Laboratory 8
Fitness Testing 2
By Brady, Jemima, Cuz and Matt
Chronic adaptations to exercise
Cardiovascular
• Improves stroke volume, (amount of blood pumped with each heart
beat). Therefore the heart beats at a slower rate and get’s more rest.
• Increased heart size therefore being able to pump more blood
around the body. This increase has an affect on the left ventricle
allowing more blood to pass through it.
• Regular to moderate exercise will not lead to an increase in the
hypertrophy of the heart, but endurance athletes may experience
this change after years of vigorous exercise
• At rest muscles may receive about 20% cardiac output but during
intense exercise they can receive about 90% of their cardiac output.
Respiratory
• Improves lung capacity in two ways
– By reducing residual volume (The amount that is left unventilated
during exercise)
– Increasing the inspiratory reserve and the vital capacity.
• Improves tidal volume, which is maximum amount of air
you can breathe per minute, so fewer breathes are
needed to inhale the same amount of air
• Improves lung capacity in two ways
– By reducing residual volume (The amount that is left unventilated
during exercise)
– Increasing the inspiratory reserve and the vital capacity.
• Improves tidal volume, which is maximum amount of air
you can breathe per minute, so fewer breathes are
needed to inhale the same amount of air
Muscular
• Muscular Adaptations
• Muscular hypertrophy refers to increase in
muscle size that occurs with long term
resistance training.
• Reflects actual structural changes in the muscle
that can result from increase in size of existing
fibres (Fibre hypertrophy), in number of muscle
fibres (fibre hyperplasia) or both.
• Individual muscle fibre hypertrophy from
resistance training appears to result from a net
increase in muscle protein synthesis
Physiological benefits of exercise
for cardiovascular health
• The internal dimensions of the left ventricle increase.
• Left ventricular wall thickness and mass also increase, allowing for
greater contractility.
• Resting heart rate decreases as a result of endurance training.
• Blood flow to muscles is increased by endurance training.
• Resting blood pressure is generally reduced by endurance training
in those with borderline hypertension.
• Blood volume increases as a result of endurance training.
• Red blood cell volume also increases, but the increase in plasma
volume is typically higher.
• Increases plasma volume decreases blood viscosity, which can
improve circulation and oxygen availability
Physiological benefits of exercise
for diabetes
• Regular exercise helps with the management of
diabetes.
• A regular exercise program for people with diabetes
helps reduce their chances of suffering many of the
vascular complications associated with diabetes.
• Regular exercise can decrease insulin requirements
sometimes as much as fifty percent.
• For some people with Type II diabetes who need to use
insulin, starting an exercise program may reduce or even
replace the need for extra insulin. Hence, exercise is a
key component of the long term treatment of diabetes.
• A physically active lifestyle can reduce the risk of type 2
diabetes
Physiological benefits of exercise
for asthma
• Asthma is a chronic condition that when
managed well can allow participation in most
activities; however, its severity does vary.
• With continuous and graded exercise, people
with asthma can develop greater respiratory
muscle tone, which can lead to a decrease need
for medication.
• Cardiovascular exercise is the preferred option
for people with asthma. Resistance training
exercises can be prescribed to help strength the
respiratory muscles (e.g. bench press and pull
over’s).
Referencing
• Egger, G, Champion, N, Bolton, A 1998, The
Fitness Leaders Handbook, 4th ed, Kangaroo
press, NSW.
• Sharkey, B, 1979, Physiology of Fitness, Human
kinetics publishing.
• Wilmore, J, Costill, D, Kenney, L, 2008,
Physiology of sport and Exercise, 4th ed, Human
Kinetics, Champaigne
• Acute and chronic adaptations to exercise
[online] Available – www.ncib,nlm.nih.gov