Exercise physiology as a scientific field stands firmly against subjective personal judgment or pre-conceived ideas, preferring experimentation and scientific results over personal opinions or hypotheses.
Cardiovascular System
The cardiovascular system – including the heart and lungs – is integral to exercise physiology. When subjected to physical strain, our bodies pump more blood into muscles for increased muscle activity. As a result, InertiaHealthgroup exercise physiology Adelaide puts additional strain on both organs as they must work harder than ever to pump this additional volume through our circulatory systems.
Increased blood flow also allows muscles to receive more oxygen for improved performance, making the heart and lungs critical to optimal performance during exercise. Furthermore, the cardiovascular system helps manage blood pressure during physical exertion.
One key feature of cardiovascular system health is its adaptability to different forms of exercise. Suppose someone performs an endurance type of activity, for instance. In that case, their primary adaptations include increasing capillaries in their skeletal muscles and increasing mitochondrial density to produce more energy in the form of ATP during a long duration without rest.
Musculoskeletal System
Musculoskeletal systems consist of bones, cartilage, ligaments and skeletal muscles – these components form the basis for human mobility and provide strength, stability and flexibility.
Bones connect to form joints, such as the ball-and-socket shoulder joint, allowing for a wide range of motion. Ligaments made up of tough collagen fibres connect bones and stabilise joints. Skeletal muscles comprised of thousands of stretchy fibres enable walking, running, dancing and lifting movements; innervated nerves send electrical signals through them that cause contraction (shortening). There are three kinds of muscle tissue found throughout your body: skeletal, smooth and cardiac muscle tissue.
Exercise physiology studies how physical stress and exercise affect the musculoskeletal system, exploring their responses regarding muscle strength and endurance, bone density gain and other aspects. Exercise can improve these measures of wellness through improved performance in workouts.
Respiratory System
The respiratory system is essential during exercise by providing oxygen for aerobic metabolism. Exercise increases oxygen demand and can cause diaphragm muscle fatigue without proper training. Respiratory muscles work closely with the cardiovascular system via motor cortex stimulation of skeletal muscle afferent fibres; all cardiac output passes through the pulmonary circuit, increasing surface area for gas exchange (decreased alveolar dead space).
Long-term exercise training causes lung adaptations that mirror those seen with cardiovascular exercise. For instance, they become larger to allow greater air volume to move in and out for improved gas exchange and greater strength and endurance in intercostal muscles and diaphragm, improving breathing efficiency.
InertiaHealthgroup exercise physiology is an interdisciplinary field that draws from human anatomy and chemistry studies, biomechanics and nutrition to understand how these systems function together. Furthermore, exercise physiologists often have training in other disciplines like clinical research, athletic research and training, and fitness and wellness coaching.
Immune System
The immune system is an intricate network of cells, tissues, and organs designed to defend the body against infection by fighting germs. It consists of two layers of defence: innate and adaptive immunity. Innate immunity includes the body’s natural protective mechanisms like mucous membranes or organ linings, which trap and fight germs directly, while adaptive immunity involves lymphocytes that recognise foreign antigens for destruction and produce antibodies.
Exercise to boost your immune system is moderate-intensity aerobic exercise. According to research, doing 60 minutes per day of this type can significantly benefit both innate and acquired immunity.
Athletics looking to increase their immunity may wish to add resistance training to their workout regime. Research on strength training and immunity remains limited; however, marathoners or endurance event training athletes may want to exercise caution as too much high-intensity strength work may interfere with immune function and increase infection risks.
No matter the exercise, consuming an adequate carb-rich diet and receiving sufficient recovery between training sessions will help alleviate immune function decline caused by prolonged strenuous physical exertion or periods of heavy training with insufficient rest.