Fitness Over 50 For Women & Your Enegry Levels

Your body’s energy output is primarily anaerobic when you are weight lifting. Weight training repetitions do not require much time, often a minute or less. But don’t think weightlifting for bodybuilding competition is easy, far from it.

Training as a bodybuilder is very intense and requires a strong mindset. A quick ten minutes in the gym will not get you to a competitive level.

Your muscles will grow only after they are stressed and allowed to rest and repair. So the goal is to stress as many muscle cells as possible in a targeted area, using different weights (light & heavy) and different techniques. All the specialized training must be followed up with a strictly controlled diet.

So What Are The Energy Sources of Bodybuilders?

Your muscles derive their energy supply from 3 sources:

Immediate, Glycolytic and Oxidative.

For short-term energy burst, your muscles depend on the immediate energy systems which are non oxidative (no oxygen).
For medium-term energy that is pushing yourself to near maximum exertion, your muscles rely on the glycolytic energy systems. The reserves are stored in your liver and muscles, and are converted back to glucose when it is required for your energy level.

For long-term energy mostly used in endurance sports, your muscles rely on the oxidative energy systems. In the oxidative energy systems, oxygen is used to oxidize long-chain fatty acids, protein, and glucose, which generates energy.

The difference between a winning performance or a poor one can be determined by your energy levels and the degree to which you tap into them.