The continual supply of ATP to the fundamental cellular processes that underpin skeletal muscle contraction during exercise is essential for sports performance in events lasting seconds to several hours. Because the muscle stores of ATP are small, metabolic pathways must be activated to maintain the required rates of ATP resynthesis. These pathways include phosphocreatine and muscle glycogen breakdown, thus enabling substrate-level phosphorylation (‘anaerobic’) and oxidative phosphorylation by using reducing equivalents from carbohydrate and fat metabolism (‘aerobic’). The relative contribution of these metabolic pathways is primarily determined by the intensity and duration of exercise. For most events at the Olympics, carbohydrate is the primary fuel for anaerobic and aerobic metabolism. Here, we provide an overview of exercise metabolism and the key regulatory mechanisms ensuring that ATP resynthesis is closely matched to the ATP demand of exercise. We also summarize various interventions that target muscle metabolism for ergogenic benefit in athletic events.

在运动持续数秒至数小时的过程中，ATP持续提供给支撑运动中骨骼肌收缩的基础细胞过程至关重要，这对于运动表现至关重要。由于ATP的肌肉储备很小，因此必须激活代谢途径以维持所需的ATP再合成速率。这些途径包括磷酸肌酸和肌肉糖原分解，从而通过减少碳水化合物和脂肪代谢的等效物（“需氧”）实现底物水平的磷酸化（“厌氧”）和氧化磷酸化。这些代谢途径的相对贡献主要取决于运动的强度和持续时间。在奥运会的大多数比赛中，碳水化合物是厌氧和有氧代谢的主要燃料。这里，我们提供了运动代谢的概述以及确保ATP重新合成与运动ATP需求紧密匹配的关键调控机制。我们还总结了各种针对肌肉代谢的干预措施，以改善体育赛事中的人体工学益处。