Physiology of exercise

Abstract

When we exercise we are accessing the same potential as the physical activity that our ancestors depended on for survival. Humans are adapted for high performance locomotor function, and exercise physiology studies the integration of neurological, respiratory, circulatory, endocrine, and metabolic systems coordinating a response to energy and oxygen demand. From rest to exercise cardiac output increases up to five- to sevenfold and pulmonary ventilation increases over 16-fold in order to enhance oxygen transport for unlocking energy in respiring muscle cells. Furthermore, a symphony of changes in cellular respiration, vascular resistance, and adrenergic stimulation is required to support the necessary transformation of chemical energy to kinetic energy for prolonged muscle activity. This chapter describes these processes in detail and relates physiological changes during exercise to the findings of the normal cardiopulmonary exercise test.