Long term effects of exercise on the body systems
Taking part in regular exercise or training around three times per week for six weeks will lead to adaptation of the body systems that are used or trained. This has the effect of increasing performance in that type of exercise or sport and is often beneficial to general health and everyday life.
| Long term effects of exercise | Type of training | |
| Cardiovascular system | Cardiac hypertrophy; increased stroke volume (SV) at rest and during exercise; decrease in resting heart rate (HR); increase in cardiac output (Q); capillarisation at the lungs and muscles; increase in number of red blood cells | Aerobic activities (lower intensity, longer duration) produce these effects most |
| Respiratory system | Increased tidal volume (TV), minute ventilation (TE) and vital capacity; increased number of functioning alveoli; increased strength of the respiratory muscles (intercostals and diaphragm) | Aerobic activities (lower intensity, longer duration) produce these effects most |
| Energy system | Increased production of energy from the aerobic energy system; increased tolerance to lactic acid; faster recovery rate; increased aerobic capacity | Aerobic activities/training; anaerobic training; general effect |
| Muscular system | Muscle hypertrophy; increased strength of tendons and ligaments; increased muscular strength; increased muscular endurance; increased speed of contraction; increased resistance to fatigue | Resistance/weight training; general effect; aerobic activities/training; anaerobic/speed training |
| Skeletal system | Increase in bone density and strength; increased flexibility | Resistance training; weight bearing activities; flexibility training/stretching |
| Cardiovascular system | |
|---|---|
| Long term effects of exercise | Cardiac hypertrophy; increased stroke volume (SV) at rest and during exercise; decrease in resting heart rate (HR); increase in cardiac output (Q); capillarisation at the lungs and muscles; increase in number of red blood cells |
| Type of training | Aerobic activities (lower intensity, longer duration) produce these effects most |
| Respiratory system | |
|---|---|
| Long term effects of exercise | Increased tidal volume (TV), minute ventilation (TE) and vital capacity; increased number of functioning alveoli; increased strength of the respiratory muscles (intercostals and diaphragm) |
| Type of training | Aerobic activities (lower intensity, longer duration) produce these effects most |
| Energy system | |
|---|---|
| Long term effects of exercise | Increased production of energy from the aerobic energy system; increased tolerance to lactic acid; faster recovery rate; increased aerobic capacity |
| Type of training | Aerobic activities/training; anaerobic training; general effect |
| Muscular system | |
|---|---|
| Long term effects of exercise | Muscle hypertrophy; increased strength of tendons and ligaments; increased muscular strength; increased muscular endurance; increased speed of contraction; increased resistance to fatigue |
| Type of training | Resistance/weight training; general effect; aerobic activities/training; anaerobic/speed training |
| Skeletal system | |
|---|---|
| Long term effects of exercise | Increase in bone density and strength; increased flexibility |
| Type of training | Resistance training; weight bearing activities; flexibility training/stretching |
Cardiac hypertrophy
Hypertrophy means an increase in size, so muscle hypertrophy means the muscles get bigger. If you weight train regularly doing biceps curls, your biceps will show muscle hypertrophy. Cardiac hypertrophy is where the ventricle wall gets larger or thickens as a result of exercise.
The muscle wall of the left ventricle increases in size, meaning it is able to pump out more blood during each contraction which increases the stroke volume. As stroke volume is increased, resting heart rate decreases but cardiac output (Q) remains the same as SV × HR = Q.
Capillarisation
Capillarisation is the process where new capillaries are formed. Capillarisation takes place at the alveoli in the lungs and at the skeletal muscle. This has the effect of increasing the amount of oxygen that can be transferred to the working muscles as well as increasing the amount of carbon dioxide that can be removed.
Question
Give an example of a type of exercise that would produce cardiac hypertrophy.
Any endurance sport, such as long-distance running, long-distance swimming, or long-distance cycling.
Question
Explain how the long term effects of exercise on the respiratory system could be beneficial to a netballer.
Increased strength of intercostal muscles and diaphragm allow more air to be moved into and out of the lungs, making more oxygen available to the working muscles and removing carbon dioxide quickly. This means the netballer will be able to maintain her speed and endurance throughout the match. Tidal volume and minute ventilation are greater, again allowing more oxygen to be available to the muscles so the netballer will be able to keep running and jumping until the end of the game. The increased number of alveoli and capillaries means that a greater amount of oxygen and carbon dioxide can diffuse between the lungs and the blood. This delays fatigue so the netballer's muscles are able to work to pass and intercept the ball for longer without getting tired.