International Sports Sciences Association (ISSA) Strength and Conditioning Certification Practice Test

The process of making ATP from glucose is called glycolysis. Glycolysis is a series of enzymatic reactions that occur in the cytoplasm of the cell, where one molecule of glucose (a six-carbon sugar) is broken down into two molecules of pyruvate (a three-carbon compound). During this process, a net gain of two ATP molecules is produced, along with two molecules of NADH, which can later be used in the aerobic respiration pathway to generate additional ATP.

Glycolysis is considered the first step of cellular respiration, regardless of whether oxygen is present, and it plays a crucial role in both aerobic and anaerobic conditions. This process allows cells to harness energy from glucose efficiently and serves as a critical metabolic pathway in carbohydrate metabolism. The other options, while related to energy production in various contexts, do not directly refer to the specific process of ATP synthesis from glucose as glycolysis does.