Lecture 22: Physiological Adjustment to Exercise

Exercise Requires the Coordination of Most of the Body's Organ Systems

Working muscle can increase its O2 consumption by an enormous factor (up to 100 X for
individual muscles)
o O2 consumption by the whole body increases 20-25X in athletes
o Requires rapid O2 delivery and fast removal of waste and heat
Exercise involves much more than the muscular and skeletal systems
o Cardiovascular & respiratory systems deliver O2 & fuel, remove wastes & heat
o Skin gets rid of heat through radiation & evaporation
o Nervous & endocrine systems monitor & coordinate the other systems

Force, Work, Energy & Power

When you push or pull on something you are using force

Force causes things to move, produces tension
Force depends upon muscle size (proportional to cross sectional area of muscle)
o The contactile force is about 3-4 kg/cm2 in both men and women
o But men tend to have larger muscles (more cm2)
In mechanical processes work = force x distance
Work and energy are the same
o It is possible to convert one type of energy into another
o We store energy in chemicals: carbohydrates = 4 Cal/gm; triglycerides = 9
Cal/gm
o Muscles convert chemical energy into mechanical energy
Power is the rate of doing work
Power is measured in watts. Our bodies at rest run at about 80 watts (the brain is 10
watts-a dim bulb!)

We Store Fuel for Exercise in 3 Different "Tanks"

Chemical energy in the body is stored mainly as ATP , glycogen and triglycerides
o ATP (and creatine phosphate = CP) can be used very rapidly but we have only
tiny amounts- enough for about 10 sec. (good for sprinting, jumping, lifting)
o Glycogen is stored in the muscles and liver and there is enough for
approximately 2 hours- "hitting the wall" when running a marathon is caused by
running out of glycogen
o We have lots of energy stored as lipids (triglycerides)- the amount varies from
person to person, but there is enough for many days

Fuel

ATP & CP

Amount
Stored:
Time
enough for
about
10 sec

Amount
Rate of Use
Stored:
(Power)
Distance
enough to go
about 100
fastest
yards

enough for
Carbohydrates
about
(glycogen)
2hrs
Lipids
(triglycerides)

enough for
about
40 days

glycolysis
enough to go
medium fast;
about 20
respiration
miles
slower
enough to go
about 1000
very slow
miles

Exercise Creates a Demand for Fuel and O2

We can exercise vigorously for only a few seconds using the stored ATP & creatine
phosphate
Any exercise over a few seconds duration is a "pay as you go" system
o Requires aerobic respiration to provide enough energy
o Anaerobic glycolysis gives only 2 ATPs/glucose while aerobic respiration gives
36 ATPs/glucose
o O2 consumption goes up with intensity of exercise because aerobic metabolism
must be used to generate ATP
o Glycogen is the main initial fuel source
Sympathetic nervous systemcauses glycogen breakdown to glucose
Liver releases glucose into the blood to supply muscles & brain
o As exercise continues more and more fat is used for fuel
Triglycerides hydrolyzed to produce fatty acids & glycerol
Maximum sustained oxygen consumption (VO2max) is a good measure of endurance in
athletes

In Exercise Both Tidal Volume and Respiratory Frequency Increase

In heavy exercise respiratory frequency increases from about 15 breathes/min to about 60

breathes/min
The tidal volume can increase from about 0.5 L/min to about 2 L/min
Note: the maximum possible tidal volume is the vital capacity, but it is too fatiguing to
breath in and out for long at the full vital capacity
These 2 factors together increase the pulmonary ventilation from about 7.5 L/min to over
100 L/min
The stimulus for increased respiration in exercise is not known.
o CO2 is a powerful stimulator of respiration, but it does not rise much in exercise
o Stimulus may be increased blood K or impulses from muscle proprioceptors
Respiration is usually not the limiting factor in endurance exercise

Both Stroke Volume and Heart Rate Go Up, Increasing Cardiac Output

In exercise the heart rate rises from about 60 beats/min to close to 200 beats/min
The stroke volume also rises, from about 80 mL/beat to about 150 mL/beat (these values
are for athletes)
Combined, these adjustments can increase cardiac output (CO) from approximately 5
L/min to nearly 30 L/min
CO is controlled by the autonomic nervous system and by hormones like epinephrine

The increased CO in exercise will cause the systolic blood pressure to rise (to about 180
mm Hg); the diastolic pressure usually does not change
The cardiovascular system may be the limiting factor in endurance exercise
Limits to CO increase:
No matter how much you train you cannot exceed upper limits on HR and SV
o HR is limited to about 200 beats/min- if the beat is faster there will not be enough
filling time
o SV is limited by sarcomere length Strongest contraction is at intermediate length
If heart muscle is stretched too much by overfilling the contraction will
be weaker

Vasoconstriction and Vasodilation are Used to Shift the Circulation

Blood flow can be increased by raising the blood pressure and by lowering resistance to
flow
Resistance to flow is controlled by muscle sphincters which open (vasodilation) and close
(vasoconstriction) the arterioles
In exercise more blood is shifted to muscle and heart tissue; less blood goes to the viscera
and tissues not needed at the moment:
Flow to skin is initially reduced but is later increased to get rid of excess heat

Tissue
Viscera
Muscle & Heart
Other
Total

Rest L/min
1.2
1.0
2.8
5.0

Exercise L/min
0.6
26.0
3.4
30.0

O2 Delivery in the Tissues is Promoted by Acid Conditions (Bohr Effect)

Muscle metabolism produces large amounts of acids:

o Under aerobic conditions sugars and fats are burned to CO2, which dissolves to
form carbonic acid
o Under anaerobic conditions (maximal exercise) lactic acid is formed
o Both acids lower the pH
Low pH helps the unloading of O2 from hemoglobin; normally only 25% is unloaded,
but during exercise as much as 75% may be unloaded (Bohr effect)

Increased Blood Flow to the Skin and Sweating Help to Get Rid of Excess Heat

Large amounts of heat are produced in exercise

Excess heat must be removed to prevent overheating
o As exercise progresses skin blood flow increases to get rid of excess heat
o Enormous amounts of heat may be removed by sweating
o If the temperature is above body temperature sweating is the only method of heat
loss

Summary of Physiological Adjustments to Exercise:

The diagram shows representative values for a well-trained athlete: