Exercise Physiology (Final)

Learning Objectives

Harvard Fatigue Laboratory

1927

Basic physiology focus

1950-1980

Applied exercise physiology focus

1980-current

Why study exercise physiology? (4)

1. Understand how the body responds to to exercise

2. Improve health and performance

3. Prevent and manage disease

4. Ensure safe and effective training

The study of how the body responds and adapts to physical stress

Exercise physiology

Sudden and short-lived responses to exercise

Acute exercise effects

Gradual and long term responses to exercise

Chronic exercise effects

Any bodily movement that requires the use of energy by the individual

Physical activity

The basic self care tasks that a person needs to perform every day in order to live independently

Activities of daily living (ADLs)

A specific type of PA that is planned and structures with the explicit purpose of improving physical fitness

Exercise

Physiological attributes that reflect the ability of the systems of the body to support physical activity, ADLs, sport, occupational tasks

Physical fitness

The ability to perform prolonged, large-muscle, dynamic exercise at moderate to high levels of intensity

Aerobic capacity

The proportion of total body weight made up of fat mass and fat-free mass

Body composition

What are the acute physiological responses to stress? (4)

• ^ O2 intake into lungs

• ^ O2 delivery to muscles

• ^ O2 supply

• ^ ATP supply

What is the gold standard for assessment of aerobic capacity?

The cardiopulmonary exercise test

What does the cardiopulmonary exercise test measure?

Measures maximal volume of oxygen uptake during stress

Regular and specific exercise can lead to…

Long term changes within the systems of the body in response to the stress of exercise

The body must be stressed to a level beyond that to which it is normally accustomed to stimulate physiological training adaptations

Principle of overload

As the body adapts to exercise, the exercise intensity must be increased to continue to stimulate physiological training adaptations

Principle of progression

When an exercise stress is removed, the physiological training adaptations to that stress are lost

Principle of reversibility