Unit 3: Physical Activity Participation

and Physiological Performance

Area of Study 2 Physiological

Reponses to Physical Activity
Acute Responses to Exercise

Acute Responses to
Exercise
At the onset of exercise the
demand for O2 and energy
sources by the working muscles
increases and the cardiovascular,
respiratory and muscular systems
respond to meet these demands.

Ventilation
Respiratory system is responsible for the delivery of
oxygen to, and the removal of carbon dioxide from
working muscles.
At the onset of exercise ventilation is stimulated by
messages sent from working muscles to the
respiratory centres in the brain these increase the
rate and depth of breathing.
Ventilation = Tidal volume (litres) X RR (breaths per
minute).
Tidal volume amount of air expired or inspired in
one breath.

Ventilation Responses
Respiratory Rate
Chart Title
50 bpm

Maximal Exercise

32 bpm

Submaximal Exercise

14 bpm

Rest

10

20

30

Breaths per minute

40

50

60

Ventilation Responses
Tidal Volume
Chart Title
4.1L

Maximal Exercise

2.7L

Submaximal Exercise

0.5L

Rest

0.5

1.5

Litres

2.5

3.5

4.5

Ventilation Responses
Minute Ventilation
Chart Title
195L

Maximal Exercise

78L

Submaximal Exercise

Rest

6L
0

50

100

Litres per minute

150

200

250

Ventilation Responses During Sub Maximal

140
and Maximal Exercise

120
100
80
60

VE Litres/min

40
20
0

Submaximal
Exercise
Maximal Exercise

Diffusion
Gas exchange occurs in the lungs(Pulmonary
Diffusion) at the alveolar- capillary interface
and the tissue capillary interface through
diffusion.
Diffusion occurs from an area of high pressure
to an area of low pressure: Lungs (alveolar-capillary
interface)
Diffusion
O2 high

O2 blood low
Diffusion

C02 low

CO2 blood high

Diffusion
Muscles (tissue-capillary
interface)

O2 low

O2 blood high
Diffusion

C02 high

CO2 blood low

Cardiovascular Responses
to Exercise
Cardiac Output (Q) Litres per minute = HR
(beats per minute) X SV (litres per minute).
Stroke volume (SV) - amount of blood pumped from left
ventricle with each beat.
At rest the heart only ejects about 40-50% of blood in
the left ventricle.
Stronger ventricular contraction during exercise results
in more blood being ejected from the left ventricle and
thus a rise in stroke volume.
Heart rate (HR)
Heart rate plays a vital role in increasing cardiac output: Sub-maximal exercise increases until oxygen
demands have been met and levels off.
Maximal increases linearly until maximum heart rate
is achieved.

 Heart Rate Values

Resting
Male 72bpm
Female 80bpm
Maximum Heart Rate
220 minus your age

Heart Rates and Exercise

Max 184
Av - 171

Max 168
Av - 158

Cardiac Output
Sub Maximal
Exercise
18
16
14
12
10
8
6
4
2
0

Recovery

Rest

Litres / min

Exercise

Cardiac Output

Stroke Volume
Stroke Volume (millilitres/beat)

120

Recovery

Rest
Exercise

100
80
60
40
20
0
0 min

0 min

5 min

10 min

15 min

20 min

Heart Rate
160

Rest

Recovery
Exercise

140
Heart Rate (bpm)

120
100

Heart Rate

80
60
40
20
0
Rest

0 min

5 min

10min

15min

20min

Blood Pressure
During exercise increase in cardiac output increases
blood pressure.
Systolic blood pressure pressure in arteries following
contraction of ventricles as blood pumped out of heart.
Rest 120 mmHg
Exercise
Aerobic 130mmHg
Weight training heavy load 200mmHg
Diastolic blood pressure pressure in arteries following
contraction of ventricles as blood pumped out of heart.
Rest 80 mmHg
Exercise
- little if no change may drop slightly
(weight training in heavy loads will see increase).

Venous return
An increase in cardiac output has to be accompanied
by an increase in venous return.
During exercise venous return is increased by: The muscle pump contracting muscles result in a
pumping action against the veins forcing the blood towards
the heart. Valves in veins prevent backflow.
Respiratory pump abdominal pressure is increased as
diaphragm contacts thus emptying blood in thorax and
abdomen towards the heart they fill during inspiration
ready to be emptied again.
Venoconstriction reduces capacity of venous system
pushing more blood towards the heart.
Valves - One way blood flow keeps blood moving towards
the Heart.

Blood Volume
Blood volume decreases during exercise
(plasma volume can decrease by up to 10%
during prolonged exercise making blood thicker
and harder to pump around the body).
The magnitude of decrease is dependent on: exercise intensity
environmental conditions
hydration of the individual

Redistribution of blood flow

Occurs due to Vasoconstriction(constriction of blood vessels) and
Vasodilation (dilation (widening)of blood vessels)

Other 7%
(350mL)
Kidneys
22%
(1100mL)

Rest 5000ml

Muscles
20%
(1000mL)
Heart 4%
(200mL)
Skin 6%
(300mL)

Liver 27%
(1350mL)

Brain 14%
(700mL)

Exercise 25000 mL
Heart 4%
(1000mL)
Kidneys 1%
(250mL)

Brain 4%
(900mL)

Other 3%
(750mL)

Liver 2%
(500mL)
Skin 2%
(600mL)

Muscle 84%
(21000m)

Increased blood flow to working skeletal muscles blood

vessels vaso-dilate.

Thermoregulation
Body Temperature increases due to extra heat
produced by the muscles during exercise.
The body regulates body temperature by
Vasodilation of blood vessels near the skin,
where the heat radiates to the external
environment. Also by sweating, liquid on the
skins surface is evaporated through the use of
the bodys heat. Blood plasma levels are
significantly decreased due to prolonged
sweating.
What do these two things mean to
performance??

Arteriovenous difference
(a-VO2)
Is the difference between the oxygen
concentration in the arteries(arterioles) versus
the veins (venules)
Expressed as millilitres per 100mL of blood
represents the extent to which oxygen is used
by the muscles.

Arteriovenous Difference - Rest

Oxygen
concentration
in arterial
blood
20mL/100mL
Oxygen
concentration
in venous blood
16mL/100mL

A-V02 = 4mL/100mL

Arteriovenous Difference - Exercise

The working muscles have

extracted more 02 from the
blood to produce energy
aerobically.
Oxygen
concentration
in arterial
blood
20mL/100mL
Oxygen
concentration
in venous blood
4mL/100mL

A-V02 = 16mL/100mL

Acute Muscular Responses

increased blood flow to working muscles
Decreased Energy Substrate levels and
Increased enzyme activity
recruitment of motor units
Increased production of metabolic by-products
heat production

Increased Blood Flow

During exercise capillaries dilate to: allow for increases in blood flow
increase surface area to increase diffusion rates
Increase delivery of blood volume without
increasing speed of blood flow dramatically.

Decreased Energy
Substrate Levels and
Increased Enzyme Activity
In order to release energy for muscular
contraction, fuels need to be broken down. This
means more enzymes are needed to speed up
the rate at which fuels are broken down, so
enzyme activity increases.
The fuels that decrease in concentration within
each muscle cell include glycogen (CHO),
Triglycerides (Fats), Phosphocreatine and stores
of ATP.

Motor Unit Recruitment

Motor unit a motor neuron and all the muscle fibres it
stimulates.
During exercise:- the force developed in muscles increases
- the frequency of messages from the brain increases

Increased Production of
Metabolic By-Products
Energy produced via the glycolitic pathway produces lactic
acid, Carbon Dioxide and Water. Lactic acid quickly
disassociates to release hydrogen ions (H+) and form lactate.
During intense exercise muscle and blood lactate rises to
high levels. At this point lactate is produced and removed by
the body at equal rates.
Lactate Inflection Point (LIP) is the last point during
exercise that lactate removal is equal to lactate
production. Beyond the LIP lactate production exceeds
removal and lactate accumulates and causes fatigue.

What happens to lactate?

Lactate shuttle - lactate can move freely in and out of
muscle cells and into the blood stream. The heart, brain
and slow twitch muscle fibres use lactate as a fuel
oxidation.
Lactate not oxidised can either be converted back to
pyruvic acid, which then enters the Krebs cycle to produce
energy or can be converted into glucose or glycogen
which enters glycolysis to produce energy at a later time.
So lactate should be viewed as a useful form of
potential energy that is oxidized during moderatelow intensity exercise, during recovery and at rest.

Onset of blood lactate

accumulation (OBLA)
At exercise intensities above lactate inflection
point the rate of lactate clearance is lower than
that produced lactate accumulates in the
blood.
Blood Lactate

12
10

Blood lactate
clearance =
lactate
6
Blood Lactate (mmol/L)
production
8

LI
P

2
0
4

5.5

8.5

10

11.8

Running Speed (km/h)

13

14.3

Above lactate
inflection point
lactate clearance
can no longer
keep up with
lactate
16 production
17

OBLA
When lactate is produced so is Hydrogen
ions(H+). So lactate is an indicator of Hydrogen
ion levels. It is the hydrogen ions that raise
acidity in the muscles and inhibit the
breakdown of glycogen thus causing fatigue.
An elite athlete can train to decrease the
effects of hydrogen ions and this is called
buffering.

Energy Substrates
The levels of the following fuels decrease as a
result of exercise: Adenosine Tri Phosphate (ATP)
Creatine Phosphate (CP)
Muscle Glycogen
Intramuscular Triglyceride

Glycogen Content
100
80
60
Glycogen Content (relative %)

Fast twitch

40
20
0
0 1 2 3 4 5 6
Sprint Bout (number)

Body Temperature
As exercise commences heat is a by-product of the
breakdown of ATP to energy.
As these reactions become more frequent heat
is produced that in turn causes body temperature
to rise.
The body controls core temperature through: stimulating sweat glands in skin to produce
sweat evaporation of sweat acts as a cooling
mechanism
increasing blood flow to the skin

Multiple Choice Questions

Which acute response to a near maximum exercise bout does the graph below
represent?
120
100
80
ml

60
40
20
0
Rest

10
mins

A.

heart rate

B.

cardiac output

C.

stroke volume

D.

respiratory rate

12

14

16

18

20

 Arteriovenous O2 difference refers to the difference between the

oxygen content of arterial blood and mixed venous blood. During
exercise O2 concentration in arterial blood is measured at
20mL/100mL and in venous blood the measurement is 4mL/100mL.
The arteriovenous difference at this exercise intensity is:A.24mL/100mL
B.

5mL/100mL

C.

12mL/100mL

D.

16mL/100mL

Short Answer Questions

The graph below indicates the distribution of blood flow at rest and during exercise.

Distribution of Blood Flow

100
80
60
Blood Flow (% cardiac output)

40

20
0
Rest 5

10 15 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
Exercise Intensity (% max)

Which line represents the percentage of cardiac output flowing to: skeletal muscles
organs of the body

 Describe the process in the body which enables

redistribution of blood to occur.

Oxygen uptake involves a number of acute responses which

enables oxygen to move from the atmosphere to the skeletal
muscle. Outline the role of the following in relation to oxygen
uptake: Pulmonary ventilation

Myoglobin