Chapter 12 - Chronic adaptations to training

Question 1

Cardiovascular

Answer 1

• Increased left ventricle size and volume (increased stroke volume)
• Increased the heart muscle
• Faster heart rate recovery rates
• Increased blood volume and haemoglobin levels
• Increased capillarization of skeletal muscle
• Decreased heart rate at rest and during sub-maximal workloads

Question 2

Increased left ventricle size and volume (increased stroke volume)

Answer 2

• Allowing greater volume of blood to be ejected from the heart
• Thus, providing more oxygen for the athlete to use.

Question 3

Increased the heart muscle

Answer 3

An increased supply of blood and oxygen allows the heart to beat more strongly and efficiently during both exercise and rest

Question 4

Faster heart rate recovery rates

Answer 4

• HR will return to resting levels in a much shorter time than that of an untrained individual
• Due to the greater efficiency of the cardiovascular system to produce energy aerobically

Question 5

Increased blood volume and haemoglobin levels

Answer 5

• As a result, RBC may increase in number and the haemoglobin content and oxygen-carrying capacity of the blood may also rise.
• This allows for a greater amount of oxygen to be delivered to the muscles and used by the athlete
• Blood plasma volume also increases significantly.

Question 6

Increased capillarisation of skeletal muscle

Answer 6

• Greater capillary supply means increased blood flow and greater surface area for gas diffusion to take place
• Increasing the oxygen and nutrients in the muscles allows for more removal of by-products

Question 7

Decreased heart rate at rest and during submaximal workloads

Answer 7

• Heart not having to beat as often to supply the required blood flow (and oxygen)
• Aerobic training also results in a slower increase in heart rate during exercise and also a lower steady state that is reached sooner

Question 8

Respiratory

Answer 8

• Increased pulmonary ventilation during maximal exercise
• Increased tidal volume
• Increased pulmonary diffusion
• Decreased resting and submaximal respiratory frequency

Question 9

Increased pulmonary ventilation during maximal exercise

Answer 9

• Regular aerobic training results in more efficient and improved pulmonary ventilation
• During maximal workloads, ventilation is increased because of increased TV and RF
• This allows for greater oxygen delivery to working muscles at maximum exercise intensities

Question 10

Increased tidal volume

Answer 10

• Increases the amount of air inspired and expired by the lungs per breath
• This allows for a greater amount of oxygen to be diffused into the surrounding alveoli capillaries and delivered to the working muscles

Question 11

Increased pulmonary diffusion

Answer 11

Increases the surface area of the alveoli
- Increases the pulmonary diffusion, allowing more oxygen to be extracted and transported to the working muscles for use

Question 12

Decreased resting and submaximal respiratory frequency

Answer 12

• Is reduced at rest and submaximal levels due to the improved pulmonary function
• increase in the extraction of oxygen from the alveoli to the surrounding capillaries

Question 13

Muscular aerobic

Answer 13

• Increased size and number of mitochondria
• Increased myoglobin stores
• Increased fuel storage and oxidative enzymes
• Increased a-VO2 difference
• Increased muscle fibre adaptation

Question 14

Increased size and number of mitochondria

Answer 14

The greater the number and size of the mitochondria located within the muscle, the greater the ability to synthesise ATP aerobically

Question 15

Increased myoglobin stores

Answer 15

An increase in the number of myoglobin stores increases the amount of oxygen delivered to the mitochondria for energy production

Question 16

Increased fuel storage and oxidative enzymes

Answer 16

• Less reliance upon the anaerobic glycolysis system until higher intensities
• Due to increased levels of the enzymes associated with fat metabolism, an aerobically trained athlete is able to ‘glycogen spare’ more effectively and therefore work at higher intensities for longer

Question 17

Increased a-VO2 difference

Answer 17

• Trained athletes are able to extract more oxygen from their bloodstream into their muscles during exercise performance compared to untrained individuals
• Indicates a greater uptake of oxygen by the muscles of trained athletes and a greater capacity of the athlete to produce energy aerobically

Question 18

Increased muscle fibre adaptation

Answer 18

This would allow for a greater ability to generate ATP aerobically with fewer fatiguing factors

Question 19

Muscular anaerobic

Answer 19

• Muscular hypertrophy
• Increased muscular stores of ATP and CP
• Increase in ATPase and creatine kinase enzymes
• Increased glycolytic capacity
• Increase in the number of motor units recruited
• Increased lactate tolerance

Question 20

Muscular hypotrophy

Answer 20

• An increase in muscle fibre size due to an increase in the size and number of myofibrils
• This results in greater production of strength and power

Question 21

Increased muscular stores of ATP and CP

Answer 21

• Increases the capacity of the ATP– CP system
• Allowing for faster resynthesis of ATP for high-intensity activities

Question 22

Increase in ATPase and creatine kinase enzymes

Answer 22

• ATPase is responsible for breaking down ATP to form ADP and release energy for muscular contraction
• Creatine kinase initiates the breakdown of CP, which provides the energy to resynthesise ATP at a fast rate

Question 23

Increased glycolytic capacity

Answer 23

Enhances the capacity of the anaerobic glycolysis system to produce energy

Question 24

Increase in the number of motor units recruited

Answer 24

Increases the power and strength of muscular contractions

Question 25

Increased lactate tolerance

Answer 25

• Prevents the onset of fatigue and allows an athlete to continue to generate ATP anaerobically
• Allows them to work at a higher intensity, producing high lactate levels at the end of the performance

Question 26

All 3 energy systems

Answer 26

• Increased VO2 max.
• Increased lactate inflection point

Question 27

Increased VO2 max

Answer 27

• Allows for a greater amount of oxygen that can be taken in by the respiratory system
• Transported by the cardiovascular system and utilised by the muscular system to produce ATP
• Improving the economy of the athlete

Question 28

Increased lactate inflection point

Answer 28

• The advantage of having a higher LIP is that the anaerobic glycolysis system isn’t contributing as much until higher exercise intensities are reached
• This means that the athlete can work at higher intensities for longer periods without the fatiguing

Question 29

Neuromuscular

Answer 29

• Increase in the cross-sectional area of a muscle (muscle hypertrophy)
• Increased synchronisation of motor units
• Increase in the firing rate (rate coding) of motor units
• A reduction in inhibitory signals

Question 30

Increase in the cross-sectional area of a muscle (muscle hypertrophy)

Answer 30

• Increase the quantity of actin and myosin protein filaments, the size and number of myofibrils and also in the amount of connective tissue that surrounds the muscle
• Allows the muscle to create a greater amount of strength and power with each contraction

Question 31

Increased synchronisation of motor units

Answer 31

The ability to recruit more motor units at the same time and to stimulate larger motor units creates a more powerful muscular contraction

Question 32

Increase in the firing rate (rate coding) of motor units

Answer 32

• Increases the rate of force development or how quickly a muscle can contract maximally
• This is beneficial for rapid ballistic movements where maximal force is required in a very short period of time

Question 33

A reduction in inhibitory signals

Answer 33

• The improved coordination of signals allows for the reduced inhibitory effect
• The reduction in the inhibitory mechanisms allow for a greater force production within a muscle group