long term effects of the cardio-respiratory system. Flashcards
What is cardiac hypertrophy?
Training increases the heart muscle to become bigger and stronger by increasing muscle fibre strength. This allows the muscular walls of the heart to contract with more force.
What effect will cardiac hypertrophy have on your resting heart rate?
Resting heart rate will be lower as the heart is stronger so it can pump more blood out in one contraction. This allows the body to recieve the same amount of blood in less beats.
Decreased resting heart rate and blood pressure - Why does resting heart rate decrease?
Due to a stronger more efficient heart.
Why does blood pressure decrease?
The walls of the blood vessels maintain their elasticity which allows blood to flow efficiently, decreasing pressure. If your heart doesn’t have to work as hard, the force in your arteries decreases, which lowers your blood pressure.
Increased Cardiac Output - What is Cardiac Output?
The amount of blood ejected from your heart in one minute. Therefore the amount of blood ejected increases with long-term excercise.
What is the equation of Cardiac Output (Q)
Cardiac Output (Q) = stroke volume (SV) x heart rate (HR)
Increased stroke volume - What is stroke volume?
The amount of blood pumped by your heart per beat.
How is stroke volume increased?
More blood is available to be pumped out of the heart (due to cardiac hypertrophy) and the potential to pump harder (due to increased strength) so that more blood is ejected from the heart in each beat.
Increase in capillarisation.
Exercise triggers the growth of capillaries (capillary beds) this allows for greater amounts of diffusion of substances to take place.
Why would a greater number if capillaries help with gaseous exchange?
Allows for a larger amount of oxygen and carbon dioxide to be diffused in the lungs and in the muscles, enabling more efficient aerobic respiration.
Increase in red blood cells.
Exercise triggers the production of rbc. RBC carry oxygen to the muscles, so having a higher rbc count can help an athlete improve their performance.
Faster recovery rate.
Increasing the speed which oxygen can be delivered means the performer can work aerobically for longer. Can recover quicker as oxygen can continue to flow quickly to the muscles.
Increased lung capacity.
With a larger chest cavity and more alveoli, lung capacity increases. This allows you to breathe in more oxygen into your lungs and your blood stream per breath. Carbon dioxide will also be removed more efficiently.
Increased strength of the diaphragm and intercostal muscles.
Your diaphragm and external muscles get stronger, allowing your chest cavity to get larger. This allows for an increase in oxygen during physical activity. Stronger breathing muscles enable you to increase the size of your thoracic cavity, increasing the volume of your lungs.
Increase in vital capacity and tidal volume - What is tidal volume?
The amount of air breathed in with each normal breath.
