Theory 81/Energy Limits/Muscle physiology
Muscle Has an Efficiency Ceiling
The claim
Muscle mechanical efficiency is capped by the ratio of cross-bridge work to ATP hydrolysis, so faster contraction lowers efficiency even at higher power.
01Mechanism
Each cycle hydrolyses a fixed ATP while producing variable work; the ratio falls when cycling outpaces force generation.
02Prediction
Efficiency should peak at an intermediate velocity.
03Refutation
Efficiency independent of velocity would remove the coupling.