Study Guide 2

These flashcards cover key concepts related to exercise metabolism and muscle physiology.

Metabolism

The set of life-sustaining chemical reactions in organisms including the conversion of food to energy.

REDOX reactions

Reactions that involve the transfer of electrons between two species, crucial in producing energy through ATP.

NADH

A coenzyme that carries high-energy electrons to the electron transport chain for ATP production.

FADH

Another coenzyme similar to NADH but generates fewer ATP due to being a step further down the electron transport chain.

Enzymes

Biological catalysts that speed up chemical reactions in the body, their activity can be affected by temperature and acidity.

Rate limiting enzyme

An enzyme that regulates the rate of a metabolic pathway and can be influenced by ATP, ADP, and H+ levels.

Energy producing pathways

The three major pathways are High Energy Phosphates, Glycolysis, and Oxidative Phosphorylation.

Substrates

The different molecules such as carbohydrates, glycogen, fatty acids, proteins, and lactate that can be used in energy pathways.

Creatine monohydrate

A supplement that can enhance performance by increasing the phosphocreatine stores in muscles to support ATP production.

Lactate

A byproduct of glycolysis that forms when glucose or glycogen is metabolized anaerobically.

Kreb’s Cycle

A series of reactions in the mitochondria that generate energy through oxidizing acetyl-CoA.

Beta oxidation

The metabolic process of breaking down fatty acids into acetyl-CoA units for energy production.

Lipase

An enzyme that catalyzes the breakdown of fats into fatty acids and glycerol.

Electron transport chain

A series of complexes in the mitochondria that transfer electrons and produce ATP; requires oxygen.

EPOC

Excess Post-exercise Oxygen Consumption, the increased rate of oxygen intake after exercise to restore the body.

V02 max

The maximum rate of oxygen consumption measured during intense exercise, indicating cardiovascular fitness.

Respiratory exchange ratio

A measure of the ratio of carbon dioxide produced to oxygen consumed, used to assess substrate utilization during exercise.

Muscle Fiber Types

Different types of muscle fibers characterized by their contraction speed, energy supply, and endurance.

Motor unit

A motor neuron and the muscle fibers it innervates, essential for muscle contraction and force production.

Force/velocity relationship

A principle stating that the speed of muscle contraction is inversely related to force production.

Excitation-contraction coupling

The physiological process of converting an electrical stimulus to a mechanical response in muscle fibers.