Exercise Physiology For Dummies

[Elnora Heidrick]

Thisarticle describes the basic physiology of exercise. The focus of this article is mainly at a subspecialty level; however, more detailed descriptions of various basic mechanisms are also provided for the casual reader.

In general, the exercise-related measurements established for women follow the same general principles as those established for men, except for the quantitative differences caused by differences in body size, body composition, and levels of testosterone.

In women, the values of muscle strength, pulmonary ventilation, and cardiac output (all variables related with muscle mass) are generally 60-75% of the exercise physiology values recorded in men. When measured in terms of strength per square centimeter, the female muscle can achieve the same force of contraction as that of a male. [4, 5]

Through contraction, muscle provides motion of the body (skeletal muscle), motion of blood (cardiac muscle), and motion of hollow organs such as the uterus, esophagus, stomach, intestines, and bladder (smooth muscle).

Skeletal muscle consists of fibers (cells). [1, 2, 3] These cells are up to 100 m in diameter and often are as long as the muscle. Each contains sarcoplasm (cytoplasm) and multiple peripheral nuclei per fiber. Skeletal muscle is actually formed by the fusion of hundreds of embryonic cells. Other cell structures (see image below) include the following:

Transverse tubules (T tubules), which are extensions of the sarcolemma that penetrate cells, transmit electrical impulses from the sarcolemma inward, so electrical impulses penetrate deeply into the cell. Besides conducting electricity along their walls, T tubules contain extracellular fluid rich in glucose and oxygen.

Each fiber contains hundreds to thousands of rodlike myofibrils, which are bundles of thin and thick protein chains termed myofilaments. From a cross-sectional view of a myofibril, each thick filament is surrounded by a hexagonal array of 6 thin filaments. Each thin filament is surrounded by a triangular array of thick filaments.

Thick myofilaments consist of bundles of approximately 200 myosin molecules (see image below). Myosin molecules look like double-headed golf clubs (both heads at the same end). The heads of the golf clubs are called myosin heads; they are also called cross-bridges because they link thick and thin filaments during contraction. They contain actin and adenosine triphosphate (ATP) binding sites. Myosin heads project out from the thick filaments, allowing them to bind to the thin filaments during contraction.

Troponin is a polypeptide complex that binds to tropomyosin, helping to position it over the myosin-binding sites on actin. During muscle contraction, calcium binds troponin, which causes tropomyosin to roll off of the myosin binding sites on actin.

Deep fascia is a broad band of dense irregular connective tissue beneath and around muscle and organs. [1, 2, 3] Deep fascia is different from superficial fascia, which is loose areolar connective tissue.

Other connective-tissue components (all are extensions of deep fascia) include epimysium, which covers the entire muscle; perimysium, which penetrates into muscle and surrounds bundles of fibers called fascicles; and endomysium, which is delicate, barely visible, loose areolar tissue covering individual fibers (ie, individual cells).

Tendons and aponeuroses are tough extensions of epimysium, perimysium, and endomysium. Tendons and aponeuroses are made of dense regular connective tissue and attach the muscle to bone or other muscle. Aponeuroses are broad, flat tendons. Tendon sheaths contain synovial fluid and enclose certain tendons. Tendon sheaths allow tendons to slide back and forth next to each other with lower friction. Tenosynovitis is inflammation of the tendon sheaths and tendons, especially those of the wrists, shoulders, and elbows. Tendons are not contractile and not very stretchy; furthermore, they are not very vascular and they heal poorly.

Nerves convey impulses for muscular contraction. Nerves are bundles of nerve cell processes. Each nerve cell process (ie, axon) divides at its tip into a few to 10,000 branches called telodendria. At the end of each of these branches is an axon terminal that is rich in neurotransmitters.

Blood provides nutrients and oxygen for contraction. An artery and a vein usually accompany a nerve that penetrates skeletal muscle. Arteries in muscles dilate during active muscular activity, thus increasing the supply of oxygen and glucose.

A motor nerve is a bundle of axons that conducts nerve impulses away from the brain or spinal cord toward muscles. Each axon transmits an action potential (ie, nerve impulse), which is a burst of electricity. The nerve impulse travels along the axons at a steady rate, like fire travels along a fuse; however, nerve impulses travel extremely fast. Each axon has 4-2000 or more branches (ie, telodendria), with an average of 150 telodendria. Each separate branch supplies a separate muscle cell. Thus, if an axon has 10 branches, it supplies 10 muscle fibers. Small motor units are for fine control of muscles; large motor units are for muscles that do not require such fine control.

The neuromuscular junction is made of an axon terminal and the portion of the muscle fiber sarcolemma it nearly touches (called the motor endplate). The neurotransmitter released at the neuromuscular junction in skeletal muscle is ACh. The motor endplate is rich in thousands of ACh receptors; the receptors are integral proteins containing binding sites for ACh and sodium channels.

ACh binds to the ACh receptor on the sarcolemma. Succinylcholine, a drug used to induce paralysis during surgery, binds to ACh receptors more tightly than ACh. Succinylcholine initially causes some depolarization, but then it binds to the receptor, preventing ACh from binding. Therefore, it blocks the muscle's stimulation by ACh, causing paralysis. Another drug that acts in a similar fashion is curare. These drugs do not cause pain relief or unconsciousness; thus, they are combined with other drugs during surgery.

When ACh binds the receptor, it opens chemically regulated ion channels, which are sodium channels through the receptor molecule. Sodium, which is in high concentration outside cells and in low concentration inside cells, rushes into the cell through the channels.

The cell, whose resting membrane potential along the inside of the membrane is negative when compared with the outside of the membrane, becomes positively charged along the inside of the membrane when sodium (a positive ion) rushes in. This change from a negative charge to a positive charge along the inner membrane is termed depolarization.

The depolarization of one region of the sarcolemma (the motor endplate) initiates an action potential, which is a propagating wave of depolarization that travels (propagates) along the sarcolemma. Regions of membrane that become depolarized rapidly restore their proper ionic concentrations along their inner and outer surfaces in a process termed repolarization. (This process of depolarization, propagation, and repolarization is similar to dominoes that topple each other but also spring back into the upright position shortly afterward.)

An ATPase, which also functions as a myosin cross-bridging protein, splits ATP into adenosine diphosphate (ADP) + phosphate (P) in the previous contraction cycle. This energizes the myosin head. The energized myosin head, or cross-bridge, combines with myosin-binding sites on actin.

Power stroke occurs. The attachment of the energized cross-bridge triggers a pivoting motion (ie, power stroke) of the myosin head. During the power stroke, ADP and P are released from the myosin cross-bridge. The power stroke causes thin actin myofilaments to slide past thick myosin myofilaments toward the center of the A bands (see the following image).

Repeated detachment and reattachment of the cross-bridges results in shortening without much increase in tension during the shortening phase (isotonic contraction) or results in increased tension without shortening (isometric contraction).

Release of the enzyme acetylcholinesterase in the neuromuscular junction destroys ACh and stops the generation of a muscle action potential. Calcium is taken back up (resequestered) in the sarcoplasmic reticulum, and myosin cross-bridges separate. ATP is required to separate myosin-actin cross-bridges. The muscle fiber resumes its resting state.

The chemical energy that fuels muscular activities is ATP. [1, 2, 3] For the first 5 or 6 seconds of muscle power, muscular activity can depend on the ATP that is already present in the muscle cells. Beyond this time, new amounts of ATP must be formed to enable the activation of muscular contractions that are needed to support longer and more vigorous physical activities.

The complete breakdown of glucose occurs in 2 ways: through anaerobic respiration (does not use oxygen) and through aerobic respiration (occurs in the presence of oxygen). The anaerobic use of glucose to form ATP occurs as the body increases its muscle use beyond the capability of the phosphagen system to supply energy. In particular, the glycogen lactic acid system, through its anaerobic breakdown of glucose, provides approximately 30-40 seconds more of maximal muscle activity. For this system, each glucose molecule is split into 2 pyruvic acid molecules, and energy is released to form several ATP molecules, providing the extra energy. Then, the pyruvic acid partially breaks down further to produce lactic acid. If the lactic acid is allowed to accumulate in the muscle, one experiences muscle fatigue. At this point, the aerobic system must activate.

The aerobic system in the body is used for sports that require an extensive and enduring expenditure of energy, such as a marathon race. Endurance sports absolutely require aerobic energy. A large amount of ATP must be provided to muscles to sustain the muscle power needed to perform such events without an excessive production of lactic acid. This can only be accomplished when oxygen in the body is used to break down the pyruvic acid (that was produced anaerobically) into carbon dioxide, water, and energy by way of a very complex series of reactions known as the citric acid cycle. This cycle supports muscle usage for as long as the nutrients in the body last.

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