Exercise Physiology - Environmental Conditions, Nutrition, Performance Enhancers, and Training Programs

Vocabulary flashcards covering key definitions across environmental conditions, exercise nutrition, performance enhancers, and periodised training principles.

Ambient temperature

The temperature of the environment in which an athlete is performing.

Core temperature

The internal temperature inside the athlete's body.

Vasodilation

The widening of blood vessels to the skin surface to increase blood flow, enabling heat loss via sweating.

Vasoconstriction

The narrowing of blood vessels to the skin surface to decrease blood flow and minimise heat loss in cold conditions.

Conduction

The transfer of thermal energy between two physical objects that are in direct contact with each other.

Convection

Heat exchange resulting from direct contact with a moving fluid, such as air or water currents.

Radiation

The transfer of heat energy between a warmer body and cooler surrounding environments without physical contact.

Evaporation

The cooling process of the body resulting from the vaporisation of sweat on the skin surface.

Stroke Volume (SV)

The specific volume of blood ejected from the heart with each individual contraction or beat.

Cardiac Output (Q)

The total volume of blood circulated by the heart per minute, calculated as heart rate multiplied by stroke volume.

Double heat load

A physiological challenge occurring during exercise in hot environments where the body must simultaneously manage internal metabolic heat from working muscles and external environmental heat.

Cardiovascular drift

A progressive rise in heart rate during prolonged exercise to maintain cardiac output as stroke volume decreases due to fluid loss and reduced blood plasma volume.

Dehydration

A state occurring when total body water loss via sweating, respiration, or waste removal exceeds total fluid intake.

Heat exhaustion

A heat-related condition caused by dehydration and ineffective circulation, resulting in decreased blood pressure, dizziness, headache, fatigue, and nausea.

Heat stroke

A severe, life-threatening hyperthermic condition where sweating stops and core body temperature rises dangerously due to a total failure of evaporative cooling.

Hyperthermia

An elevated core body temperature exceeding $38\,^\circ\text{C}$ resulting from thermoregulatory failure when heat production/absorption exceeds heat dissipation.

Hyponatremia

An abnormally low concentration of sodium in the blood resulting from excessive fluid intake of plain water during extended periods of profuse sweating.

Heat acclimatisation

The physiological process of improving heat tolerance and cooling efficiency through repeated exercise sessions in hot environments.

Humidity

The total amount or concentration of water vapor existing in the surrounding air.

Heat index

A measurement scale combining ambient air temperature and relative humidity to determine how hot environmental conditions actually feel to the human body.

Peripheral vasoconstriction

The physiological redirection of blood flow away from the skin surface and extremities toward the body core to reduce heat loss in cold environments.

Piloerection

An involuntary reaction where body hairs stand upright, trapping an insulating layer of warm air near the skin surface.

Wind chill

The apparent temperature felt on exposed skin resulting from the combined effect of cold air temperature and wind speed increasing convective heat loss.

Hypothermia

A dangerous physiological drop in internal core body temperature below $35\,^\circ\text{C}$ caused by prolonged exposure to cold environments or immersion in cold water.

Diffusion

The passive net movement of gas or liquid molecules from an area of higher concentration to an area of lower concentration across a semi-permeable membrane.

Altitude acclimatisation

The process of developing beneficial physiological adaptations to hypoxic environments through repeated exposure to high elevation.

Haematocrit

The percentage of red blood cells present within total blood volume, averaging approximately $45\%$ in healthy individuals.

Erythropoietin (EPO)

A natural hormone produced by the kidneys that acts on red bone marrow to stimulate the production of red blood cells.

Adenosine Triphosphate (ATP)

A high-energy chemical compound stored in muscle cells, consisting of adenosine and three phosphate groups, which releases energy for muscle contraction upon breakdown.

Glycaemic Index (GI)

A numerical ranking scale from $1$ to $100$ that measures how rapidly ingested carbohydrates elevate blood glucose levels.

Rebound hypoglycaemia

A rapid decrease in blood sugar levels caused by an overproduction of insulin when high GI carbohydrates are consumed $30\text{--}120\,\text{min}$ before exercise.

Crossover concept

A theoretical model describing the exercise intensity at which the primary metabolic fuel source shifts from fat oxidation to carbohydrate utilization.

Carbohydrate loading

A nutritional strategy involving increased carbohydrate intake combined with exercise tapering prior to competition to maximize muscle and liver glycogen stores.

Protein powders

Legal dietary supplements designed to assist with muscle hypertrophy, tissue repair, and enhanced post-exercise recovery.

Caffeine

A legal central nervous system stimulant that reduces perceived exertion, increases alertness, and promotes glycogen sparing via fat mobilization.

Creatine

An amino acid compound supplement that increases skeletal muscle phosphocreatine (PC) stores, enhancing anaerobic power and ATP resynthesis.

Anabolic steroids

Synthetic illegal performance enhancement drugs that mimic testosterone to accelerate protein synthesis, increase muscle mass, and shorten recovery times.

Blood doping

An illegal practice involving blood transfusions, artificial oxygen carriers, or EPO injections to artificially increase red blood cell count and aerobic capacity.

Periodisation

The structured manipulation of training variables such as volume, intensity, and frequency across planned cycles to ensure optimal athletic performance at target competitions.

Macrocycle

The largest training phase in periodisation, typically representing an annual plan or major multi-month training block.

Mesocycle

A medium-term block of training lasting between $4\text{--}12\,\text{weeks}$, containing specific training objectives that contribute to a macrocycle.

Microcycle

A short-term periodised training unit lasting between $3\text{--}10\,\text{days}$ (commonly one week) that targets specific short-term goals.

Tapering

A systematic reduction in overall training volume while maintaining or increasing exercise intensity prior to competition to facilitate tissue repair and energy store replenishment.

Peaking

A temporary state of optimal physical, psychological, technical, and tactical readiness allowing an athlete to perform at their absolute best.

Contrast water therapy (CWT)

A hydrotherapy recovery technique involving alternating immersion between hot and cold water to stimulate blood vessel constriction and dilation, enhancing metabolite removal.

Maintenance phase

An in-season training strategy that preserves established physical fitness levels through reduced volume and high intensity without causing excessive overload or fatigue.

Overtraining

A state of persistent mental and physical fatigue and performance decline resulting from a chronic imbalance between training stress and recovery time.