Exercise Physiology

Exercise physiologists oversee the analysis, improvement, and maintenance of health and fitness, rehabilitation of heart disease and other chronic diseases and disabilities, and the professional guidance and counsel of athletes and others interested in sports training. In addition, many exercise physiologists study the effect of exercise on pathology, and the mechanisms by which exercise can reduce or reverse disease progression. There is no license to become an exercise physiologist. Therefore, the range of exercise physiology is extensive. An exercise physiologist's area of study may include but is not limited to biochemistry, bioenergetics, cardiopulmonary function, hematology, biomechanics, skeletal muscle physiology, neuroendocrine function, and central and peripheral nervous system function. Exercise physiologists can be basic scientists, clinical researchers  and even sports trainers.

Key Terms –

VO2 max: (also called maximal oxygen consumption, maximal oxygen uptake, peak oxygen uptake or aerobic capacity) it is the maximum capacity of an individual's body to transport and use oxygen during incremental exercise, which reflects the physical fitness of the individual.

Lactic acid: it is a chemical compound that plays a role in several biochemical processes. Specifically regarding to exercise, when the rate of demand for energy is high, lactic acid is produced faster than the ability of the tissues to remove it, so lactate concentration begins to rise. This is a beneficial process, since the regeneration of NAD+ ensures that energy production is maintained and exercise can continue.

Aerobic respiration: requires oxygen in order to generate energy. Although carbohydrates, fats, and proteins can all be processed and consumed as reactant, it is the preferred method of pyruvate breakdown in glycolysis and requires that pyruvate enter the mitochondrion in order to be fully oxidized by the Krebs cycle. The product of this process is energy in the form of ATP (Adenosine triphosphate).

Anaerobic respiration: it is a form of respiration using electron acceptors and instruments other than oxygen. It is respiration without oxygen.

ATP: Adenosine triphosphate is a multifunctional nucleotide used in cells as a coenzyme. ATP transports chemical energy within cells for metabolism. It is produced by photophosphorylation and cellular respiration and used by enzymes and structural proteins in many cellular processes, including cell division.

CP: Phosphocreatine, also known as creatine phosphate, is a phosphorylated creatine molecule that serves as a rapidly moveable reserve of high-energy phosphates in skeletal muscle and brain.

Glycolysis: it is the metabolic pathway that converts glucose into pyruvate. The free energy released in this process is used to form the high-energy compound ATP.

Carbohydrates: an organic compound that consists only of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen, with a hydrogen to oxygen atom ratio of 2:1 (as in water).

Fats: consist of a wide group of compounds that are generally soluble in organic solvents and largely insoluble in water. Chemically, fats are generally tri-esters of glycerol and fatty acids.

Proteins: they are biochemical compounds consisting of one or more polypeptides typically folded into a globular or fibrous form in a biologically efficient way.

Energy Pathways –

1.       ATP-CP splitting for explosive movements and short sprints

2.      Anaerobic glycolysis for longer sprints

3.      Aerobic metabolism for endurance events