EXERCISE PHYSIOLOGY

Department of Physiology
Faculty of Medicine

Universitas Sumatera utara

Systemic Responses to
Exercise

NEUROMUSCULAR FUNCTIONS AND

ADAPTATIONS TO EXERCISE
Exercise maintains neuronal health by improving
blood flow to the brain and by increasing brain
levels of growth factors that promote optimal
function of neurons.
Recent study in humans has concluded that
exercise improves brain function and reduces the
risk of cognitive impairment associated with
aging.

NEUROMUSCULAR FUNCTIONS AND

ADAPTATIONS TO EXERCISE
Humans skeletal muscle can be divided into
several different classes based on the
histochemical or biochemical characteristics of
the individual fibers.
Neural adaptations:

maximal motor unit recruitment

synchronous recruitment of motor units

SO motor units are recruited first during

incremental exercise, followed by a progressive
increase in FOG and FG motor unit recruitment
as exercise intensity increases.
Both endurance and resistance exercise training
have been shown to promote a fast-to-slow shift
in skeletal muscle fiber types but does not result
in complete transformation of all fast fibers.
Training adaptations: increases in muscle size
from hypertrophy and hyperplasia.

METABOLIC RESPONSES TO EXERCISE:

INFLUENCE OF DURATION AND INTENSITY
Short-term, Intense Exercise
During high-intensity, short-term exercise (i.e.,
two to twenty seconds), the muscles ATP
production is dominated by the ATP-PS system.
Intense exercise lasting more than twenty
seconds relies more on anaerobic glycolysis to
produce much of the needed ATP.
High-intensity events lasting longer than fortyfive seconds use a combination of the ATP-PC
system, glycolysis, and the aerobic system to
produce the needed ATP for muscular
contraction.

METABOLIC RESPONSES TO EXERCISE:

INFLUENCE OF DURATION AND INTENSITY
Prolonged Exercise
The energy to perform prolonged exercise (i.e.,
more than ten minutes) comes primarily from
aerobic metabolism.
A steady-state O uptake can generally be
2
maintained during prolonged, low-intensity
exercise.

METABOLIC RESPONSES TO EXERCISE:

INFLUENCE OF DURATION AND INTENSITY
Incremental Exercise
The maximal capacity to transport and utilize O2
during exercise (maximal oxygen uptake, or
VO2 max) is considered to be the most valid
measurement of cardiovascular fitness.
Indeed, incremental exercise test (also called
graded exercise test) are often employed to
determine a subjects cardiovascular fitness.
These tests are usually conducted on a treadmill
or a cycle ergometer.

Oxygen uptake increase in linear fashion during

incremental exercise until VO2 max is reached.
The physiological factors that influence VO2 max
include:
The maximum ability of the cardiorespiratory system
to deliver oxygen to the contracting muscle.
The muscles ability to take up the oxygen and
produce ATP aerobically.

CARDIOVASCULAR FUNCTIONS AND

ADAPTATIONS TO EXERCISE

With the start of exercise, cardiovascular

function changes by:

Heart rate
Ejection fraction
Stroke volume
Cardiac output
Redistribution of Q in favor of contracting skeletal
muscle
Vascular resistance
Muscle blood flow

Acute cardiovascular
adaptations that
combine to increase
oxygen consumption
during exercise

Oxygen
Consumption
Oxygen
Extraction
Muscle Blood
Flow

Cardiac Output

Stroke Volume

Heart
Rate

End Diastolic
Volume

Contractility

Venous Return
Muscle
Contraction

avO2
Muscle Vascular
Resistance
Cellular
Respiration
Sympathetic
Stimulation

CARDIOVASCULAR FUNCTIONS AND

ADAPTATIONS TO EXERCISE
Cardiovascular adaptations to training are
extremely important for improving endurance
exercise performance, and preventing
cardiovascular disease
The more important of these adaptations are:

Plasma volume
Red cell mass
Total blood volume
Systolic and diastolic blood pressure
End diastolic dimensions and ventricular volumes
Maximal stroke volume
Maximal cardiac output

Exercise to
VO2max

VO2max
Oxygen
Delivery
Maximal Muscle Blood
Flow

Maximal Cardiac
Output
Maximal Stroke Volume
End Diastolic
Volume
Venous
Return
Blood Volume
Plasma
Volume

Ventricular
Volume

Red Cell
Mass

Training For
Long -Term Endurance

Muscle Capillary
Density

Chronic
adaptations of
the CV system
after exposure
to training for
long term
endurance.
Adaptations
are related to
their affect
during both

Submaximal
Steady State Exercise

Heart
Rate

Chronic
adaptations of
Stroke
Sympathetic
the CV system
Volume
Stimulation
after exposure
End Diastolic
to training for
Volume
long term
endurance.
Adaptations
Venous
Ventricular
are related to
Return
Volume
their affect
during both
Blood Volume
maximal &
submaximal
exercise
Plasma
Red Cell
Volume
Mass
Training For
Long-Term Endurance

PULMONARY ADAPTATIONS TO
EXERCISE

After the onset of exercise there is:

A

rapid in ventilation
A similar rapid in pulmonary blood flow
An improved VE vs Q relationship in the lung
Lung compliance
Airway dilation and resistance to air flow

The lungs and pulmonary circulation do not

express the degree of long-term adaptations to
exercise. The improvement are more determined
by muscular and cardiovascular function.

Endocrine Adaptations to
Exercise