now you want to rock backwards from your buttocks to your neck so that your head is on the floor and your hands are grasping your feet.

4. Continue in a backwards summersault motion until your head and knees are perpendicular with the floor. You hands should remain grasping your feet.

5. Return to your normal starting position as in No. 1 and repeat this exercise 5 times.

The Rocking

1. Lie face down on your exercise mat with your body in straight alignment. Your arms should be down by you sides.

2. With legs and feet together, bring your feet to where they almost touch your buttocks. Grasp your feet with your hands.

3. Arch your back so that your legs and chest are up off the mat.

4. Now you can do the Rocking. Rock forward toward your chin and then back toward your knees. Rock about 5 times. Remember your breathing techniques.

5. Return to your starting position as in No. 1 and repeat this exercise 3 to 5 times.

Swimming

1. Lie face down on your exercise mat with arms down by your sides and feet together.

2. Raise your head upward and backward as far as it can go. Your chest should be raised up off the floor and your knees should be in a locked position.

3. Raise your legs up off the floor and start to flutter kick as if you were swimming. You should also be moving your arms up and down as if you were swimming in a pool.

4. Do this exercise for a total number of 10 times, five on each side.

Continue to switch pairs until you have a light splashing or swimming motion in effect. Remember to inhale for five counts and exhale for five counts.

You left leg and right arms should be raised as high as possible in an upward movement. Keep the rest of your body rigid. Move only your arms and legs.

In the swimming exercise, the movement is at the shoulder joints and the hip joints only. You should protect your lower back by hollowing and zipping. You should also clench your buttocks and anchor your shoulder blades.

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Pilates for Men

Pilates for Men

Pilates is a comprehensive workout from head-to-toe. However, it has often been misidentified as a woman’s exercise. It may surprise you that Pilates was created for men originally.
Pilates was first developed by a German born boxer and gymnast named Joseph Pilates. He first named his method of exercise Contrology since he believed that his method of exercising used one’s mind to control the muscles of the body. The main focus of this program is on the core postural muscles. They not only help to keep the body balanced, but they also help to provide support for the spine. A person has to be aware of breath and the alignment of the spine as he or she works through the Pilates exercises. An emphasis is also put on strengthening the deep torso muscles. This is important to help in alleviating and preventing back pain.

Joseph Pilates first formed his method of exercising during World War I in an effort to improve the rehabilitation program that was expected to be needed by many of the returning veterans. Pilates believed that mental and physical health are essential to one another. His precise movements emphasized form as well as control to help the injured soldiers regain their health by strengthening, stretching, and stabilizing key muscles. “The Pilates Principles” were created by Joseph Pilates to help condition the whole body, which includes proper alignment, precision, centering, breathing, concentration, flowing movement, and control.

Many famous male professional athletes such as Jason Kidd, Tiger Woods, Ruben Brown, and Curt Schilling have all added Pilates to their training programs. They want to enhance their coordination, strength, and flexibility by developing these core muscles areas.

Most men who frequently exercise are strong, yet their muscles remain incredibly tense. Due to this reason, they more than likely find it hard to do a strength and reach test. This is due to the fact that the male hamstrings tend to be inflexible and tight. The answer is Pilates; it sculpts the body from the outside thus making tight areas more agile. These exercises also improve and make many functional activities much easier on your joints and muscles.

Pilates trains seven major physical performance factors. These include posture, stability, coordination, functional strength, balance, flexibility, and endurance. Although strength training is of the utmost importance, it is just as important to stretch the muscles in order to build longer muscles that are more agile.

For men who are over the age of 50, prostate cancer is a very common disease. It is believed that the deterioration of the pelvic floor muscles is a major factor in acquiring this disease. By practicing Pilates, the muscles are effectively strengthened. As a result, the risk of getting prostate cancer is lessened. Pilates will also enhance sexual function. Therefore, sexual dysfunction may be decreased when the male practices Pilates.

Pilates does not contain a lot of repetitious exercises that bore you to tears! You only have to repeat a few postures properly before you go on to the next movement. If you want to turn Pilates into a resistance-training workout, then Pilates classes for men may concentrate on building muscle tissues and preventing injuries. To do this, more resistance props may be added to the Pilates program. Pilates for the male sector of the population focuses on a well-balanced aesthetic. This is where Pilates for women differs. Females desire a lean, sculpted body. Any man can practice Pilates with the intention of gaining explosive strength, widening their range of motion as well as flexibility and building stamina and boost energy levels.

So, men, do not think you are wimps by practicing Pilates. You may find out that it will do you a mountain of good!


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Stretching for Back Pain

Exercise program with your doctor before beginning a stretching program...Wall Slides**Prone Leg Raises**Supine Leg Raises**Semi Sit Ups**Standing Back Stretch...

Stretching for Back Pain

The main difference between Pilates and individual stretches is that the whole body is taken into consideration when doing Pilates and not just individual body parts. The Pilates instructor usually first meets with his or her client so that the both of them can assess what is going on either in terms of postural instability and/or muscle imbalance. Stretching simply concentrates on the different parts of the body or muscle groups and stretches them out for a certain number of repetitions.

By both strengthening and strengthening the muscles of you stomach, back, thighs and core you can help to reduce or alleviate problems that you may be having with back pain.

Below are some helpful exercises that are specifically directed toward strengthening your aching back. Remember that it is very important that you discuss any exercise program with your doctor before beginning a stretching program. Soon your aching back will feel better again.

Wall Slides

• Stand up straight and tall with your back against a hard surface such as a wall and your feet a shoulder’s width apart
• Slowly bend at the knees and slide your back down the wall. Keep sliding for a count of 5 or until your knees are bent at an angle of 45 degrees.
• Stay in this position for 5 seconds
• Begin to straighten your knees for a count of 5 and slide up the wall until your knees are in a straight position
• Repeat the above steps for 5 repetitions
• Do this stretching exercise three times a day

Prone Leg Raises

• Begin by lying flat on your stomach
• First lift one leg off the floor and raise it 2 feet in the air
• Hold this position for 10 seconds
• Relax
• Then repeat this process with the opposite leg
• Repeat these steps for five more repetitions
• Do this exercise three times a day

Supine Leg Raises

• Begin by lying flat on your back
• Lift one leg off the floor and raise it 2 feet in the air
• Hold this position for 10 seconds
• Relax
• Then repeat this process with the opposite leg
• Repeat these steps for five more repetitions
• Do this exercise three times a day

Semi Sit Ups

• Assume the normal sit-up position, that is, lying flat on your back and have your knees bent and feet flat on the floor
• Only raise your head and shoulders off the floor
• Hold this position for 10 seconds
• Relax and return your head and shoulders to floor
• Repeat these steps for five more repetitions
• Do this exercise three times a day

Standing Back Stretch

• Stand in an upright position with your feet a shoulder’s length apart
• Put your hands in that hollow spot in your back called the small of your back
• Bend back slowly as far as you can tolerate it while keeping your knees straight
• Keep holding this position for 5 seconds
• Relax
• Repeat these steps five more times
• Do this stretching exercise three times a day

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Pilates is a Form of Graceful Movement

The key to any successful Pilates exercise program is modification. Every Pilates move is developed with modifications that will enable you to have a safe workout..Core Strength**

Pilates is a Form of Graceful Movement

One of the most popular forms of exercises today is Pilates, which was created by Joseph Pilates. It places an emphasis on the total balance of the development of the body through core strength, flexibility, and the awareness of being able to support efficient, graceful movement.

It seems that people from all walks of life and of all ages have jumped on the Pilates bandwagon or they have become interested in beginning a Pilates exercise program. One of the coolest things about this method of exercise is that it works very well for various people. Athletes and dancers love it, as do women who are trying to tone up after the birth of a baby, seniors, and people who are at all stages of physical rehabilitation. This includes those who are trying to stretch the back out in an effort to alleviate pain.

What are the benefits of doing the Pilates moves to the best of your ability? People have testified that they have become stronger, longer, and leaner and are able to do more things with grace and ease.

The key to any successful Pilates exercise program is modification. Every Pilates move is developed with modifications that will enable you to have a safe workout and at the same time will be challenging for a person no matter what level they are currently on.

Core Strength

The foundation of the Pilates move and of the program itself is core strength. The core muscles are made up of the deep, internal muscles of both the abdomen and the back. When these core muscles are strong and are doing their job properly, they work together with the superficial muscles of your trunk in order to support you spine and movement. This is why it is so important to do the Pilates move in a precise fashion in order for you to gain the maximum benefit.

As you develop your core strength, you will find that you develop stability throughout your whole torso. This is just one of the keys as to how the Pilates move helps people overcome back pain. As the trunk is stabilized properly, the pressure is relieved on your back and you find that your body is able to move freely and efficiently.

The Six Pilates Principles:

Something that is of the utmost importance to a quality Pilates workout is the six Pilates principles. These are flow, control, concentration, centering, precision and breath. When you do Pilates, you will find that the keyword is quality over quantity. You will find that the Pilates move does not include doing hundreds of repetitions. Doing each Pilates, move fully and with precision will give you significant results in a very short time!

Unique Method of Exercise

Torso stability, core strength and the six Pilates principles are what set the Pilates method of exercise apart from all other forms. For instance, weight lifting can put lots of attention on arm or leg strength without giving much thought to the fact that these body parts are connected to the trunk of the body. Running and swimming alike can seem like all of the emphasis is put on the legs and the arms while the core remain either overly tense or floppy. Those who excel in sports such as the above learn how to use their core muscles. However, when you do each Pilates move, this integrative approach is taught from the very beginning.

Pilates for the Back

By strengthening the muscles of your back, stomach, thighs, and core, you can help to reduce or even alleviate problems that are associated with back pain. Below are some helpful exercises that are specifically geared toward strengthening your aching back. Remember the importance of discussing any exercise program with your doctor before beginning a stretching program. Your aching back will soon feel better again!

Prone Leg Raises

• Start this Pilates exercise by lying flat on your stomach.
• First, lift one leg off the floor and then raise it 2 feet in the air
• Hold this position for 10 seconds
• Relax
• Repeat this process with the other leg
• Repeat these steps for 5 more repetitions
• Do these exercises 3 times each day.

Wall Slides

• Stand up straight and tall with your back against a hard surface such as a wall and your feet should be a shoulder’s width apart
• Slowly bend at the knees and slide your back down the wall. Keep sliding for a count of 5 or until your knees are bent at an angle of 45 degrees.
• Stay in this position for 5 seconds
• Begin to straighten your knees for a count of 5 and slide up the wall until your knees are in a straight position
• Repeat the above steps for 5 repetitions
• Do this stretching exercise three times a day

Supine Leg Raises

• Begin this exercise by lying flat on your back
• Lift one leg off the floor and raise it 2 feet in the air
• Hold this position for 10 seconds
• Relax
• Then repeat this process with the opposite leg
• Repeat these steps for 5 more repetitions
• Do this exercise 3 times a day

Semi Sit Ups

• Assume the normal sit-up position, that is, lying flat on your back and have your knees bent and feet flat on the floor
• Only raise your head and shoulders off the floor
• Hold this position for 10 seconds
• Relax and return your head and shoulders to floor
• Repeat these steps for 5 more repetitions
• Do this exercise 3 times a day

Standing Back Stretch

• Stand in an upright position with your feet a shoulder’s length apart
• Put your hands in that hollow spot in your back called the small of your back
• Bend back slowly as far as you can tolerate it while keeping your knees straight
• Keep holding this position for 5 seconds
• Relax
• Repeat these steps 5 more times
• Do this stretching exercise 3 times a day.

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Get Into the Pilates Zone

Get Into the Pilates Zone***Exactly how does Zone Pilates work? The thing that guides your body is the Zone Pilates Sculptor...The real secret behind the Zone Pilates Sculptor is that it not only guides your body but at the same time...

Get Into the Pilates Zone

What is the secret of Pilates? Unlike other exercises, it avoids too much repetition. Pilates exercises use fewer but more precise movements. These movements require a controlled body as well as form. Pilates exercises are able to reduce stress on the heart unlike just regular exercises. Pilates has been given te green light fpr the “older set” as well as for inbound patients.

Did you realize that Pilates has about 500 exercises? Most of them are performed using a mat. This involves a series of callisthenic movements and are done while lying downl

What exactly is Zone Pilates and how does it differ from regular Pilates? Regular Pilates does not make use of any sort of equipment while Zone Pilates makes use of a sculptor as well as a foot mat. Pilates makes use of the mind to control the body. Zone Pilates concentrate on different zones.

The wonderful thing about zone Pilates is that you will not have to do hundreds of reps at one time. It is the surest and best way to whip the body into show-off shape in the quickest way possible. Zone Pilates is very easy! It places an emphasis on the core or “Power House” muscles to firm and shape your body.

As you learn the secret of Zone Pilates, the mystery is taken out of the whole workout program. When you use perfect positioning coupled with added resistance, it will guide you to faster and better results. We must first explain that the Power House muscles include the abs, buns, thighs and lower back. As you work from the Core’s deepest level, it will give you the results that have made Pilates ever so popular. With Zone Pilates, you are actually targeting thecore muscles and therefore will attain more effective results that you have ever seen!

Exactly how does Zone Pilates work? The thing that guides your body is the Zone Pilates Sculptor. It adds resistance to your muscles in order to accelerate your results. It also provides consistent resistance training. Multiple muscles are engaged at one time thus improving your workout efficiency.

You will find the following equipment in just about every Zone Pilates system:

• Sculptor
• Meal plan
• Foot guide mat
• All in one DVD

The real secret behind the Zone Pilates Sculptor is that it not only guides your body but at the same time is an aid to adding muscle-toning resistance in order that your results can be accelerated. It also provides consistent resistance training.

Zone Pilates also comes with a Foot Guide Mat. It will make sure that your body is always in perfect alignment with the Pilates position. It takes all of the guesswork out of exactly what position your body should be in.

1. Shoulder Bridge Prep

Lie flat on your back in the neutral spine position and have your knees bent with your feet flat on the floor. Your arms should be down by your sides in a relaxed position.

Inhale. Press down through the feet in order to lengthen your spine as you press your hips up. Now you will be in a bridge position on your shoulders. You hips, knees and shoulders should all be in one line. Your hamstrings and abdominal muscles should be well engaged.

Pause when you get to the top of the bridge and practice lifting one leg off the exercise mat. Then do the same with the other leg. If you can do this with ease, then you are ready to proceed to step 2.

• This may be as far as a lot of you will want to go with this exercise until you build your abdominal and leg strength.

2. Extend One Leg

Inhale. Fold one of your knees in toward your chest. Now extend that leg up towards the ceiling. Except for the leg, the rest of your body should remain still. Your shoulders and neck should be relaxed. You are doing the work with you abdominal muscles and hamstrings.

3. Lower One Leg

Exhale. Lower your leg. Your knees should be side by side again. As you are lowering your leg, try lengthening it as much as possible. The extended leg, the knee of the supporting leg and your tailbone are all reaching for the wall that is in front of you. At the same time, your head is reaching away in an opposing stretch.

If you are feeling strong and you have a stable position, then you can proceed to the next step.

• If you are feeling a bit shaky at this point, then this would be a good time to fold the working leg down to the floor. Rest and repeat this step over

4. Flex Kick Up

Inhale. As you flex your foot, kick your leg up toward the ceiling once more. Make sure that your hips are even. The hip of your working leg should not be trying to lift up as you kick.

Exhale. Keeping your foot slightly pointed, fold the working knee back to the chest as you return your foot to the floor.

Roll down through the spine and return to the starting position.

This exercise should be repeated two to three times for each side.

5. Shoulder Bridge Notes

The Shoulder Bridge exercise should be controlled and flowing. There should also be easy coordination of breathing and movement. This is a great time to review the Pilates principles. You should use these principles to support an advanced exercise program.

Here is one more exercise to try you hand at:

Hip Lift Hamstring Curl

Lie flat on your back and have your ankles resting on the exercise ball. You legs should be straight and together and your feet should be flexed. Inhale. As you exhale, lift your lower back and bottom off the mat until the body is in a straight line.

Inhale and pull the ball towards your bottom. As you exhale, push the exercise ball away from you. Repeat this exercise 10 times.

Here’s another tip to make this exercise a bit harder: Keep the exercise ball steady and do not let it sway. Use your abdominal strength to control movements. Squeeze your hamstrings and glutes when you are in a plank position.

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Earn Isolation

Earn Isolation

I want to touch on a very sensitive subject. Isolating muscles while training versus training heavy and in big compound movements has always been at the centre of controversy.

For example on 'Bicep day' doing about four different curl variations followed by some crunches. Here's my first problem; dedicating an entire day to such a small and comparatively weak muscle just doesn't sit right with me. Look at the following two resistance training sessions:

Session 1: (Isolation Based)

Barbell Bicep Curls

Dumbbell Hammer Curls

Barbell Reverse Curl

Dumbbell Alternating Curls

Session 2: (compound Movements)

Pull ups (pronated grip/ Palms facing away)

Chin ups (supinated grip/palms facing you)

Parallel grip Chins (palms facing each other)

Isolating a muscle is inherently WRONG it doesn't happen in real life and doesn't make sense from a physiological standpoint. Your body works in patterns of movement it never isolates! Going against your natural coordination pattern and lifting sub max weights is just silly!

Look at the session number 1 . . massive 'pump' right? 'oooh yea I'm hitting the biceps from every angle'. Well not really, you are hitting the muscle sub maximally with LOTS of repetitions and essentially you are training your biceps for endurance! Now I know your going to say 'but bodybuilders use these methods' yea EXACTLY! And you aren't a bodybuilder! Less than 1% of the population are of the genetic predisposition that they will make muscular gains much easier than everyone else. That's life! If you wanted to be a bodybuilder you should have chose your parents better because they are the one that gave you those genes.

Now look at the session number 2. You might say 'there's no bicep exercises in there' look closer! ANY pulling movement is essentially a curl with a pull attached to it. I.e. Chins or any heavy pull are essentially working your biceps they way they were intended to work! A functional movement!

Now what if I said that isolating muscles was actually COUNTERPRODUCTIVE not only are you at risk of not adding muscle but you are also breaking down muscle you added in previous sessions? Have I got your attention now? We discussed this in the main manual but I will reiterate the point here. ANY Exercise initiates a stress response from the endocrine system; cortisol. Low intensity and isolation exercise, by its very nature never allows the body to reach the intensity required to release growth promoting and fat releasing testosterone and HGH and continually exposes the body to unopposed cortisol which makes weight loss more difficult and BREAKS DOWN MUSCLE. Cortisol, in its wisdom also increases blood sugar levels, thus increasing insulin levels and decreasing fat loss. What I'm getting at here is that most if not all exercise should contain a level of intensity and isolation exercises such as crunches should 1) not be performed at all and 2) even if they are performed they should NEVER be preformed on their own! Ever heard of someone going to the gym to do their biceps and their abs? Could they have picked a more low intensity workout? Unopposed Cortisol City!

Now I am not saying that isolation exercises should NEVER be performed! I am merely saying that if somebody has only ever performed isolation exercises they more than likely are not strong! Have you been curling them same 25 pound dumbbells for 3 months thinking that 'maybe next week you'll get stronger/bigger. And the definition of insanity is?

'repeating the same behaviour over and over expecting different results' - Albert Einstein

Now in order to make a limb strong enough to do heavy enough curls to tax the muscle appropriately you need to train it the way it can be trained hardest! Makes sense yea? I don't know about you but a 200 pound row or a weighted chin up would tax the biceps a LOT more then a concentration curl!

'Earn the right to isolate'

Now that isn't to say that you can't add a little volume to your training with isolation exercises but 2/3 sets at the end of a session will suffice. Do the important stuff first! Challenge the biceps and grip heavily with the chins and rows and deadlifts (yes deadlifts strengthen your biceps too)

'Why on EARTH is he talking about grip? I don't care about my grip strength'

Grip strength has been shown to be related to overall arm, back and shoulder development. 'Why'? You ask? Again your body functions as a unit. If your grip strength is sub par then you will inevitably be weak at your 'pulls' i.e. Deadlifts, Chins and Rows. It is impossible to tax your body properly doing all of these BIG moves with submax weight because your girly grip is failing you.

But I use bar straps, so hah

But the weakness is still there, it is very hard to trick your body on this one! if you cant grip the weight tightly enough. your brain detects this and concludes you are not strong enough to lift this weight! Hence development will be submaximal, just like the weight you are lifting.

Bodyweight before external load

Another great one I see is people doing 5kg dumbbell presses!? What the hell?! I am a strong believer that an individual should be able to perform bodyweight exercises before EVER going near external load i.e. weights! It doesn't make any sense! Bodyweight exercises are the BEST exercises you can perform when starting out.

'I cant do a single push up'

for this of you that cant perform bodyweight exercises YET that doesn't mean you retreat to the pink weights section! NO. Perform some assisted bodyweight exercises such as band assisted push ups chins dips and inverted rows (Click here to see these) until you can perform the traditional versions then move to the progressions.

So your take home points are. . .

Push and pull before you flex and extend,

Bodyweight exercises before external load

'Earn the right to isolate'

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Energy Systems Used During Exercise

The primary energy systems used during exercise are, aerobic lipolysis, aerobic glycolysis, anaerobic glycolysis, and stored adenosine triphosphate coupled with creatine phosphate (ATP/CP)......

Energy Systems Used During Exercise

The human body uses a variety of energy systems for different purposes and under different conditions. However, we are interested in the types used during exercise under normal healthy conditions and therefore starvation related processes will not be discussed. The primary energy currencies for the human body are adenosine triphosphate (ATP) and to a lesser degree, guanosine triphosphate (GTP). As a result, the efficiency and effectiveness of energy systems will be based on how much ATP or GTP they can produce and the rate at which they can produce it. Also, since GTP is used primarily for protein synthesis and other functions not related to exercise, and its synthesis is similar to that of ATP, this article will deal primarily with the synthesis of ATP.

The primary energy systems used during exercise are, aerobic lipolysis, aerobic glycolysis, anaerobic glycolysis, and stored adenosine triphosphate coupled with creatine phosphate (ATP/CP). It is interesting to note that the systems which produce the higher amounts of ATP are usually the ones that produce it at the slowest rates. As a result, the body is constantly in a state of compromise, and individual energy systems are rarely used in isolation. Instead, the body will often favor one system instead of using it at the exclusion of all the others.

Aerobic Lipolysis

Aerobic lipolysis burns fat in the Krebs cycle.

Stored fat is the largest reserve of energy, so even an extremely lean person usually has enough stored fat calories to walk over 100 miles

Aerobic Lipolysis is the slowest producer of ATP so it is most useful for extremely low energy activities such as slow jogging, walking, breathing, talking, etc.

It is the primary source of energy used to remake ATP from ADP, as well as to recycle spent fuel back into glucose between sets of intense exercise.

Aerobic Glycolysis

Aerobic glycolysis is the second largest producer of usable energy for exercise in the human body, but produces ATP at a noticeably higher rate than aerobic lipolysis.

If someone runs out of usable glycogen during an endurance event this is called “hitting the wall”, and results in a significant drop in the rate of energy output.

Aerobic glycolysis begins by breaking down glucose into pyruvate to produce some ATP, after which the pyruvate is oxidized in the Krebs cycle to produce even more ATP.

The rate of ATP production is limited by the VO2 Max.

Aerobic glycolysis is useful for moderate rates of energy output for moderate time periods such as in running a 2 mile race.

Anaerobic Glycolysis

Anaerobic glycolysis is not limited by oxygen uptake and produces ATP at about 100 times as fast as aerobic glycolysis.

It produces much less ATP per molecule of glucose and is therefore much less energy efficient.

It also begins with the breaking down of glucose into pyruvate to produce ATP.

When energy is needed at rates that are greater than what can be supplied by aerobic glycolysis and lipolysis, much of the pyruvate undergoes fermentation to produce ATP without the need for oxygen.

One of the end products of anaerobic glycolysis is lactic acid which causes a burning sensation in the muscles, and inhibits further glycolysis.

This inhibition of further glycolysis reduces the energy output during the exercise.

The lactic acid eventually goes from the muscles into the blood and to the liver where it is converted back to pyruvate and then back into glucose in a process called gluconeogenesis via the Cori Cycle.

Anaerobic glycolysis is usually used in high repetition exercises where the athlete feels the muscles “burning”.

Adenosine Triphosphate/Creatine Phosphate (ATP/CP)

Stored ATP reserves are the quickest ways to have ATP available for energy output.

However the extremely high rates of energy output is offset by the short supply which lasts only seconds.

In many cases, creatine phosphate (CP) will donate a phosphate group to adenosine diphosphate (ADP) to change it back into adenosine triphosphate (ATP).

This increases the amount of ATP available after which the creatine becomes creatinine, which is excreted in the urine.

Creatine phosphate is created in the body from amino acids and a phosphate group. However, Creatine that is consumed in either natural form (i.e. beef or salmon) or in supplemental form, gets converted into creatine phosphate when it enters the body, which in turn increases the energy output available via the ATP/CP system.

The combination of these energy systems obviously has roots in the survival of our ancestors. However, understanding the energy systems can help us to maximize the benefits that we get from physical exercise. One important point to remember, is that each energy system is rarely used in isolation. Whenever a high output rate energy system (ATP/CP) is being used, the lower output rate energy systems are also being used to assist it.

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