Exercise Physiology: Long Term Adaptations to Exercise Assignment Exemplar
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Course
Unit 2 - Sport and Exercise Physiology
Institution
PEARSON (PEARSON)
Unit 2: Assignment 3
Summary of the long term adaptations exercise has on the body.
Cardiovascular adaptations, respiratory adaptations, neuromuscular adaptations, energy system adaptations and skeletal adaptations.
Submitted for my BTEC assignment and achieved a Distinction.
There are many adaptations that take place within the body due to long term regular exercise,
such as following a training plan for a sustained period of time. They can include cardiovascular,
respiratory, neuromuscular, energy system, and skeletal adaptations.
Your heart adapts to regular training because of the stress put on it. It becomes stronger and
your muscle mass increases, known as cardiac hypertrophy. The myocardium, particularly of the
left ventricle thickens. As a result of cardiac hypertrophy, stroke volume increases, and heart
rate decreases. This is because more blood can be pumped out of the heart per beat, as it
contracts more powerfully, so the heart no longer needs to
beat as often to get the same amount of blood around the
body, resulting in a decreased resting heart rate. It allows
your body to continue working for longer during sport because
your heart can continue pumping blood around the body to your
muscles for longer, ensuring that your muscles are getting
enough oxygen to produce energy aerobically.
Increase in stroke volume –
Stroke volume is the amount of blood pumped by the left ventricle of the heart in one
contraction. Stroke volume increases because of the increased strength of your heart after
cardiac hypertrophy. Your heart is able to pump more blood around your body with each beat,
meaning that more blood can be sent to your muscles and therefore they can produce more
energy, allowing a sportsperson to continue working.
Decrease in resting heart rate –
A normal resting heart rate is between 60 to 80 beats per minute but with long term regular
aerobic exercise, your heart will not have to pump as fast to do its job and can get lower than
60 beats per minute. Regular aerobic exercise helps to strengthen your heart so that it can
pump more blood around your body during exercise. However, it also applies to your resting
heart rate, as your heart is stronger. The heart no longer needs to beat as often to get the
same amount of blood around the body, resulting in a decreased resting heart rate.
, Cardiac output –
The cardiac output is the amount of blood pumped through the circulatory system in one minute.
It can be calculated by = heart rate * stroke volume. This can change due to the changes of
heart rate and stroke volume. It can increase due to the increased amount of blood pumped per
contraction. However, it is also likely for the cardiac output to stay the same, due to the
decrease in heart rate and the increase in stroke volume. The fact that one increases and the
other decreases, they can balance each other out, so that there is little/no change in cardiac
output.
Capillarisation –
The amount of capillaries increase due to long term exercise around
your heart and your muscles. Capillaries are one cell thick, and are
made up of a single layer of endothelium. They are semi-permeable and
therefore allow the diffusion of gases such as carbon dioxide and
oxygen. Capillarisation means that the gaseous exchange can happen
more quickly, allowing more oxygen to be carried around your body to
your muscles allowing them to produce more energy. It also prevents
the build-up of waste products, because carbon dioxide can be removed more quickly, and
therefore prevents large amounts from being dissolved in the blood plasma. Furthermore,
cardiac hypertrophy allows your heart to pump more blood around your body. If your heart is
pumping more blood, it needs somewhere to go. Capillarisation allows the blood to be pumped at a
lower pressure, rather than a high pressure, as there are more places for the blood to go.
Capillarisation will also help to reduce your heart rate because it allows more oxygen to be
carried around your body to your muscles. This means that your heart doesn’t have to work as
hard to push the oxygen to your muscles.
Increased blood volume –
Blood volume is the volume of blood (both red blood cells and plasma) in the circulatory system
of any individual. Blood plasma is the liquid part of the blood, and it is straw-coloured in
appearance. All solids are carried in the plasma and it makes up 55% of the total blood volume.
Blood plasma helps to maintain blood pressure and to regulate temperature. Red blood cells are
also known as erythrocytes, because they contain erythropoietin (EPO), produced by the
kidneys, which stimulates red blood cell production. Red blood cells make up 99% of blood cells
in the body – there are 5 million per 1mm3 of blood. They are red in colour due to the red-
coloured protein, haemoglobin, which carries oxygen to muscle cells and carbon dioxide back to
the lungs. Red blood cells are produced in the bone marrow, and their life span is 120 days. A
typical adult male maintains a blood volume of 5 to 6 L, while females typically have 4 to 5 L of
blood. Due to long term exercise, blood volume increases. Cardiovascular exercise boosts the
release of anti-diuretic hormone and aldosterone -- two hormones that cause your kidneys to
retain or reabsorb water. Increased water retention within your kidneys increases blood plasma
levels and produces a greater blood volume overall. Generally, plasma volume increases within two
to three weeks of endurance training. Increased blood volume provides greater amounts of
blood to your heart and increases how much blood your heart pumps per beat and per minute.
Increased amounts of red blood cells means that more oxygen can be carried in the blood, and
therefore sent to the muscles for energy.
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