Undertaking a well-planned training programme over a long period of time, will bring about changes in the body. These changes will depend upon the type of training carried out.

The changes that occur can either be:

1. Short-term Changes

2. Long-term Changes

or

Exercise is physical activity with the aim of improving fitness and health.

Training is a planned programme of exercise designed to achieve targets related to fitness or skills.

These can be described as…

“changes in the body which only last as long as you are exercising. When you stop they will go back to normal.”

Once you start to exercise, your body has to make sure that the musclesthat are now working much harder receive the oxygen and fuel they need to keep contracting.

The various body systems must begin to work faster and harder to meet this extra demand.

Short-Term Effects of Exercise

1. Heart rategoes up

4. Breathing is deeper

7. Body temperaturegoes up

6. Respirationrate goes up

8. Sweatingstarts

5. Diffusion in the lungs increases

3. Blood pressuregoes up

2. Stroke volumeincreases

Short-Term Effects of Exercise

1. The muscles start to work harder, requiring more oxygen and producing more carbon dioxide, which needs to be removed.

2. The brain

Heart Lungs to makethem work harder.

detects these changesand sends a signal to the:

and

Short-Term Effects of Exercise

3. The lungs work harder as breathing is now faster and deeper. They take in more oxygen and remove morecarbon dioxide.

4. The heart starts working harder and as a result, greater supplies of blood are sent around the body for use by the muscles.

The Respiratory System The Cardiovascular System

5. Blood pressure goes up, but is prevented from going too high by

6. Contracting muscles squeeze the veins, squirting blood back much faster to the heart.

7. The heart fills up more completely when it relaxes and then contracts more strongly, pumping more blood with each beat.

the widening of the arteries.

Blood is also diverted from organs like the gut and stomachand sent to the muscles which need it more, by either:

Constricting of the blood vessels. ( )

or

Widening of the blood vessels ( ) vasodilation

vasoconstriction

8. Since both the cardiovascular and respiratory systems are working harder and faster, the skeletal muscles of the muscular system can keep going.

The basketball player can, as a result keep going.

A. As the muscles contract and work harder they also generate heat,which begins to make the body sweat.

B. Blood is shunted closer to the skin, so that heat can escape through radiation, keeping body temperature down.

C. Sweating begins as the body temperature continues to go up, helping heat to escape the body through evaporation.

Other Short-Term Effects of Exercise

Regular exercise makes the body change in more permanent ways.These are known as the...

Weight training develops strength

Jogging developsstamina

Stretching developssuppleness

Long-Term Effects of Exercise

Long-term effects of exercise are the positive effects on your mind and body that remain long after the end of the session.

The actual effect on the body depends upon the type of exercise undertaken. For example...

Long-Term Effects of Exercise

8. Quicker heart rate recovery

1. Heart becomes bigger with thicker walls

2. Capilliarisationof muscle tissue

4. Stroke volumeincreases

3. Resting heart rate is lower

7. More red blood cells

9. Heart rate increases more slowly asexercise begins

5. Greater cardiac output

6. Arteries largerand more elastic

Long-Term Effects of Exercise(Circulatory System)

Human blood smear

1. Capilliarisation of the alveoli

6. Diffusion in the lungs increases

5. More alveoli inthe lungs

4. Lungs have a greater vital capacity

2. Greater Max VO2

3. Can cope betterwith lactic acid

Long-Term Effects of Exercise(Respiratory System)

Section of human alveoli

3. Ligaments and tendons getstronger

2. Bones becomestronger

1. Muscles become thicker and stronger

4. Joints are more supple

5. Cartilage thicker

Long-Term Effects of Exercise(Muscular & Skeletal Systems)

Section of human compact bone

2. Alertness levels improve

4. Sleepingpatterns become more regular

5. Greater levels of self-esteem and confidence

1. Reaction times are faster

Long-Term Effects of Exercise(Nervous System)

3. Concentrationenhanced

Section of human brain tissue

Long-Term Benefits of Aerobic ExerciseAerobic training is low intensity exercise, which happens for long periods of time, e.g. 20 minutes jogging.

Here the heart and lungs work hard for a long period of time and so long-term benefits result in changes to the:

CardiovascularSystem

RespiratorySystem

…and

A. The Heart Rate

The muscular walls of the heart become stronger, making the chambers slightly larger (hypertrophy).

These chambers empty more fully increasing the amount of blood pumped out with each beat.

Long-Term Effects - Circulatory System

Unfit Heart Fit Heart

Stroke Volume Increases

The resting heart rate becomes much lower.

The heart rate increases much more slowly as exercise begins.

Recovery rates fall more quickly once exercising has stopped.

A fit heart has a larger stroke volume, so it can beat more slowly but still pump the same amount of blood around the body!

The increase in stroke volume has the following effects...

An Unfit Heart

A Fit Heart

WhileExercising

At Rest

Recovery back to the resting beat within

two minutes.

Recovery back to the resting beat longer than two minutes.

B. The Blood

Red Blood Cells: The body makes more red blood cells so more oxygencan be transported around the body.

The arteries become larger and more elastic, reducing blood pressure and helping blood flow.

Capillaries: More capillaries form around the muscles. This process is known as capilliarisation, helping the transport of oxygen and carbondioxide to and from the muscles.

C. The Arteries

Unfit Fit

FitUnfit

Vital Capacity: Increases as the diaphragm and intercostal muscles get stronger, making thechest cavity larger. This means that more oxygen can be breathed in, and carbon dioxide breathed out.

Alveoli: The number of alveoli in the lungs increases. This produces a greater surface area for the exchange of carbon dioxide and oxygen within the lungs.

Capillaries: A greater density ofcapillaries grow around the alveoli,again increasing the diffusion ofoxygen and carbon dioxide betweenthe lungs and blood.

Long-Term Effects - Respiratory System

Body Fat – Aerobic training will help reduce body fat, as it will be used to produce energy for the muscles to work (contract).

Max VO2 – This is the amount of oxygen your body can take in and use in one minute, which increases as a result of regular exercise.A fit person can transport and use more oxygen, so they can keep going longer and faster.

Joints – Exercise makesligaments become stronger and cartilage thicker.

Bones – Regular exercise makes the bones growstronger.

Other Long-Term Effects of Exercise

Muscles – The muscles which are working harder, become thickerand so can contract more strongly. This is known as hypertrophy.

Tendons – These attach muscle to bones and as a result of strength training they become thicker and stronger.

Ski-sits develop the muscles in the legs, especially the quadriceps.

Press-ups develop tendons in the arms and chest muscles, e.g. biceps.

The Long-Term Benefits of Strength Training

The Heart – The muscular walls of the heart become thicker and stronger (hypertrophy).

Anaerobic training:sprinting

Lactic Acid – The muscles are more able to cope with greater levels of lactic acid and get rid of it much quicker. This means they can work harder and longer without suffering fatigue and becoming tired.

The Long-Term Benefits of Anaerobic Training

The stroke volumeincreases(the amount of blood pumped out of the heart with each beat).

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