Unit 4: The Sports Performer in Action

Unit introduction 

A month ago you could barely run two miles; your heart would be racing and your
leg muscles would be sore. Now, after running four times a week, a three-mile run is
no sweat. So what's going on inside your body?

Anyone who has exercised regularly has experienced the thrill of improving. We
improve because we train. But how exactly does your body adapt to training? In what
way do your muscles change? What happens to your heart? Why doesn't it beat as
fast when you're ‘in shape’?

When a person exercises regularly, the body undergoes several short-term effects,
such as increased breathing and heart rate. However, as their training progresses
they’ll start to notice that the short-term effects first observed change and they
develop different long-term adaptations, such as a slower heart rate than before and
a more controlled and easier breathing rate when they exercise. But why do these
changes take place? What causes the change in physiological responses over a period
of time? This unit will look at the training effects that occur when a person regularly
participates in sport and physical activity over a given period of time.

For learning aim A, you’ll look at the musculoskeletal and cardiorespiratory systems
and how they function normally (before a training programme, taking part in
exercise/sport regularly) and how they can function as a result of taking part in
training/exercise/sport over a length of time.

For learning aim B, you’ll look at the energy systems for different sporting activities.
So, if a performer needs energy quickly, they’ll rely on energy already stored within
the body. For a longer-term period of sport or exercise the body struggles to store a
lot of energy, but it can make energy from resources inside and outside the body. By
understanding how your body works and how it can be trained, as a sports performer
or as a coach, you can help to make the necessary adaptations in order to produce
improved sports performance.

Knowledge of the physiology of the body is useful for many careers in sport including
roles in the fitness industry, which involve giving advice on training and lifestyle to
clients.

Watch the prezi below to learn a little about the short term effects of exercise on the musculoskeletal system (the muscles, bones and joints)