Features of energy supply to athletes’ muscles during speed-power sports

Abstract

A current issue in modern sports biochemistry is studying the features of engaging different pathways of energy supply during various types of muscle work, depending on the type of sport. The practical aspect lies in developing methods to enhance athletes’ performance and speed up recovery processes. Literature sources provide scattered data on using these pedagogical indicators to monitor muscle loads in various sports. In this context, pedagogical parameters aim to track the development of specific physical qualities and their dynamics in the process of mastering sports skills, specifically speed, strength, and endurance. From a medical-biological perspective, the energy source for developing speed and strength is the creatine-phosphokinase and glycolytic mechanisms, while general endurance depends on aerobic oxidation of substrates, including carbohydrates, fats, and proteins. Each sport uniquely combines different physical qualities, as indicated by the specific involvement of anaerobic and aerobic energy mechanisms, observable through biochemical monitoring. Identifying features becomes possible through comparative characteristics of biochemical markers from various energy mechanisms. Based on the comparative results of specific biochemical parameters in different sports, practical recommendations can be formed to enhance the development of lagging links essential for specific sports. It is well-known that speed actions have an inverse-proportional fundamental relationship to the genetically determined length of sarcomeres. Conversely, strength manifestation is directly proportional to sarcomere length. Both speed and strength are serviced by the same anaerobic energy mechanisms: creatine-phosphokinase and glycolytic. Thus, speed can serve as a base for strength development, and vice versa, despite their antagonistic nature concerning sarcomere structure. Short-term high-intensity exercises are primarily powered by anaerobic mechanisms. With prolonged activity, the role of aerobic processes increases. Given the importance of balancing aerobic and anaerobic energy components, studying energy indicators characterizing these components becomes especially significant. During the preparation of athletes in various sports, the proportion of engagement of alactate and lactate components of anaerobic energy supply and the share of aerobic mechanisms vary. Typical representatives of speed-power sports include weightlifting, freestyle wrestling, basketball, and water polo. To provide coaches with recommendations for improving the physical training of athletes in various sports, biochemical monitoring of energy indicators during physical activities of varying durations and intensities, along with mathematical methods of dispersion analysis, is essential to identify the influence of sport type on athletes’ energy characteristics.