Human energy storage

People have different energy stores and individual energy needs.

Virtually every energy-requiring action in the body requires ATP (= adenosine triphosphate). In the process, the energy-containing ATP is split into ADP and P, and the energy released in the process can be used in the body, e.g. for muscle contraction. The ATP stores in the body only last for a few seconds.

The ATP is immediately restored by the CP (= creatine phosphate). This allows, for example, the muscle contraction to continue without interruption. The CP stores also only last for a few seconds.

The provision of larger amounts of ATP occurs in particular through the breakdown of carbohydrates and fats, under certain circumstances also through the breakdown of proteins (see above). The carbohydrate stores last for a few hours with normal everyday activity and 3-5 meals per day; if they run low, hunger occurs. During sports, carbohydrates last for a maximum of 2 to 2.5 hours, depending on the filling level of the glycogen stores in the liver and muscle and the intensity of exertion. Carbohydrate intake during exercise is therefore all the more important the longer and more intense the exercise.

The fat stores of the body are practically inexhaustible, with the stored energy an athlete could ride the entire Tour de France without additional energy intake. In practice, however, this is impossible because, as already described, fat burning is not sustained without carbohydrates and the conversion of proteins to carbohydrates is too slow.

Energy requirements of athletes

Each athlete's individual energy requirements are different and depend on many factors.

• physical requirements (age, weight, height, gender)
• Condition of the route (altitude profile and surface)
• Sport
• custom performance
• Load intensity (GA1 / GA2)

GA1 = Basic endurance 1:
Training is completed at a heart rate of approx. 60 to 70% of the max. heart rate.

GA2 = Basic endurance 2:
Training/competition is completed at a heart rate of approx. 70 to 80% of the max. heart rate.

 

The higher the need for carbohydrates, the closer attention must be paid to the composition of the ingested carbohydrates and the other ingredients of the sports nutrition in order to avoid performance-reducing problems with the absorption of carbohydrates into the body.

In this context, the most important ingredients are carbohydrates, water, sodium and potassium, which should be present in optimal, coordinated quantities. All other ingredients should be minimized to minimize the load on the stomach.