Enhancing Fitness: Effects

Hypertrophy - Enlargement of heart Ventricles size increase, allowing them to fill with more blood during diastolic phase of cardiac cycle Greater stroke volume Reduced resting HR(Bradycardia) Cardiac Hypertrophy: Enables trained heart to beat less frequently at rest ( Bradycardia) & during sub maximal exercise Increased activity of parasympathetic nerves slowing HR down Greater filling heart during diastolic phase of cardiac cycle & increased stroke volume Increased capillarisation of heart muscle - facilitates diffusion of oxygen into myocardium

Thickening of ventricle myocardium which increases force of heart contractions Increased stroke volume Improved contractility of heart Ejection fraction will increase (from 60% to 85%)

When endurance training, working muscles receive necessary oxygen & other nutrients to sustain workload & remove any waste products such lactic acid or CO2 Improved blood flow to muscles which results partly from cardiac adaptations like: Increased capillarisation of muscles - greater surface area for gaseous exchange Improvement in redistribution of blood supply (vasoconstriction & vasodilation) Increased blood volume making more blood & therefore more oxygen available to working muscle

Improved transport of respiratory gases Increase in number of RBCs & haemoglobin Less viscous blood, flows more freely Lower blood viscosity - less resistance to blood flow & improves supply of O2 to muscles Blood becomes more efficient at removing waste products such as CO2 & lactic acid (buffering) Resist blood pressure can be reduced

Lactate threshold increase is ultimate goal as well as: Hypertrophy of FT muscle fibres Increase in levels of ATP PC & enzymes break it down Increases buffering activity TYPE OF TRAINING MAY AFFECT MUSCULAR ADAPTATION

Endurance based exercise will cause changers in muscle cell, ST fibres grow by 20% which give greater room for mitochondria production Both size & number of mitochondria will increase Oxidate enzymes increase which break down food fuel Increase in stores of glycogen Increase in myoglobin - O2 transport Ultimately an increase in VO2 max can occur

Weight lost during physical activity is mainly water, due to sweating more; this is greater in hot environments. If athlete loses 2% of body weight as sweat, this can impair performance. 2% of body weight = 10% in performance, 5% = 25% of performance and 8% can be fatal for the athlete. Body tries to compensate; heart beats faster, putting body under greater stress

Dehydration could be caused by overheating, insufficient hydration or climatic conditions. More hydration will be needed in humid or hot climates. If athlete doesn’t replace lost water, core body temperature will rise which brings number of performance inhibitors. Blood becomes ‘thicker’ or more viscous which slows down flow to working muscles.

DIET: Quick ingestion of carbohydrates will speed up recovery Water will re-hydrate the body Electrolyte replenishment needed to aid metabolic process Protein needed to aid growth & repair of tissue damage PRIOR TO EVENT: Drink 400–600ml of fluid 2–3 hours prior & then 150–350ml about 15 mins before event Eat meal/snack, high in carbohydrate, 2–4 hours before DURING EVENT: Performers should ingest water, carbohydrate & electrolytes whenever possible. Ingest small amounts of range of carbohydrates with different glycaemic index ratings to maintain sustained level of blood sugar. POST EVENT: Electrolytic drink. Revert back to normal diet, with plenty of fluids.