Exercise Physiology, Essay Example

We all exercise one way or the other. We see neighbors jogging down the street, or going to the gym and others prefer aerobics, which are just a small part on the exercise menu. This essay will cover exercise physiology in athletes, and it will also discuss the anatomy study in it. This will also entail the right ways of doing it and its advantages to a person. Exercise is any bodily activity aimed at improving a person’s fitness. Exercise can be of many forms, for example, mental exercise or physical. In this case, we shall focus on physical exercise.

Physiology is the biological study of the function of an organism. It entails the study of how muscles, bones among other tissues function together to execute a well coordinated action or movement. Exercise combined with the wide knowledge in physiological studies and research is a treatment for many ailments and a good way of health and fitness improvement and maintenance. One is assisted and guided by a health care professional referred to as an exercise physiologist. The exercise physiologist must have very good understanding of the functioning of various body parts of an athlete’s body.

Athletes are prone to injuries due to the various sporting activities they take. In my case, I will examine runners as an example of athletes. They exercise daily and are prone to various injuries. Exercise physiology is a very important aspect in an athlete’s life. It helps an athlete to avoid injuries and also, hasten their recovery process. It helps an individual to maintain a healthy life, which can mean a longer career for an athlete. The exercise physiologist not only ensures the athlete attains certain personal goals with reference to health and recovery, but also involved in designing sporting gears, which in the recent past has been a field of novel findings. The physiologist designs an exercise plan for the athlete, which is aimed at either quick recovery from an injury or improvement of health or performance. Running as an athletic sport involves people competing with each other through a track and at different paces. This leads to the various types of running from sprinting to jogging. Examples include cross country running, track and field running, road racing etc. My choice bases on the simplicity of running as athletics and the fact that many people have run in their life; therefore, they know or will have a better understanding of what is discussed.

Athlete Anatomy

There have been sudden cases of athlete death, and fans are left wondering what happened as athletes are viewed as being exceptionally healthy. Although they may appear healthy, people who choose to run usually undergo several tests to see if they are fit for what they would like to participate. Those who are runners and most of the athletes have to undergo a needs analysis. The factors considered in the assessment of runners include;

• Every possible physical characteristic that an athlete will require to take part in the sport .they would include athletes power, agility, his or her flexibility, strength he/she posses.
• The 4 major performance aspects are; examining the muscles that will be involved in the athlete’s performance. The movement speed of the athlete, the systems of the energy involved and the specific needs of the event. This will be useful in aiding one prioritizes needs to be developed and enhanced regarding conditioning program. For a runner, the muscles involved are those of lower body, for posture, the abdominal/lower back muscles are involved, and the upper body muscles are known for the addition of the speed of movement.
• Gathering information of the event so that to know what qualities the athlete should have. The areas to look at are the previous performance of athlete, his or her health, the technique to use while exercising and assessing the progress to see whether the condition is being met. This makes the athlete qualified for a perfected event on the required areas.

The reason for this choice is of factors is it will enable the trainer decide what exactly the athlete will require so as to develop the qualities for the coming event and also prioritize on them. It is basically done through examining the athlete’s event needs followed by examining how the athlete compares to his or her event needs.

Additional factors to consider like the VO2 max should also be assessed. It is defined as the amount of maximum oxygen in milliliters that one could use in one minute per kilogram of body weight. It is commonly used in measuring the fitness of a person. Through assessment, the results of a fit person will have higher VO2max values compared to the unfit partners. Also, the fit athletes can exercise more intensely it. This affects the design of a resistance-training program for an athlete because his fitness must be considered. For example, unfit athletes would not do intense exercise (Warburton, 1996).

Basal metabolic rate is defined as the total amount of calories that one needs in order to sustain their current body weight. It is measured through calculations and depends on the gender of a person and also age. From assessing the BMR, athletes should consume more calories than average people as they tend to burn or use a lot of energy while they are exercising. It affect the design of a resistance-training program for an athlete because if the athletes BMR is too high than the ordinary they shall have to exercise more and if the bodyweight is less than the required they will have to exercise in a way that will make them consume few calories (Hales & Charlene, 2001).

Body Mass Index is a measure of body fat on the foundation of height and weight. It applies to both the adult gender that is the men and women. By calculation, one can determine if he is in a weight range that is healthy. It affects the design of a resistance-training program for an athlete as one to consider through calculations the training pace, estimate the calorie expenditure of the athlete, the distance covered while running or exercising should also be considered.

Repetition max is the measure of the maximum weight that a person or subject may lift with only one repetition. It measures the muscle strength isotonic. One should be able to lift the weight without fatigue. It is assessed by making one lift various weights from lighter to the heavier or which is maximum to him or her without getting fatigued. It would affect the design of a resistance training program since an athlete whose muscle strength is low will not train as much. This is because first he must exercise the muscles before undertaking the other training begins intensely.

Exercise improves ones immunity hence, lesser chances of the athlete falling sick. However, intense exercise can also invoke illness to an individual. Research shows that exercise for more than 90 minutes may cause illness lasting up to 72 hours. Physical pain is a clear sensory indication that an athlete has tissue damage. This can be caused by an injury acquired in the field or overworking of a body’s part. Pain classification is either acute or chronic.

Acute pain has a quick onset and is short lived, while chronic pain has a slow build up, and persists for a long time. Muscles play a big role in an athlete’s movement and performance by providing power, strength and endurance. Muscles are made up of fibers called fascicule, which are surrounded by a connective tissue called perimysium. Fibers attach to form bundles, which are surrounded by a connective tissue called endomycium. Below is a diagram of muscles.

Enzymes are involved in production of ATP within the muscles. Energy is acquired from glucose, muscle glycogen and fats; although the rate of breaking down fat does not match the demand for energy. These enzymes are involved in both aerobic and anaerobic metabolic activities. The heart and blood vessels must be in good working conditions so as to deliver blood much faster to tissues due to the increased demand for oxygen

Regular exercise ensures a good cardiac output without the heart muscles straining to pump blood. This leads to increased breathing, and the lungs require being healthy so as to sustain the increased breathing. For a pro athlete, training enables them to avoid atrophy of these tissues, which will lead to improved performances. The diet is also an important aspect of an athlete’s physiology. Consumption of foods that deliver wrong metabolic fuels affects tissue performance. The bones play an important role in support and rigidity, and for an athlete, strong bone are required since damage to bone tissue. This usually takes longer to heal compared to other tissues like muscle.

There is a difference between exercising at sea level and above sea level. Physical activities became difficult to carry out above sea level; this could be due to the decreased oxygen partial pressure. The higher the altitude, the pressure difference between the air and the blood is very little hence the oxygen exchange is affected making supplement oxygen an important aspect for mountain climbers. As the altitude increases, the saturation of oxygen in the hemoglobin decreases from about 98% to around 90% hence reduced physical activities in athletes. The plasma component of the blood decreases increasing the hematocrit volume. After a long period of acclimatization to the altitude, the plasma component in the blood increases and due to release of erythropoietin, the hematocrit tends to increase from about 45% to 59%. Muscle wasting due to appetite loss is one of the responses during acclimatization to these altitudes. A training program for an athlete who will be competing at a higher altitude will require the athlete either to compete within the first 24 hours upon arrival to the high altitude area or, adopt a 2 week training program in that area prior to the competition.

As it may appear, exercise is important to both an athlete and any other person who does not indulge in sports. Exercise enables an individual to regain their health and fitness and also maintain it. Exercise decreases risk of heart disease, body fat, blood pressure, cholesterol level, risk of cancer, risk of osteoporosis, and risk of diabetes and finally, chances of premature death. Exercise reduces tension; it is fun and should be in cooperated into daily lives. Exercise gives individuals an opportunity to understand and comprehend all bodily changes taking place. Individuals become aware of their surrounding and are cautious on food consumption to reduce the chances of having health problems that leave them weary and financial lacking, because of the huge medical bills.

In summary, all individuals of the society need to engage in an activity that leaves their body engaged. Critical thinking requires performing activities in order for individuals to be active and creative in applying theories to relations at work and in the general public. Limited access to sporting facilities is a hindrance, but individuals need to be creative and initiate programs that require minimal facilities, but exercises their bodies.

References

American College of Sports Medicine. (1978). The recommended quantity and quality of exercise for developing and maintaining fitness in healthy adults. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, 10: vii-x.

Brooks GA, Fahey TD, White TP, Baldwin KM. (2000). Exercise Physiology. Mountain View, CA: Mayfield Publishing Company.

Hales, R & Zartman, C. (2001). An invitation to fitness and wellness. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth/Thomson Learning.

Hultman E, Soderlund K, Timmons JA, Cederbald G, Greenhaff PL. (1996). Muscle creatine loading in men. Journal of Applied physiology, 81:232-237.

Schwane JA, Johnson SR, Vandernakker CB, Armstrong RB. (1983). Delayed-onset muscular soreness and plasma CPK and LDH activities after downhill running. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, 15:51-56.

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (1996). Physical Activity and Health: A Report of the Surgeon General. Atlanta, GA: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion.

Warburton, R. (1996). Effect of acute plasma volume expansion on the endurance performance, VO?max and cardiac function in endurance-trained athletes. Ottawa: National Library of Canada.

Wilmore, JH & Costill DL. (1994). Physiology of Sport and Exercise. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics.