Body Atlas

Fuel, Fatigue and Fibre Types · Muscles

Why can't I sprint for more than a minute?

Instant, fast, or sustainable — the body uses all three in turn.

The simple answer

Muscle keeps only a few seconds of ready energy on hand. Everything beyond that has to be made on the fly, and your body has three ways to do it — each faster but less sustainable than the next.

Go deeper

There's more: instant, fast, or sustainable — the body uses all three in turn. The full explanation — and the interactive version you can tap and quiz yourself on — lives in the app.

Explore this concept in Body Atlas →

Body Atlas is an educational product. It does not provide diagnosis, treatment, or personal medical advice. · Privacy