LONG TERM EFFECTS OF
EXERCISE ON THE BODY
SYSTEMS
Physiology of Fitness
Andrew Roberts
Long Term Effects of Exercise on the
Body Systems

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
What body systems do
we mean?
Cardiovascular
Respiratory
Energy systems
Muscular
Skeletal
CREMS

As you exercise
regularly your body
adapts – you become
fitter – more able to
cope with the demands
of exercise. We are
going to look at what
changes occur in the
heart, lungs, muscle,
skeleton and energy
systems.
Learning Outcomes




Identify the 5 main body systems that are affected
by long term exercise
Describe 3 key changes to the cardiovascular
system after long term exercise (e.g. after 6 weeks)
Identify 2 changes to the energy systems as an
adaptation to long term exercise
Examine and record our current level of
cardiovascular fitness
Long Term Effects of Exercise on the
Cardiovascular System
What is the
CV system?
The heart and
blood vessels
of the
circulatory
system



Task
In pairs list what aspects of the
cardiovascular system may change as a
result of regular long term exercise?
In fours, compare results and see if you
can add to your original list.
Heart

Cardiac Hypertrophy
The heart increases in its size and
blood volume.
The wall of the left ventricle
thickens ..why?
to increase the strength
potential of its contractions
In sedentary, middle aged
individuals it may be as high as
100 beats/min.
Normal heart
rate (HR) 60-80
beats / min
Elite endurance
athlete’s HR
28 – 40 bpm
CV system cont...

Increase in Stroke Volume
SV = The amount of blood that can
be pumped by the heart per beat.
This means the heart can now pump
more blood per minute.
Why is this beneficial?
Increased blood flow allows for faster
and more efficient delivery oxygen
and nutrients


In untrained individuals
stroke volume at rest it
averages 50-70ml/beat
increasing up to 110130ml/beat beat during
intense, physical activity.
In elite athletes resting
stroke volume averages
90-110ml/beat increasing
to as much as 150220ml/beat
CV system cont...
Increased Cardiac
Output (CO)
SV X HR = CO
As SV and HR increase
during exercise CO will
increase.
In a trained heart both SV
and HR have increased
capacity.
SV does increase to a point
– however the significant
increases in CO are
caused by a bigger
increases in
heart rate
Untrained
REST
MAX EXERCISE
SV
60ml/beat
120ml/beat
X
X
X
HR
70 beats/min
130 beats/ min
=
=
=
CO
4200ml/min
15600ml/min
Elite
REST
MAX EXERCISE
SV
100ml/beat
200ml/beat
X
X
X
HR
40 beats/ min
180 beats/ min
=
=
=
CO
4800ml/min
36000ml/min
CV system cont...
Discussion
Eg An untrained student’s heart rate was
measured at 140bpm while running
6mph on the treadmill
After 6 weeks of exercise (running for 30
mins 3 times per week) I would expect HR
decrease
increase
to
1.
Why?
2.
What physiological changes would have
occurred?
CV system cont...

Decreased resting
heart rate
With regular training your
resting HR falls.
Also your HR returns to normal
quicker after exercise.
How could you measure these
improvements over your 6
week program?



Capillarisation
Capillary networks increase
to your cardiac and
skeletal muscle.
This improves blood supply
to the active muscles and
improves the muscles’
efficiency
CV system cont...




Increase in Blood
Volume
Your blood volume is the
amount of blood circulating
in your body
It increases as an
adaptation to regular
exercise
It increases as a result of
capillarisation

Reduction in Resting
Blood Pressure
What are the 2 measurements of
BP?
1.
Systolic
2.
Diastolic
Research shows that the quicker your
BP returns to normal the fitter
you are.
How could you measure this?
Regular exercise can contribute to
lowering BP.
CV system cont...



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Decreased Recovery
Time
HR recovery is a measure
of how much your HR falls
the first minute after
exercise.
Fit people can recover
more quickly. How?
The CV system has adapted and
become more efficient through
the demands of regular exercise


Increased Aerobic
Fitness
This occurs as a result of what
kind of training?

Aerobic training e.g.?

Running, cycling...


Aerobic fitness refers to
endurance, or the ability to
sustain work for prolonged
periods.
How can you measure an
improvement in aerobic fitness?
Recap
TASK

In pairs, recall at least 3 key changes to your CV system
as a result of long term exercise?
1.
Cardiac hypertrophy
2.
Increased SV
3.
Increased CO
4.
Decreased resting HR
5.
Capillarisation
6.
Increase in blood volume
7.
Reduction in resting BP
8.
Decreased recovery time
9.
Increased aerobic fitness
Long Term Effects of Exercise on the Energy
System
Task


In pairs
Exercise can cover a wide range of
meanings ....what exercise are we
considering? On a flip chart write exercise in the
middle and jot down what exercise means to you.
Type
Intensity
Frequency
Duration
Long Term Effects of Exercise on the Energy
Systems





Type Intensity Frequency Duration
What systems does our body use to supply energy
to our muscles?
ATP-CP
1-10 secs
10s – 2mins
Lactic Acid energy system
Aerobic Energy system
2 mins +
Long Term Effects of Exercise on the Energy
Systems


1.
2.
At cellular level
muscles need what to
ATP
contract?
What adaptations may
occur at cellular level ?
Increase in level of
enzymes for aerobic and
anaerobic systems.
Increase in size of
mitochondria.




Increased use of fat as
an energy source
Fat combustion powers
almost all exercise at 25%
of aerobic power.
Fat oxidation increases if
exercise extends to long
periods as glycogen
depletes
Trained athletes burn more
fat as fuel than non-trained
athletes.
Long Term Effects of Exercise on the CV &
Energy Systems
Paired Task


Identify 2 changes to the energy
systems as an adaptation to long term
exercise
Describe 3 key changes to the CV
system and how you may examine
record those changes before and after
a 6 week training program