Question

Your friend challenges you to a race and takes of sprinting. You obviously take off after them because you never back down from a challenge. During those first few seconds what type of metabolism are your muscles utilizing? It takes about a minute for you to catch up to, and ultimately pass your friend , and your muscles switch to a different type of metabolism called:_____

Answer 1

Initially, muscles use anaerobic metabolism for rapid ATP production during high-intensity, short duration exercise. After a minute, muscles switch to aerobic metabolism, providing sustained energy for longer-term activities.

Step-by-step explanation:

During the initial seconds of rapid sprinting, your muscles are utilizing anaerobic metabolism, which allows the generation of ATP without the need for oxygen. This type of metabolism includes a process known as glycolysis, where glucose is broken down to produce ATP and pyruvic acid. In this scenario, pyruvic acid is converted to lactic acid due to the lack of oxygen during high-intensity exercise, which can contribute to muscle fatigue. After about a minute of racing, once you catch up and pass your friend, your muscles switch to aerobic metabolism. This longer-term energy system requires oxygen and produces much more ATP per glucose molecule, allowing continued muscle contraction during prolonged activities.