Name: Vishesh Kapadia Grade: MYP 5

Lab Report: Effect of the intensity of the exercise on Heart Rate

Background
The cardiovascular system consists of the heart and the blood vessels, which are
responsible for delivering oxygen and nutrients, as well as transporting waste in
the blood through its vessels. The cardio exercise tends to affect the
cardiovascular system.
Physically fit people can deliver a greater volume of blood in a single heartbeat
than unfit individuals and can sustain a greater work level before reaching
maximum heart rate. Being more physically fit also leads to a more rapid
recovery of the resting heart rate.
Santorio Santorio, an Italian Physiologist, invented the first instrument to
measure the pulse rate in 1602, ‘The pulsilogium’.

Aim
- To investigate the effect of the intensity of the exercise on heart rate
measured with an oximeter.

Hypothesis
- If the duration of the exercise increases the heart rate of an individual also
increases, showcasing a direct proportion.
- When a body exercises, it uses energy from different body parts of the
body. The heart pumps more blood and beats faster as more energy is
used. Exercising for a long time means more blood is pumping, and
gradually the pulse increases. Hence the heart rate increases while
exercising.
 Variables
 Variable Name  How variable is
Variables  Units manipulated
 Uncertainty  How variable is
measured
 Time duration for exercise  By doing the same
Independent  Seconds (s) exercise for equal time
Variable  ± 0.5 s intervals of 25, [25, 50,
75, 100, 125] the variable
time was manipulated.
Time is measured by a
stopwatch.
 Heart Rate  The heart rate is
Dependent  Beats per minute (bpm) measured using an
Variable  ± 2.4 bpm oximeter.

Controlled Variable
Controlled Variable How is it controlled? Why are we controlling it?

Running track This variable is controlled by Running on different tracks

running on the same track for can vary the usage of stamina
every time interval. in a person’s body.
A straight flat road might
require less stamina to run
compared to an off-road
track.
Hour of the day All the trials were done in The circadian rhythm tells
the evening hours. that a person’s energy levels
differ during different times
of the day. So doing all the
trials during the same time of
the day might help get more
accurate results to the
experiment.
Age and Fitness Level For all the trials the person Age and Fitness level are
experimenting was the same, some of the factors affecting
hence the age and the fitness heart rate while exercising.
level were constant. Keeping the fitness level
constant is very important as

Mass of the shoe The mass of the shoe is kept
controlled by using the same
shoe for all the trials.
people of the same age have
different fitness levels and
stamina to run.
According to a 3-week study
by researchers from the
University of Colorado
Boulder, on 18 experienced
male runners. The experiment
confirmed that a runner’s
average metabolic rate
increased by about 1% per
100g of added weight. Hence,
for every 100g increase, the
runners run 1%slower

Apparatus
 Oximeter
 Timer

Method
1. Measure resting heart rate using an oximeter.
2. Set a timer for 25 seconds.
3. Run on the road for 25 seconds.
4. Wait for 10-15 seconds
5. Measure the heart rate after running.
6. Note it down
7. Repeat for 50, 75, 100, and 125 seconds.

Safety Considerations
 The road you are running on for the experiment should be straight.
Running on an off-road track can twist your ankle and increase the risk of
ankle fracture.
 Running with hard soles or no shoes can increase the risk of knee muscle
tear or muscle pull. Running with hard soles can increase the load on the
calf muscles and Achilles tendon.
  A proper warm-up is important before any cardio experiment. A proper
warm-up gradually increases your heart rate and blood flow which helps
your body prepare for more intense exercise. Without this, your muscles
and joints are less flexible are can lead to a muscle pull or tear.
 Before any exercise or workout, you should be hydrated. When you run,
your body heats up and sweats, and water can replace the fluid you sweat.
This can reduce heat stress. But drinking excess water can dilute your
body’s sodium balance and increase your risk of developing
hyponatremia (water overload) during your run.

Raw Data
Sr. No. Time/s Resting Heart Heart Rate
Rate/bpm after
running/bpm
1 25 79 98

2 50 92 130
3 75 95 138
4 100 92 145
5 125 90 146

 As the running time increases the heart rate after running also increases.
As the body uses more energy to run for a longer time, the heart pumps
more blood to supply to the body, hence the heart rate increases.
 Results
Sr. No. Time/s Resting heart rate Heart Rate after Difference in heart
running rate
1 25 79 98 19

2 50 92 130 38

3 75 95 138 43

4 100 92 145 53

5 125 90 146 56

Standard Deviation 6.188699379 19.74335331 14.6867287

Average 89.6 131.4 41.8

Sample Calculations
 Difference = 145 – 92
= 53

98+130+138+145+ 146
 Average = 5
= 131.4

Graph
 The trend is increasing. This means as the time spent exercising (x-axis)
increases, the difference in heart rate (y-axis) also increases, in direct
proportion.
 The upward-sloping dotted trendline emphasizes that this is a positive
correlation.
 The graph is close to a straight line, which means the results are more
accurate as it shows a consistent increase in the heart rate difference.
However, data often deviated slightly from a perfect linear graph.
 Effect of Exercise on Heart Rate
56
60
53

50 43
Difference in Heart Rate / bpm

38
40

30
19

20

10

0
25 50 75 100 125

Time / s

Conclusion
 The results successfully supported the hypothesis. As the intensity of the
exercise and the duration increases the difference in the heart rate before
and after running will also increase.
 August Krogh and Edgar Sharpey’s theory on the Oxygen Transport
Chain says that, as exercise intensity increases, working muscles demand
more oxygen. The body responds by increasing the heart rate to pump
more blood, carrying more oxygenated red blood cells to the muscles.
 Starling’s Law of the Heart, the Cardiac Output theory explains the
relationship between heart rate, stroke volume (the amount of blood
pumped with each beat), and cardiac output (amount of blood pumped per
minute). Exercise increases the body’s demand for oxygenated blood,
hence to meet this demand, cardiac output needs to rise. Perhaps, heart
rate increases first, followed by potential adjustments in stroke volume
during sustained exercise.
 The data recorded meets the theory’s expectation and the values are very
accurate as they are very near the line of best fit. And shows a positive
correlation in the data.
Evaluation
 The methodology used was very accurate and very easy to perform. The
equipment used to measure the heart rate was an oximeter with a
calibration of almost 100%, increasing the data's efficiency.
 The hypothesis matches the conclusion, due to a consistent increase in the
difference of the heart over time. This is due to the increase in duration of
the exercise, which leads to more demand for oxygen in the muscles,
which is passed on by increasing heart rate which will help to pump more
blood.
 The range chosen for the data was of time intervals of 25 secs (25, 50, 75,
100, 125). The points on the graph were very close to the trendline. The
standard deviation of the difference in the heart rate before and after
running is 14.69 (2dp).
 The improve the results and make them more accurate, I could do more
trials for the all duration of the exercise. Doing at least 3 trials for each
duration and finding the average of it would help find the results more
accurate.
Weakness or Limitation Description of the Effect Suggested Improvement

Speed of the person
Rest Period
Short Duration of the
Exercise
The speed of the person for The person should run at a
all trials cannot be constant, slow speed, which would
it may vary. The speed is save his/her stamina and
determined by the person’s help them to run for a
fitness level. Running at a longer time.
high speed for the first trial
and then decreasing the
speed eventually, might
deviate the results.
A 10-15 second rest period A fixed time of around 2-5
might not be enough for the mins should be set for
heart rate to fully recover resting and getting the heart
between runs, especially at rate back to normal.
higher intensities. This can
lead to an underestimation
of the true heart rate
increase.
Only measuring heart rate Increasing the number of
after short bursts of running trials can help you get a
 (up to 125 seconds) more accurate results by
provides limited data on taking the average of them.
how the heart responds to
sustained exercise. It
wouldn't capture the full
picture of heart rate
adaptation during longer
runs.

Discussion
 Further 2 more investigations:
1. Heart Rate Recovery – This experiment aims to see how quickly the
heart rate of a person returns to resting level after exercise of varying
intensities. This will help to compare the resting heart rate between 2
different intensities of the exercise.
2. Heart Rate Response During Different Activities – This experiment
explores how your heart rate reacts to different types of exercise
compared to running. It can help you understand which activities
might be more demanding on your cardiovascular system.
 Application in the Real World
1. Regularly monitoring heart rate response (chronotropic response) to
varying exercise intensities can aid in the early detection of
cardiovascular abnormalities. Significant deviations from established
heart rate patterns during exercise could suggest underlying
cardiovascular problems requiring medical evaluation.
2. In the sports industry, runners who run long tracks need to measure
their heart rate before and after running to make sure their heart is
pumping well or not.

Citations
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Health and Human Services,
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Halvorson, Ryan. “Shoe Type Affects Running Speed.” IDEA Health & Fitness Association,
30 Nov. 2020, www.ideafit.com/personal-training/shoe-type-affects-running-speed/.

“Heart Rate Formal Lab Report (Docx).” CliffsNotes,

www.cliffsnotes.com/study-notes/4690010#:~:text=The%20results%20of%20this
%20experimental,to%20their%20resting%20heart%20rate. Accessed 21 June 2024.

Joyner, Michael J, and Darren P Casey. “Regulation of Increased Blood Flow (Hyperemia) to
Muscles during Exercise: A Hierarchy of Competing Physiological Needs.”
Physiological Reviews, U.S. National Library of Medicine, Apr. 2015,
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4551211/.

“Running Heart Rate: What’s Safe and What’s Too High?” Healthline, Healthline Media,
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