1 Chemically, ATP is an adenine nucleotide bound to three phosphates. 2  There is a lot of energy stored in the bond between the second and third phosphate groups that can be used to fuel chemical reactions. 3  When a cell needs energy, it breaks this bond to form adenosine diphosphate (ADP) and a free phosphate molecule.
calf muscle pump. calf muscle pump. an action of the calf (soleus) muscles in which the muscles contract and squeeze the popliteal and tibial veins, forcing the blood in those veins to move upward toward the heart. Also called soleus pump.
Leg muscles pump the veins to return blood to the heart (the skeletal-muscle pump), against the effects of gravity. When veins become varicose, the leaflets of the valves no longer meet properly, and the valves do not work (valvular incompetence).