Name: _____________________________________
Period: __________
Heart Rate Activity
Part 1
Background and Significance:
When a person stands up, blood pools down in the lower extremities. This slows
down and decreases the rate in which blood returns to the heart, which results in
the heart pumping faster to maintain the amount of blood pumped out each minute,
known as cardiac output, and the delivery of oxygen to the body. As the
cardiovascular systems attempts to acclimate to the change in body position, the
heart rate begins to slow down to its resting heart rate. Vein constriction in the
extremities decreases the pooling of blood.
Purpose: To explore how the heart rate responds to changes in body position.
To find your pulse: Place your thumb under your chin with the remaining four free
fingers up. Rotate the thumb to the left allowing the fingers to follow and the
index/middle fingers should fall on the pulse spot on the neck.
Materials: watch/stop watch; space to lay down, a chair to sit on.
Activities
Activity
Your
Rate
Lay silently for 1 minute, then count heart rate at rest
for 15 seconds. Multiply this by 4 to get the number of
beats per minute (bpm).
Sit silently in a chair for 1 minute, then count heart rate
for 15 seconds. Multiply this by 4 to get the number of
beats per minute (bpm)
Find your pulse first, then stand up quickly. Immediately
count heart rate for 15 seconds. Multiply this number by
4 to get the number of beats per minute (bpm).
© Copyright 2015 – all rights reserved www.cpalms.org.
Partner’s
Rate
Name: _____________________________________
Period: __________
Questions/Discussion
1. Is the effect greater for tall or short individuals? Why do you think this is
so?
2. Why can people faint when standing at attention without moving?
How does exercise help?
3. Why are astronauts put in a horizontal position during take-off?
4. Would the same effect (of moving to an upright position) occur during a
space flight?
Part 2
Background
How physically fit a person is can be determined by tests that are designed to
measure heart rate during exercises, the amount (volume) of oxygen consumed
during exercise (VO2 max), muscles flexibility and fitness, body fat percentages
and heart rate recovery.
Heart rate recovery is the time it takes for the heart to return to its normal
resting beat. The quicker the heart rate returns to a normal resting beat, the
healthier it is. The recovery rate can be improved by making better choices and
lifestyle changes in diet, exercise and not smoking.
Normal resting heart rate values for different ages are:



newborn infants: 100 to 160 beats per minute
children 1 to 10 years: 70 to 120 beats per minute
children over 10 and adults (including seniors): 60 to 100 beats per minute
Athletes can have much lower resting heart rates, as low as 40 to 60 beats per
minute.
© Copyright 2015 – all rights reserved www.cpalms.org.
Name: _____________________________________
Period: __________
Now that you understand how body positions affect the heart rate, we will explore
how physical activity affects the heart rate. In this activity, you will take your own
pulses after exercise and at rest to determine recovery times.
You may use the same resting heart rate as the previous activity (heart rate laying
down) and document your heart rate doing the physical activities using the same
methods. **Remember** LISTEN TO YOUR BODY. Complete the activities to the
best of your abilities.
Physical Activity
Your
Rate
Resting Heart Rate
Standing relaxed
After walking around the classroom for 2 minutes
After jogging in place for 2 minutes
After doing 25 jumping jacks
After 1
minute
--------
After 2
minutes
---------
Complete the labeling of the graph and fill in with your results. Use different
colors to distinguish the immediate heart rate from the 1 minute heart rate and
the 2 minute heat rate.
© Copyright 2015 – all rights reserved www.cpalms.org.
Name: _____________________________________
Period: __________
Questions/Discussion
1. What activity were you doing when your heart was beating the fastest?
2. During recovery/down time (the minute between activities), what happened
to your heart rate?
3. Could you tell when your heart rate was increasing or decreasing? How did
you feel?
4. What is happening with the blood flow (rate/opening and closing of valves) as
your heart rate increases? Decreases?
5. How does being physically fit affect your heart rate?
© Copyright 2015 – all rights reserved www.cpalms.org.
Name: _____________________________________
Period: __________
In the chart below, label with arrows the direction of blood flow and
COLOR the where the oxygen rich blood (red) and oxygen poor blood (blue)
would be located at any given time. Also label the valves.
commons.wikimedia.org (CC BY-SA 3.0)
© Copyright 2015 – all rights reserved www.cpalms.org.