- What's going on, Jigsaw land?
It's Thomas DeLauer,
and today I'm dropping some science on you
when it comes down to aerobic metabolism
and anaerobic metabolism
and when your body is using carbs
and when your body is using fats.
Of course, magnesium comes into play with all of this,
because, as you well know, magnesium is involved
in over 300 different enzymatic processes within the body,
and that includes creating ATP.
So let's get down to the science
of when you're using fats, carbs, and protein
as a source of fuel.
Okay, so first and foremost,
adenosine triphosphate is essentially a phosphate bond
that has been broken up,
and that releases energy within the body.
Now, it's a very abbreviated version,
and I've done other videos
that go into a lot more detail on that.
But for the sake of this video,
this is all you really need to know.
Okay, so when we look at ATP,
it is the ultimate energy source within the body.
Everything that we do boils down to using ATP.
But there are a couple different means to get there.
You see, the first one is gonna be called aerobic metabolism
and the second one is gonna be called anerobic metabolism,
and they have two very unique systems within the body
that ultimately boil down to creating ATP.
It's just two different means of getting there.
The first one is going to be aerobic metabolism,
and that occurs when the body has enough oxygen available
to ultimately create energy.
So when we look at how glucose is used, carbohydrates,
carbohydrates are consumed and broken down into glucose.
Then that glucose is converted
into something called pyruvate.
You might remember this from sophomore biology class.
Now, that pyruvate is created
through something known as the Krebs cycle,
which I'm not going to explain in this video
'cause it's boring.
But pyruvate ultimately enters
what is called the mitochondria
and then combines with oxygen to essentially create energy.
And the byproducts end up being carbon dioxide and water.
That's why when you breathe through aerobic metabolism,
you end up expelling that carbon dioxide,
along with moisture.
Okay, it's simply a byproduct of carbohydrate metabolism
or fat metabolism going through the simple aerobic system.
Now, the cool thing is this is a very efficient system.
The bad thing is it's slow.
So when we need energy fast,
like when we're sprinting or lifting weights,
we have to rely on a different energy source.
See, sometimes the amount of oxygen can't keep up
with how fast the body needs to create energy,
so that's why we have the other system
called the lactic acid system,
and that's where glucose is used a little bit differently.
This is called anerobic activity.
And this anerobic activity takes glucose
and it breaks down again into pyruvate,
except instead of that pyruvate going into the mitochondria,
the pyruvate now goes into the cytoplasm,
which is the fluid area of a cell.
And then from there it combines
and goes through a different chemical reaction
and creates lactate.
This is essentially what is creating energy
through the anerobic system,
and that byproduct is lactic acid.
That's why when you're sprinting
or whenever you're doing any kind of workout,
you don't generally fatigue through respiration.
You fatigue through muscle failure
by way of lactic acid burn.
So that's the difference there.
Now, the interesting thing is is that people would think
that anerobic activity is more powerful,
but if you wanna get technical, it's not nearly as powerful.
Using carbohydrates in an anaerobic sense
is very inefficient.
We just have processes within the body
that allow it to happen a little bit easier.
But before I go into detail on how that works,
it's very, very important that you know
that aerobic metabolism can use proteins,
it can use fats, and it can use carbohydrates.
Anerobic activity can only use carbohydrates.
I'm not saying one is better than the other.
I lift a lot of weights.
I clearly like anerobic activity.
But aerobic activity is a lot more universal
and a lot more efficient
when it comes down to just sustaining life in general.
So here's what ends up happening
when you're in an anerobic state.
You see, you consume carbohydrates,
your body converts them into pyruvate,
and then that pyruvate goes into the cell
and creates instant energy.
But what you don't realize is that
that the process is much less efficient
when it comes down to how much ATP is created.
You see, aerobic activity,
energy that's created with oxygen,
creates 10 times more ATP per gram of glucose
than the anerobic system does.
Let me give you a reference here.
Okay, one gram of glucose through the anaerobic system
creates approximately three ATP.
One gram of glucose through the aerobic system
with oxygen ends up yielding 39 ATP.
So gram for gram, your glucose goes further
with aerobic metabolism.
So then why is it that people say carbohydrates are good
for energy if they're so inefficient?
Well, we have additional enzymes within our body
that expedite the process.
So just because the conversion of glucose
into energy is a little bit less
when it comes down to using the lactic threshold system,
it doesn't necessarily mean that it's bad.
We have other enzymes at play that enhance the effect.
So basically it's moving it along a little bit faster.
The problem with the anaerobic system
is that we end up limited by that lactic acid.
Again, like I said, if you're ever lifting weights,
you feel that lactic acid buildup which causes you to quit.
So we can only go so far.
Now, there are some activities
that allow you to utilize both.
A good example would be
if you were out going for a bike ride.
You're predominantly using the aerobic system.
You're just cruising along,
you're huffing and puffing a little bit,
but you're not super exhausted.
And then all of a sudden you have to climb up a hill.
Well, when you start climbing up the hill,
your body has no choice but to tap into the anerobic system.
You go into what is called oxygen debt
because your body has been able to sustain energy
by utilizing fats, proteins, and carbs
and having the time to combine them with oxygen.
But then the second you start climbing up a hill,
your oxygen demand increases,
and eventually you go into oxygen debt
where you don't have enough,
so your body starts to recruit excess carbohydrates
to be able to convert them into ATP.
Because at the end of all of this, we still need the ATP.
So you may be wondering, okay,
well, when is my body using fats?
Well, it just comes back down to the aerobic system.
We cannot use fats
when we are doing high-intensity activity.
You see, so when we're lifting weights
or when we're sprinting, no matter how hard you try,
your body's not going to use fats.
So you might be wondering, well, why is this good
if I'm on a low carb diet or in ketosis?
Well, here's where it's important.
Any excess carbs that you do consume,
carbohydrates that are coming from just spare amounts
of carbs that you get through your diet,
or maybe you're just going into a ketogenic diet today
and you had carbs yesterday,
those high-intensity activities are gonna allow you
to utilize those carbs and drain those stores
so that you get into ketosis faster.
So the general rule of thumb, if people ask,
what kind of workout should you be doing
when you're in ketosis,
well, you're still gonna wanna do your weight training
and your high-intensity activity,
because it's gonna drain
those carb stores a little bit more.
But you also wanna be doing your aerobic activity,
because, A, ketones burn really well
when it comes down to energy,
but, B, fat is going to be burned
when you're doing aerobic activity.
So there you have it, Jigsaw crew.
And as always, make sure you click on the link
and check out Jigsaw Magnesium's SRT,
sustained released magnesium,
so that you can make sure you're always getting the minerals
that you need to feel and look your best.
I'll see you on the next page.
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