Pros and Cons of the ATP-PC System
The advantages make this system brilliant for short bursts. You won't get nasty lactic acid build-up that makes your muscles burn. Plus, your phosphocreatine stores recharge surprisingly fast - 50% in just 30 seconds and 100% within 3 minutes.
The downsides are pretty limiting though. You've only got about 10 seconds worth of PC stored in each muscle cell. Even worse, PC can only be resynthesised when oxygen is present, so you need to reduce exercise intensity for recovery.
During repeated high-intensity exercise with short recovery periods, your PC stores can't fully replenish. This means your body switches to slower energy systems like anaerobic glycolysis, which uses carbohydrates but produces that uncomfortable lactic acid.
Exam Focus: Remember the 50% recovery rule - PC stores only half-replenish in 30 seconds, which explains why performance drops in repeated sprints!