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Fitness And Weight TrainingFitness and Weight TrainingFitness and weight training requires you to manage the requirements of energy efficiently for effective workouts. Without proper supply of energy the muscle system will not respond properly to your workouts. The fuel that powers the muscles in our body is the adenosine triphosphate (ATP). This is the source of energy in the body and influences the functioning of all the body parts. All body parts need energy to function and stay alive. Its scope extends from movements of the body, digestion and even our thought process. The role of ATP in muscle contraction is very important fitness and weight training. Fitness and weight training emphasizes on proper supply of energy i.e. the ATP. The ATP molecule is made of three phosphate groups bonded to one molecule of adenosine. The ATP molecule is composed of three components. At the centre is a sugar molecule ‘ribose’ and on to one side is a group consisting of linked rings of carbon and nitrogen atoms known as adenine. The other side of the sugar is attached to a string of phosphate groups. These phosphates are the key to the activity of ATP. When one of the molecules of the total three molecules breaks off, the ATP turns into ADP (adenosine diphosphate), which releases a lot of energy for use by the body. When you are resting and energy is not immediately needed, the reverse action takes place and the phosphate group is reattached. ADP is not further split in the muscle, but happens somewhere else in the body. When you begin your exercises, the ATP stores amount to only three ounces, which is sufficient only to keep the muscles working for about three seconds. When the muscle is called to work more than that the creatine phosphate (CP) comes to the aid. CP is broken down into creatine and phosphate releasing lots of energy which can be used by the body to work beyond the initial reserve. During the break down of the CP, the ADP gets bonded with loose phosphate and converts into new ATP molecule. The CP reserves can fuel the body for around 10 seconds. Sprint athletes depend on the ATP-CP combination, whereas the weightlifters and power lifters depend only on the ATP source in their fitness and weight training. Fitness and weight training uses different type of energy source to fuel the workout. When you want to shed fat, long duration of aerobic exercises, which generates enough ATP to sustain endurance, should be adopted. This increases the heart rate to 160 or 190 which is an indication of positive results. Power lifters and weightlifters depend on ATP for proper contraction of their muscles. The role of ATP in muscle contraction is vital to bodybuilders in their fitness and weight training. |