The
phosphagens are energy storage compounds, also known as
high-energy phosphate compounds, are chiefly found in
muscular tissue in
animals. They allow a high-energy phosphate pool to be maintained in a concentration range, which, if it all were
ATP, would create problems due to the
ATP consuming reactions in these tissues. As muscle tissues can have sudden demands for lots of energy; these compounds can maintain a reserve of high-energy phosphates that can be used as needed, to provide the energy that could not be immediately supplied by
glycolysis or
oxidative phosphorylation. Phosphagens supply immediate but limited energy.