limitations to exercise Flashcards
what is RQ, how is it calculated and what assumptions are required for this?
RQ is an indicator of the substrate use in tissues, it cannot exceed 1. it is represented as RQ = VCO2 /VO2
we assume:
the rate of O2/CO2 exchange in the lungs is equal to the rate of O2/CO2 use/release in the tissues
when might the rate of O2/Co2 exchange in the lungs match that of release in the tissues?
1- hyperventilation
2- exhaustive activity
3- gluconeogenesis
what is the difference between respiratory quotient and respiratory exchange ratio?
RQ indicates substrate use in tissues, and cannot exceed 1
RER reflects the respiratory exchange of CO2 and O2, it can exceed 1, and does during strenuous exercise
what is sub maximal exercise?
- HR is 50-80% of maximal capacity
- aerobic capacity is not reached
- Vo2 should plateau
why is Vo2 sometimes not constant during sub maximal exercise?
1 - slow component of VO2 uptake kinetics
2- Vo2 drift
what is meant by the ‘slow component of VO2 uptake kinetics’?
the continued increase in oxygen uptake as time progresses, irrespective of intensity
what is the impact of slow component of VO2 on performance?
the efficiency with which the body uses oxygen is progressively lost when continuing at the same speed
what is VO2 drift caused by?
- recruitment of less efficient fibres
- less efficient ATP production
- reliance on FFA oxidation
- increased temperature
- increase in circulating catecholamines
what is VO2 max?
the point at which oxygen consumption no longer increases with an increase in exercise intensity
what are the limits to VO2 max?
central physiological functions (pulmonary diffusion, cardiac output, blood oxygen carrying capacity)
peripheral physiological functions (muscle diffusion capacity, mitochondrial enzyme levels, capillary density)
which parameters can be measured to measure anaerobic contribution to exercise?
- excess post-exercise oxygen contribution (EPOC)
- lactate threshold
- economy of efforts
what does EPOC measure?
the volume of oxygen consumed during the minutes after exercise ceases - the amount of oxygen required to resume the body to homeostasis
what contributes to the requirement for oxygen to restore the body to homeostasis?
- replenishment of energy sources
- reoxidation of blood
- decrease in circulatory hormones
- decrease in body temperature
- decrease in ventilation and HR
why does an O2 deficit accrue even at low exercise intensities?
as soon as respiration rate increases, lactate is produced
what is lactate threshold?
the point at which blood lactate production exceeds the body’s ability to clear lactate
what is appropriate training for endurance?
1- an activity of intensity higher than a critical threshold
2- each period of activity must be of sufficient duration
3- the activity should be repeated over time on a regular basis
4- sufficient rest must occur between training
what does appropriate training for endurance result in?
- increases in VO2 max
- increases in the maximal O2 delivery by increasing plasma volume and maximal cardiac output
- enhancement of O2 diffusion into muscles
- increases in the mitochondrial content of skeletal muscle fibres
what are the aerobic characteristics of athletes?
- high VO2 max
- high lactate threshold
- high economy of effort
- high percentage of type I muscle fibres
what are the causes of fatigue?
- inadequate energy delivery/metabolism
- accumulation of metabolic byproducts
- failure of muscle contractile mechanism
- altered neural control of muscle contraction
what is fatigue?
inability to sustain muscle contractions after sustained exercise
by which two ways might there be inadequate energy delivery?
- depletion of phosphocreatine
- depletion of glycogen and associated events
how is perception of fatigue related to glycogen?
relates to total depletion rather than rate of depletion
how does build up of inorganic phosphate lead to fatigue?
leads to a decrease in contractile force due to decreased calcium release from the SR
how does heat affect fatigue?
alters metabolic rate and enzyme activity, precooling muscles prolongs exercise
what is the primary cause of fatigue in maximal exercise?
build up of lactic acid
how is pH drop regulated?
the HCO3 buffer minimises the drop in pH from 7.1-6.5 rather than a theoretical possible 1.5
how does acidosis affect performance?
a drop in pH affects phosphofructokinase, a pH of less than 6.9 inhibits glycolytic enzymes and ATP synthesis, a pH of less than 6.4 prevents glycogen breakdown. H+ can also displace Ca from fibres, disrupting actin-myosin
how does fatigue cause failure of muscle contractile mechanism?
depletion of glycogen granules located in myofibrils interferes with excitation-contraction coupling and calcium release from the sarcoplasmic reticulum
how is fibre excitability related to glycogen?
related to presence of endogenous glycogen, not stores of glycogen
how can fatigue cause failure at the NMJ?
- decrease in ACh synthesis and release
- altered ACh breakdown in synapse
- increase to muscle fibre stimulus threshold
- altered muscle resting membrane potentials
why is neural transmission modulated in extreme exertion?
brain regulates power output from the muscles to prevent unsafe levels of exertion that may damage tissues or cause catastrophic events.
what environmental changes occur with increased altitude?
- pO2 of the air increases
- temperature decreases
- boiling point of water decreases
- pH2O increases
- solar radiation increases
why is oxygen uptake impaired at altitude?
as PO2 of the air increases, there is a smaller diffusion gradient between alveoli and pulmonary blood