A essay describing the effects of exercise on the cardiovascular system including vascular shunting, vasoconstriction and vasodilation. A distincation* grade piece of work. BTEC Sport
Unit 2: Physiology of Fitness
Assignment 2
Lucy Hughes
Effects of Exercise on the Cardiovascular
System
Short Term Effects:
Heart rate (anticipatory response) -Resting heart rate rises a small amount before
participating in an event, match or race due to nerves or excitement. This is due to
the chemicals that are released in the body that alter the heart. This is because and
athlete will get and adrenaline rush which are released. These chemicals prepare
the body for exercise by getting our heart pumping and getting oxygen to our
muscles before there is a large demand of oxygen. For example Usain Bolt at the beginning
of a race will experience anticipatory response because he will feel great pressure to achieve
a good time and he will feel nervous in order to get a good time so he can hold
his world record title. His brain tells his heart that he is about to race and
therefore the nerves attached to the heart prepare his body for exercise by
making the heart beat faster and releasing adrenaline and supplying oxygen to the working
muscles, which in this case would be his leg muscles.
Activity response- this is when your brain detects that one is participating in exercise
resulting in the heart rate to increase. It causes the cardiovascular system to adjust and
increases the strength of the left side of the heart which pumps the blood around the body.
For example, a long distance runner like Mo Farah’s heart rate would increase rapidly as
soon as he starts running in order to get the blood pumping around the body and supple
oxygen to the working muscles (they need vasodilation to occur). The rate will
increase the taper off.
Blood pressure- When participating in aerobic activity your blood pressure
increases. This is because the systolic pressure in the heart will gradually rise
creating the flow of blood to the muscles more frequent so then the muscles are supplied
with the oxygen which has been demanded. However, the diastolic pressure will remain the
same because it is the systolic area of the hear that pumps he blood around the body (part
of the heart that contracts and pushes blood out of the heart). Mo Farah is also an example
of an athlete whose blood pressure will increase, because he does long distance running
there is a higher demand of oxygen to his muscles and in order for his muscles to get the
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