What is it?

• Similar to ATP, it's a high-energy compound. But, here's the catch, it can't directly drive muscle contraction.

How it works? 🧪

• A cool reaction called the 'creatine kinase reaction' releases energy that makes ATP.
• The equation looks like this:
• Creatine phosphate + ADP + H -> Creatine + ATP

• Real-world example! 🏃💨

  • Imagine starting a 100m sprint. The initial energy you feel? That’s mostly thanks to Creatine phosphate and the tiny bit of ATP in muscles.

• Catch! ⏳

  • Only useful for about the first 20 seconds of intense action. After that, other systems need to jump in!

What's the deal?

• Glycolysis happens in every cell's cytoplasm.
• It uses carbohydrate to release energy, creating ATP and pyruvate.

Where's the oxygen? 💨

• If there's limited oxygen, pyruvate turns into lactic acid.
• Good news: Makes ATP super fast.
• Bad news: Only lasts a short time, and the lactic acid accumulation makes muscles say "OUCH!" (because of the reduced pH and muscle contraction ability).

Let's visualize it! 🚴

• Think of a cyclist: Pedaling at a calm pace doesn't rely much on this system. So, other energy sources are at play.

Where it happens:

• In the mighty mitochondria of cells, including processes like the Krebs cycle and the electron transport chain.

What's on the menu? 🥗🍗🥓

• Carbohydrates and fats are the main energy dishes. But hey, proteins also pitch in, contributing to about 15% of resting energy.