Consistency always pays off
It is well known that training, both in power and in endurance, produces adaptations in our organism; this principle is known as supercompensation. Quite simply in response to increasing stimuli (principle of progressivity of loads) the human machine implements strategies that modify the current equilibrium in order to better prepare to face a future stress of greater magnitude.
Until now it does not seem to me that I have said anything new. Now I ask you a question: what systems does supercompensation involve?
- Obviously the musculoskeletal system. So much has been said and written on this subject that it seems trivial to talk about it again.
- The functional system certainly cannot escape us indoor cycling practitioners - cardiovascular and respiratory -.
- Then?
And then there is the metabolic-enzymatic system.
I would like to clarify that none of these three aspects can be considered separate from the others. The adaptations induced by training go hand in hand for all three systems considered. The greatest effects on the functional and metabolic-enzymatic systems are induced by endurance training.
That's why I decided to spend a few words on this apparatus. So let's see how it works and how it fits.
I would like it to be clear first of all that the energy mechanisms all have the same purpose: to reconstitute the molecules of ATP (adenosine triphosphate), which represent the readily available energy reserves, starting from "ADP (adenosine diphosphate). The few things I will say concern essentially the aerobic energetic mechanism. In this case the ATP resynthesis process takes place inside the mitochondria. These are organelles present in the cells within which chemical reactions take place which allow the process just described in the presence of oxygen. Simplifying as much as possible, we can say that they contain the enzymes necessary to transform food into energy, which is then stored in the ATP molecules and made available. The mitochondrion has a very permeable outer membrane that allows almost all the molecules present in the cytosol to pass; on the contrary, the inner membrane is much less permeable, in fact only the molecules that will be metabolized by the innermost space that contains the matrix pass through it through transport proteins. Once inside (I deliberately omit all the chemical passages) each of these molecules, in the presence of oxygen, will be able to produce 36 moles of ATP. The same molecule in the cytosol, therefore outside the mitochondrion, will produce only 2 moles of ATP! Thus we understand how much more effective is the resynthesis mechanism in the presence of oxygen, rather than the anaerobic one.
Schematic of a mitochondrion
We have seen how it is done so far. Let's look at how it fits instead:
The best thing is that mitochondria can increase by up to double within the same cell. Carrier enzymes also improve by speeding up the transport of molecules that will be used for energy purposes in the matrix.
In practice it is as if the number of "burners" increased and each of them could burn more fuel. This means that the more we train consistently, the more we will be able to use the fuel available for our performances, which can be longer and even more intense. Do I have to remind you that the elective fuel for us indoor cycling practitioners is a mixture of sugars and FATS?
Personal trainer, Schwinn Cycling Instructor, postural gymnastics, yogafit and Mountain bike instructor
