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Core 2: Factors affecting performance
How does the body respond to aerobic training?
Physiological adaptations to aerobic training
When an athlete begins to undertake regular aerobic training the body begins to adapt physically to the demands placed upon it. This makes the body more efficient and capable of more work. To explore these adaptations further, click on the appropriate heading below.
Resting heart rate is the minimum number of beats required by the heart to provide for the basic needs of the body at rest.
Stroke volume is the amount of blood pumped out of the heart during each contraction.
Cardiac output is the amount of blood pumped out of the heart each minute.
Oxygen uptake is the amount of oxygen that enters the body in a minute.
Ventilation rates is the total amount of air passing in and out of the lungs within a minute.
Blood pressure (BP) consists of two components, systolic and diastolic.
- Systolic BP is the pressure within the arteries during ventricular contraction.
- Diastolic BP is the pressure within the arteries during ventricular filling.
Lung capacity and haemoglobin level are not covered in detail in this section. Training will increase lung capacity only slightly, whilst haemoglobin levels are largely determined by genetic factors. That is, the number of slow or fast twitch fibres which the individual has is determined at birth and cannot be changed to any large extent through training. It is known that athletes with slow-twitch muscles tend to have higher levels of haemoglobin and can therefore absorb higher amounts of oxygen.
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