BETA
Fueling the ten-second engine
The phosphagen system uses stored Adenosine Triphosphate (ATP) and creatine phosphate to power muscles for up to 10 seconds. Because this system does not require oxygen, sprinters barely breathe during a 100-meter race.
Chapter 1
The physics of the foot strike
Chapter 2
Inside the sprinter's muscles
Chapter 3
The art of the starting blocks
Chapter 4
Legends of the track
Ch 2 · Inside the sprinter's muscles
dash Tap fast-twitch muscle fibers to learn how the fastest humans run so incredibly fast.
dash Sprinting Muscle Biology
These fast-twitch fibers are firing, hitting the ground with all of my might!
dash A specific genetic variant helps produce a protein crucial for explosive muscle contractions.
Fun Fact
Zero oxygen needed: A sprinter could theoretically run a full 100-meter race completely holding their breath, as their muscles use stored chemical fuel.
dash Sprinters rely on a specialized, oxygen-free energy system that lasts only a few seconds.
Quiz
Which gene variant, often called the 'speed gene,' is found in almost all Olympic sprinters?
Quiz
What chemical compound acts as the immediate energy currency for muscle contractions?
Quiz
Which muscle fiber type is primarily utilized by marathon runners instead of sprinters?