PE
system must kick in to cope with the energy demands.
An energy system is a system primarily designed to supply energy-services to
end-users.
ATP - Adenosine Triphosphate – energy stored in muscles
3 Energy Systems
1. ATP-PCR System – movements lasting about 5 to 15 seconds or
strength power movements. Example: Golf swing, Jumps, Baseball
Throwing, Racket Serving or Sprint.
2. Glycolytic System – movements at maximum effort for 1 to 2
minutes. Produces energy quickly but not over a long duration.
3. Oxidative – involves the use of oxygen. Can produce atp for a long
duration of time. It uses Fats and Proteins for longer process. Used
for endurance activities for longer periods of time.
First 2 belong to Anaerobic which means no oxygen
The 3rd one is Aerobic because oxygen is used.
Importance of the 3 energy systems is to provide mental stimulation which
helps you from getting bored and stay motivated. Employ your workout
routines with these systems so your body can easily adapt to any physical
activity.
Remember: Hit your body as differently as possible, as often as possible.
Energy System Development
CC PHOTO CREDIT: THOMAS HAWK
As far as I know, Energy System Development is a term coined by Mark
Verstegen, Founder of Athlete’s Performance.
Mark’s a smart dude, but also the term obviously describes the intent, much
the same way Neuromuscular System Development encapsulates training for
the nervous systems and muscular systems.
Most people only know about ‘Aerobics,’ or ‘Aerobic Training,’ or what I often
hear people talk about in terms of ‘cardio,‘ and maybe a few refer to as
‘conditioning.’
Aerobic simply means, ‘with oxygen,’ and only compromises one
of three energy systems.
Two are actually Anaerobic Pathways — which if you’re wondering, basically
means, ‘without oxygen.’
We are capable of producing energy in an oxygen environment and in an
environment exclusive of oxygen.
Oxygen is a catalyst for energy production, your aerobic energy system is
actually far more efficient at generating energy via the production of adenosine
triphosphate (ATP) — the most basic component of energy that your body
utilizes — but at the expense of speed and a lower power output.
You can’t sustain a high level of energy output for too long, before the aerobic
The other obvious drawback is that exclusive training of the aerobic system
won’t really contribute much in the development of the other two energy
systems, while training the other two energy systems leads to dramatic
improvement of the aerobic system, as shown most notably in the Tabata
Study. Though keep in mind that those involved in that study, still did about
seventy minutes of aerobic work per week. Something to think about…
Too much time spent in the mythological ‘fat-burn zone‘ or too much low-level
aerobic training is often thought to lead to the degradation of muscle tissue,
making your body less metabolically active throughout the day.
However, most of that has to do with shear energy balance, and the fact that
people can’t keep their energy balance above maintenance levels. Burning
more energy than you take in, without the protein intake and resistance
training to support muscle retention, will degrade more muscle tissue, even in
the absence of aerobic training.
Thus, spending some time training in that aerobic zone is usually a good idea,
all the same. Higher intensity forms of exercise thicken the walls of the heart
when done to excess, while aerobic training results in greater elasticity of the
heart. That quality appears to be associated with better heart health, even
though higher intensity forms of energy system training still yield a lot of the
same benefits.
The other important consideration is that aerobic training improves recovery
from strenuous exercise and helps you recover better between sets of higher
intensity exercise.
Basically everything has it’s pros and cons, you should be aware of that, and
then cater your ‘cardio’ to improve what’s important to you.
1. The Quick System
AKA: ATP-CP Phosphagen System (Alactic Anerobic Energy System)
This is your immediate or shortest duration energy system, lasting roughly no
longer than 10 seconds.
You’ll find this energy system heavily involved in sports like javalin, shot-putting,
American Football, Baseball and short sprints.
It basically uses the ATP stored directly in your muscles, to produce energy
quickly.
It’s actually a pretty powerful energy system, but the obvious limitation is
endurance. It’s questionable how trainable this system actually is.
A lot of NMSD is actually geared to this system and strength training,
particularly explosive strength, with less than 5 reps is often within this system
already, but in terms of everyday health and performance an ESD day of training
geared to this system most likely has sprint variations of an exercise with longer
periods of rest.
For example, a 10 second sprint followed by 60 seconds of rest. Sprint intervals
like this are often characterized by quick or short duration work periods, with
longer rest periods as high as ten times the duration of the work portion.
Often energy system work in this realm is characterized by 6-20 times the
amount of recovery relative to your work period, or enough time to allow a
chemical process to restore ATP again within the muscle. Depending how how
high the intensity is, or you want it to be.
For example, 40m, 60m, 80m and 100m sprints are mostly geared to this energy
system, and are among my favourite protocols for maintaining cardiovascular
fitness via this system.
Often I’ll just do a quick sprint, walk back slowly and repeat.
However, sprinting is also technical, so you need to show technical proficiency
to work on them, otherwise you’re best off with a bike, rower or something
with less of a learning curve.
The nice thing about this type of training, is that you can do significantly less
but get great health benefits, while better preserving metabolically active
muscle tissue, so they are relatively time efficient. If you discount the fact that
you need long rest intervals anyway.
Personally, I’d rather sit around for a few minutes between bouts of intense
exercise, than to do mindless steady state work — though I still force myself to
do some of that too…
The more work you do in this realm, the more muscle mass is also likely to be
preserved (by comparison to the other two), but in my opinion shouldn’t be at
the expense of occasionally working on the other two energy systems.
The downside of this type of training is that it’s hard to recover from, so you
can’t do it often and it’s questionable how much you can do in conjunction with
resistance training (not very much as they are very similar).
Most sprint coaches theorize that this kind of work can only truly be tolerated
about twice a week, some might lean to a max of three times a week, but the
consensus on this type of training is generally unanimous in the sense that you
need more recovery time when utilizing higher intensity training protocols.
About 72 hours or more for high intensity sprint work that is above 90% effort
or close to 100%.
Some coaches also question the trainability of this energy system, noting that
improvements to the energy system itself seem moot relative to the
neuromuscular improvements. I don’t completely agree.
I’d note that big improvements within a 10-12 second interval can be less than
tenths of a second. A tenth of a second is the difference between first and third
at the most recent Brazil Olympics for the 100 m, or less than the difference
between third and sixth for more perspective.
I recommend using it sparingly a few times a year, in low doses (less than 20-
30 minutes not including warming up), followed by resistance training (rather
than on separate days), with aerobic training done on off days to aid in
recovery.
It is however more relevant for athletes in power sports than the average Joe
or Jane.
2. The Medium System
AKA: Glycolytic System (Lactic Anaerobic Energy System)
The glycolytic system or your sugar system, still requires energy expenditure in
an environment without oxygen like the ATP-CP system, but after about 10-12
seconds the body basically starts utilizing simple carbohydrates or glucose as a
fuel source, rather than pure ATP.
Sugar requires some breakdown and chemical changes to occur for this system
to be effective and training this system leads to a better utilization of glucose
and a greater duration of exercise at a higher intensity.
This system is predominantly used in Power Sports like Soccer, Basketball,
Hockey, Rugby, and 200m, 400m, 800m track events.
The downside?
Lactic Acid build-up, which isn’t as bad as most people think, however, it still
creates a burning sensation as your body produces the acid — which is actually
a fuel source, basically your body in an anaerobic state produces lactic acid —
and eventually will disallow you from continuing at that intensity.
This is also often referred to as the Lactate Threshold or Anaerobic Threshold
(whatever you want to call it), but your body is good at dealing with it for about
90-120 seconds, depending on training, before it has to start utilizing the
aerobic energy system and your power output has to drop.
It’s maintaining this intensity past your initial threshold, that makes training this
energy system so vital, in so many activities.
The nice thing about this system though, is that with a little bit of rest, you can
tax it pretty heavily and train a lot of similar qualities to your aerobic system at
the same time — as a side note, these energy systems actually have a bit of a
cascade effect in that ATP-CP can contribute to Glycolytic System development,
which can lead to Aerobic system development, but the opposite is not true, you
can’t train your aerobic system and significantly develop your ATP-CP system
really.
Your energy systems work together, not in isolation.
A good example of training protocols that develop this system would be 30
seconds on, 60 seconds off intervals or basically anything where the work is less
than about 2 minutes and characterized by at least an equal amount of rest but
upwards of three times the amount of rest to work, in terms of a ratio, or even
less rest than work, as in the Tabata protocol.
Less rest to work ratios typically mean you can’t hold out as long, which is why
the basic Tabata approach is only 4 minutes — though contrary to popular
opinion, there was still about 70 minutes of steady state aerobic work in that
study, everyone conveniently ignores…
If you want to improve fatigue resistance, you lower the rest interval, if you
want to improve the quality of the contribution of the glycolytic system to
training, you typically use longer rest intervals, especially as they relate to
sports.
45 seconds on, three minutes off, as in most hockey shift scenarios, is still an
example of Glycolytic Interval Training.
*Note more rest is needed when training the quick energy system, less for the
medium, and even less for the long system.
One of my favourite and according to Dr. Steven Boutcher at the University of
South Wales, perhaps the most effective for fat loss (per time spent, and if using
a bike for comparison), is an 8 seconds on, 12 seconds off protocol.
A major advantage to this protocol, is that the rest permits you to keep your
output fairly high, though the majority of the work ultimately ends up in the
aerobic training realm. Try it for 4-5 minutes.
Interval training in these zones, has been shown to make significant
improvements in markers for aerobic and cardiovascular health. However, their
positive influence over insulin sensitivity might also be useful for weight loss,
improving metabolic rate and muscle mass maintenance.
You can also limit training in this area significantly, perhaps even to only 20-30
minutes or less in a training session, while getting similar results (or better) to
the typical long-slow distance aerobic work that many people still do for fat loss
and weight loss.
In a pinch it’s a great substitute for longer more boring styles of aerobic training,
but again, you might not want to utilize it more than two (maybe three) times
a week for optimal use.
Typically you’ll still need about 36+ hours of recovery between bouts for ideal
performance. You can’t just use high intensity training protocols all year round
either, despite how some people might approach it these days.
Be careful mixing it with resistance training protocols as it’s still relatively high
intensity (most moderate set lifting is in the glycolytic zone).
What’s interesting is that a great deal of athletic research indicates that this
system can be trained rather sparingly and the benefits last for quite some
time. It’s highly trainable.
Meaning the benefits of doing glycolytic training three times a week (I’d skip
resistance training this week or use very low volume anyway) for one or two
weeks can last 6-12 weeks. Ultimately, you can probably get away with a week
of this type of training every 2-3 months, with maybe the odd maintenance
session here or there and get a lot of the benefits.
A fun little fact about most interval research is that most of the benefits
shown are seen in short windows, and they don’t necessarily continue to
advance beyond those windows.
Just because it’s been shown that higher intensity interval training has been
shown to be very effective at eliciting metabolic and aerobic improvements,
doesn’t mean you should just completely forget about aerobic training.
A lot of people these days hammer the @#%* out of this system in particular,
expecting to somehow improve. If that’s you, you might want to consider
spending some time on #1 or probably more on #3.
Just saying…
Anaerobic training is stressful on the body and harder to recover from in high
quantities. Not to discourage you from using it, but a lot of it usually just ends
up being aerobic training anyway.
I recommend a few phases of each type of training each year, with a few
sessions here or there, depending on how they are planned to maintain during
the rest of the year.
Of course, this all depends on your objectives.
3. The Long System
AKA: Aerobic System
At the end of a high intensity interval training session, your last interval might
have as much as 40% contribution of the aerobic system.
In other words, it’s always there, always helping you last longer.
If you have decent aerobic fitness than your resting heart rate will typically be
around 60 BPM.
If you’re not there on a regular basis, then you might want to mix more into
your routine for general health purposes than the other two for now. I think it’s
something worth focusing on maintaining.
This system is predominantly used in endurance sports such as long, typically
slow (relative to their power sport counterparts) distance cycling, triathlons,
marathons, kayak racing, and swimming.
I get it, it’s boring, I’m not a fan of doing the same thing ad nauseam for long
periods of time either.
The main disadvantage being the time requirement (also boredom) but the
main advantage being that aerobic training can be done almost daily. It’s much
easier to recover from that other forms of energy system training.
It’s definitely associated more so with that, than anything else, but pretty much
anything that keeps you at a moderate heart rate (about 130-150 BPM) for 20-
30 minutes will have an aerobic training effect.Even brisk walking is of benefit
and is worth considering on days you’re not lifting or doing some other form of
cardiovascular activity.
Honestly, I don’t recommend average people stretch it out beyond 60 minutes,
and I usually keep them in that 20-30 minutes zone because I’d rather more
frequency than duration, generally. If you have an endurance sport objective,
obviously you’ll have to stretch it out longer than that.
The aerobic system can handle low-medium intensity activities for about 90
minutes in duration or longer, depending on training.
If you’re ever heard the term ‘bonking’ or are familiar with the practice of ‘carb-
loading’ in endurance sports, then you are probably aware of this limit, in that
your body can only store so much fuel.
Once you run out of this fuel you can make yourself feel rather sickly. However,
aerobic training makes better utilization of fat as a percentage of work, so it’s
often effective to combine with resistance training (which preserves/builds
muscle mass) for fat loss purposes. That’s why so many bodybuilders use brisk
up-hill walking on a treadmill for cutting purposes.
Typically the average human being stores enough fuel for comfortably about
20 miles worth of activity in the aerobic zone, but training can change this, as
can genetics.
If your goals are suited to endurance sports, then you will want to do a
considerable amount of training this system still.
Aerobic energy system training also what most people seem to think of when
they hear the term ‘cardio,‘ but as you can see above, it’s only one of three
systems.
It’s more for improving recovery for other things, more than anything else. It
stimulates a different part of your autonomic nervous system
(parasympathetic) which can lead to improved relaxation and stress relief. Not
a bad thing if you’re a high strung work-a-holic these days, whereas the two
above might aggravate your stress levels, making things worse rather than
better.
Aerobic training is also more associated with cognitive/mood/energy benefits
than higher intensity forms of exercise, but there is a lack of research on this
for the other two. Most of these benefits appear to need about 20 minutes of
aerobic activity strung together though, despite the popularity of short
workouts like the seven minute workout (it has benefits, just not necessarily
these).
Aerobic activity increases the elasticity of the heart to a much greater extent
(higher intensity forms of exercise appear to thicken the heart, though the jury
is out as to how detrimental heart wall thickening might be) than high intensity
exercise, which may be of significant benefit.
Unlike the Anaerobic pathways, training your aerobic system yields little
improvements in speed, power or strength and is associated with degradation
of lean tissues.
However, you are mostly in a state of aerobic energy expenditure all day, every
day, anyway. So muscle loss probably has more to do with negative energy
balance, than aerobic work per-se. Muscle degradation is easily combatted by
utilizing some of the other methods above, as well as utilizing resistance
training and adequate protein intake.
See: Why Strength Training is Important.
I’ll note that research into this interference effect suggests that non-weight
bearing aerobic activities (like biking/swimming) do not have a significant
interference effect when kept to less than three times a week for no longer
than about 20-30 minutes at a time. Something to consider if you’re attempting
to gain muscle via resistance training but want to maintain some different
aspects of cardiovascular health along with with.
Walking, is predominantly aerobic, and yields numerous health benefits, not to
mention provides many people a much needed break within the day.
I’m not saying Aerobic training is bad or good really. For fat-loss, you can use it
more frequently and recover better from it, but it might not have the muscle
preserving effects of the other two. Something to consider is that the other two
can’t be done as often, nor for as long.
I think a mix is generally best as they have slightly different benefits/downsides.
Going for a walk or light hike between workouts is a great activity for ‘active
recovery‘ days and low level blood flow has been shown to reduce muscle
soreness from previous workouts.
Even if it’s only a placebo effect, light swimming and cycling (notice non-weight
bearing endurance activities…) have also been shown to reduce muscle
soreness when done between harder workouts.
Despite popular opinion, there are aerobic methods that don’t include long
continuous bouts of exercise. As long as you keep your heart rate in an aerobic
zone, sled work can be aerobic, rope work can be aerobic and a variety of
interval protocols can be aerobic. Don’t limit yourself to just long slow distance
work (that’s how I prevent myself from being bored with it) if it doesn’t appeal
to you.
Get a heart rate monitor and keep yourself in that aerobic zone for 20-30
minutes using other methods if you like, or use rate of perceived exertion (5-6
out of 10).
I sometimes like to think of it as breathing through my nose, if you have to
breathe through your mouth, there is a good chance it’s become more
anaerobic (or is approaching it) so back off, trying to breathe through your nose
for the 20-30 minutes can be a reasonable indication that the intensity is low
enough to be mostly aerobic.
Either needs to be fairly continuous though, even if you have chosen to use an
interval approach.
My recommendation is 20-30 minutes of aerobic training (you could do more
if you’re an endurance athlete) with a non-weight bearing modality, on days
you don’t lift, or following about 1-6x a week depending on your objectives. Or
tack on a little of it after lifting.
Closing
It is important to remember that these are more like guidelines, than rules.
We know that all three energy systems work interdependently, so it’s not
exactly cut and dry.
For example, working your quick or medium systems, means your aerobic
system is in use during the recovery period.
Doing resistance training will provide some benefits to these systems,
depending on the type too.
If you want to optimize your training, it’s important to order any energy system
work within a training session or workout appropriately, so that the quick
energy system is developed first, then the medium system, finishing with the
long system.
This is of course assuming that you plan to train 2 or more energy systems
within a given session.
Also you are better served utilizing some form or combination of interval
training in your weight loss efforts, instead of typical aerobic exercise…

Physical Activity and
Stress Management
It is well known that there are many
health benefits associated with
exercise, including lower blood
pressure, weight loss and improved
heart health. Exercise can also be a
powerful stress management strategy.
In fact, physical activity is one of the
best and most effective natural stress
relief options.
Stress Management Benefits of
Exercise
According to Exercise and Stress: Get
Moving to Manage Stress from the Mayo
Clinic, exercise can help improve overall
mood, increase the release of endorphins
and offer meditation-like qualities. Exercise
can also reduce the fight or flight response
often triggered by stress.
Mood Elevation
Physical activity can improve mood,
resulting in a reduction in stress brought on
by mild cases of depression or anxiety.
Exercise can also improve your quality of
sleep, which definitely can have an impact
on your overall mood.
Endorphin Release
Participating in physical activity can result
in an increase in endorphin levels.
Endorphins are chemicals or
neurotransmitters that are released from
the brain. They have analgesic properties
and can make you feel good.
Meditation-Like Qualities
Exercise can be like a form of meditation.
While you are involved in an engrossing
physical activity, you may find that you are
concentrating strictly on the exercise.
Problems and worries that may be a part of
your life may not be on your mind during
the workout.
Reduction of Fight or Flight Response
Reduce Stress Through Exercise from The-
Fitness-Motivator.com explains that stress,
no matter how large or small, activates your
flight or fight response and in doing so,
floods your body with a cocktail of different
hormones including cortisol, adrenaline,
and noradrenaline. Exercise metabolizes
the hormones triggered by the fight or flight
response, burning off these chemicals so
that you don't feel like fighting with
someone or hiding from the world. Once
these hormones have burned themselves
out, your level of homeostasis improves,
and you feel calm and ready to tackle the
world once again.
Using Exercise for Stress Relief
According to the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention, for physical well-
being adults need exercise several days
every week and should do a combination of
moderately intense aerobic activity and
strength training totaling about 150
minutes each week. According to
the Mind/Body Education Center, shorter
mini-sessions of physical activity can help
with stress management. Just ten minutes
at a time of vigorous effort can count
toward this total and help reduce your
stress level and improve your mood.
Types of Exercise to Try
Any physical activity that increases the
respiratory rate and causes a positive
mental distraction is a good choice for
stress management, including solo
activities and ones that include a
companion.
Many types of physical activities that can
work to reduce stress. A few examples
include the following:
 Running
 Biking
 Swimming
 Walking
 Tennis
 Yoga
Tips for Creating a Stress-Reducing
Exercise Plan
When planning for physical activity and
stress management, you have to take into
consideration your health and activity level.
Creating an exercise program makes it
easier for you to avoid injury and achieve
your goal of stress management.
 Speak to your doctor before starting a
new physical regimen. Your physician
can tell you if you have any physical
 limitations that you should take into
consideration when selecting an
activity.
 Find something that you really enjoy
doing because that increases the
likelihood that you would continue
participating in the activity.
 Slowly build up your activity level and
participation in your newly chosen
physical activity. Start with 20-30
minute sessions three times a week and
gradually increase the time.
 Strength training activities should be
part of your exercise regimen as well as
cardiovascular activities.

Experience Physical and Mental

Benefits
Exercise is critical to controlling stress and
relieving tension. Make physical activity a
priority, and you'll find that the mental and
physical benefits far outweigh the effort.
Start exercising and stick with it for the best
results.