MODULE 1 UNIT 3

Activity submission
 Learning outcome:

LO6: Articulate how the body adapts to physical exercise.

Plagiarism declaration

1. I know that plagiarism is wrong. Plagiarism is to use another’s work and

pretend that it is one’s own.

2. This assignment is my own work.

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intention of passing it off as their own work.

4. I acknowledge that copying someone else’s assignment (or part of it) is

wrong and declare that my assignments are my own work.

Name: Nicholas Greene

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Guidelines
1. There are 6 pages and 3 questions in this assignment.

2. Make sure that you have carefully read and fully understood the questions before
answering them. Answer the questions fully but concisely and as directly as
possible. Follow all specific instructions for individual questions (e.g., “list,” “in point
form”).

3. Answer all questions in your own words. Do not copy any text from the notes,
readings, or other sources. The assignment must be your own work only.

2. Point allocation
Each question receives a point allocation. However, you will only receive a final
percentage grade and will not be given individual points for each question. The point
allocation is there to show you the weighting and length of each question. Use the
grading rubric to see how points will be allocated.

Question 1 10

Question 2 10

Question 3 5

TOTAL 25

3. Questions
Question 1
Given that Bronwyn – the endurance runner whose story you explored throughout
Module 1 – is attempting to become an elite athlete, she will have to begin training more
regularly. Since Bronwyn will be training frequently to improve her fitness and
performance, what type of physiological changes is she likely to experience? In other
words, how might her bodily systems adapt, with regular training, to improve
performance? You answer should include the following:

 Two potential long-term changes to Bronwyn’s bodily systems in response to

aerobic training

 Why the body adapts in these two ways to improve performance in the future

Note that you do not need to reference one change in each system (cardiovascular,
pulmonary, and muscles), but rather two overall changes and an explanation as to why
the body is adapting in that way.

(250 to 300 words)

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Start writing here:

Unlike other athletes who participate in sports such as the pole vault or power lifting,
which require a different skill set and training, Bronwyn is an endurance runner which
requires the athlete to be aerobically fit over a long period of time. With regular
progressive aerobic training, Bronwyn can expect to achieve greater heart and lung
capacity and stronger leg muscles. These intended results will allow her to run for longer
periods of time with less fatigue on her body. As her body adapts to the increased stress
placed upon it, there will be growth in her ability to absorb more oxygen from the
environment, feeding her mitochondria and muscle tissue and thereby producing more
energy to propel her to the finish line.

As Bronwyn progresses with her training, her heart muscle will grow and become
stronger, increasing contractions and blood volume, allowing for more oxygenated blood
and nutrients to be pumped to the extremities and feed her skeletal muscle for a
sustained period. More capillaries will be produced, and waste and CO2 will be expelled
from the body at a greater rate too, allowing for a faster turnover of oxygenated blood.
The tissues of the lungs will work harder and more efficiently to transfer the oxygen into
the blood to satisfy the muscles demand to produce energy so she can run faster and
longer.

Bronwyn will experience less fatigue as she progresses with her aerobic training, and it
will take longer for her to feel the burning sensation in her legs and muscles. The
increase in oxygen to her muscles provide greater access to the carbohydrates stored in
her muscles as glycogen, which is converted into glucose and metabolized to provide a
steady state of energy for endurance. Less burning in her muscles occurs because more
waste in the form of hydrogen ions will be removed at a more efficient rate. As the
muscles work hard, they produce heat which is dissipated from the body through dilated
blood vessels at the skins surface. The increased blood volume from aerobic training
provides constant flow to skin, cooling the body and lessening fatigue over time.

Question 2
Over time, and with regular training, Bronwyn finds that she is able to run sustainably at a
much faster pace; she is able to run harder for longer without succumbing to fatigue.

Discuss Bronwyn’s ability to perform at a much higher capacity than before her training in
the context of three determinants of performance: VO 2 max, lactate threshold, and
movement (running) economy. In your answer, you should:

 Indicate how each of the specific performance measures is changing over time;
and

 Articulate why the change in each performance measure is beneficial to

Bronwyn’s performance.

(250 to 300 words)

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Start writing here:

VO2 max is one measurement that verifies the greatest rate at which Bronwyn is
consuming oxygen during respiration, a benchmark for aerobic fitness. The measurement
is achieved by taking the difference between the amount of oxygen expired and inhaled
during respiration. VO2 max, being highly trainable, will cause the heart to grow stronger
and pump more blood over time. This cardiac output can be measured by the Fick
Equation, which verifies that the amount of oxygen in the tissues is equal to the
difference between inhaled and expired oxygen. As the cardiorespiratory system
improves, more oxygenated blood will be utilized for greater physical exertion demanded
by the muscles. Through the increased rate of oxygen consumption (VO2), Bronwyn can
improve production of energy in her mitochondria and achieve a greater capacity to run
longer and faster.

It's important that Bronwyn doesn’t fatigue too early as she trains. To ensure this doesn’t
happen, she must pace her training appropriately and remain at a submaximal steady
state of exercise below the Lactate Threshold. This measurement determines when
fatigue sets in, a result of excess lactate build-up in the blood from burning surplus
carbohydrates in the nonoxidative energy system which leaves excess hydrogen ions in
the blood. This overabundance of hydrogen creates an acidic environment for muscles,
making them contract and causes a burning feeling and fatigue. As Bronwyn’s VO2 max
increases from training, her Lactate Threshold gets pushed higher because the increased
blood flow gets rid of more lactate sooner. By holding back Lactate Threshold to 75% of
Bronwyn’s VO2 max, she can train hard in the submaximal oxidative energy system
before tapping into the nonoxidative system and offset fatigue.

Movement (Running) Economy is the speed at which an athlete can exercise in the
submaximal range based on their VO2 max and has wide variations among athletes.
Improving an athlete’s movement economy can have a major influence on oxygen
consumption especially for long-distance runners. Fortunately, Movement Economy is a
trainable determinant of performance in prolonged training. For Bronwyn, she already
has a good baseline being an experienced runner and completing a half-marathon – one
might say that her genetics are working in her favor already. Maintaining a strong VO2
max and remaining below her lactate threshold, Bronwyn continues to refine her
movement economy with exercises that improve her running technique, supporting the
proper recruitment of Type I and Type II muscle fibers. She keeps her muscles and
tendons in a flexible state with correct dynamic stretching and warm-ups before and after
her exercise thereby increasing blood flow to her muscles.

Question 3
An endurance athlete like Bronwyn relies on a steady stream of energy throughout an
event. Two examples of energy-processing systems responsible for providing endurance
athletes with energy are the oxidative and nonoxidative systems.

Explain the difference between these two systems, as well as the significance of this
difference to an endurance athlete like Bronwyn.

(150 to 200 words)

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Start writing here:

The oxidative system is an aerobic energy system that needs oxygen to convert the
macronutrients fat and carbohydrate into a high-energy molecule called ATP (adenosine
triphosphate) which is where the energy in our cells is stored. Energy stored in ATP is
released slowly when broken down to power the body’s many functions, yet the energy
produced is substantial and therefore ideal for endurance exercise.

The nonoxidative system is an anaerobic energy system that produces energy by

breaking down carbohydrates (glucose) to be stored as energy in ATP in the absence of
oxygen. This is a rapid breakdown which creates small amounts of ATP and an
additional molecule called lactate in a very short unsustainable amount of time. This is
advantageous when short bursts of energy are needed, but lasts no more than a minute
before the oxidative system takes over or the body needs to rest.

For an endurance athlete like Bronwyn, energy stores are needed for a greater length of
time to be utilized throughout her run like those generated by the oxidative system.
Bronwyn uses the nonoxidative system at the onset of her half-marathon when that initial
push is needed to propel her off the starting blocks and, at a lower level, throughout her
race as carbohydrates are processed for energy.

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 4. Rubric

Unsatisfactory Limited Adequate Accomplished Exceptional

Question 1 No answer. The answer The answer The answer The answer
attempts to correctly correctly correctly
The answer OR discuss the identifies two identifies two identifies two
discusses two changes to bodily system bodily system bodily system
different The answer
Bronwyn’s changes as a changes as a changes as a
changes to completely fails
bodily systems, result of result of result of
Bronwyn’s to address the
but fails to Bronwyn’s Bronwyn’s Bronwyn’s
bodily question. (0)
correctly identify training. training. The training. The
systems. The two. However, the reasons given reasons given
answer also reasons why as to why her as to why her
indicates why OR the bodily bodily systems bodily
the body systems adapt adapt in these systems adapt
adapts in The answer fails
in these ways ways to in these ways
these ways to to indicate why
are not improve are correct,
improve the bodily
sufficiently performance with no errors.
Bronwyn’s systems adapt
explained in are largely (10)
performance to improve
terms of how correct, but
in the future. Bronwyn’s
they improve contain minor
performance.
performance. errors. (9)
(5)
(7)

Question 2 No answer. The answer fails The answer The answer The answer
to address all addresses all addresses all addresses all
The answer OR three three three three
indicates how determinants of determinants determinants determinants
the The answer
performance. of of performance of
determinants completely fails
performance and indicates performance
of to address the OR and indicates how these and indicates
performance question. (0)
how these change and how these
change over The answer fails
change and why these change and
time as a to explain why
why these changes are why these
result of changes to the
changes are beneficial to changes are
exercise determinants of
beneficial to Bronwyn’s beneficial to
training. The performance
Bronwyn’s performance, Bronwyn’s
answer also lead to
performance, but contains performance,
explains why Bronwyn’s
but with some minor errors. with no errors.
these improved
important (9) (10)
changes are performance.
factual errors.

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beneficial to (5) (7)
Bronwyn’s
performance.

Question 3 No answer. The answer fails The answer The answer The answer
to accurately explains the explains the clearly
The answer OR explain the difference difference explains the
highlights the difference between the between the difference
differences The answer
between the two two systems, two systems between the
between the completely fails
systems. and highlights and highlights two systems
oxidative and to address the
the the and highlights
nonoxidative question. (0) OR significance of significance of the
systems, and this difference, this difference, significance of
explains the The significance
but with some but contains this difference,
significance of of the difference
important minor errors. with no errors.
this difference between the two
factual errors. (4.5) (5)
in the context systems to
(3.5)
of an Bronwyn is not
endurance addressed. (2.5)
athlete like
Bronwyn.

Total: 25 points

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