Exercise physiology: principles and applications

Exercise Physiology

The paper discusses five articles related to exercise physiology. Within these articles, a number of topics are comprised, including: exercise in extreme environments, optimizing performance in sport, gender and age as they relate to exercising, fatigue during exercise and health. These topics will be examined as per the points-of-view presented in the articles below.

Icy Climb to the Sky in Summery Yosemite by Bill Becher (Source: )

This first article discusses the topic of exercise in extreme conditions. Here, the extreme conditions are cold, snow and ice, and the exercise is ice climbing in Yosemite National Park. The article begins by describing the conditions with which one must put up in this extreme sport, which include frigid temperatures and, sometimes, superhuman strength, as one dangles hundreds of feet, even thousands, above the ground. The article, however, relishes in this latter facet, and even applauds those who undertake such extreme forms of exercise. The author, in fact, with two guides by his side, succeeds in climbing and reaching the summit of Mount Dana which is, as he says "13,057 feet [and] the second-tallest peak in Yosemite after Mount Lyell."

One of the main things to learn from this article is the sheer strength, both mental and physical, that one must have in order to undertake such challenges. The author describes that, in addition to hoisting oneself up the mountain, a person would also have to carry a few important, even vital, objects, which included, in this case: ropes, ice screws, helmets, and climbing harnesses. The reason for this article, however, was not necessarily to expose this type of exercise, though the author does focus upon it at the beginning, but rather to evidence the changing conditions faced by the beautiful mountain presented, and by Yosemite Park. These glaciers, still so magnificent, are melting quickly, and it may become a reality, sooner than we think, that nobody will ever be able to climb them again. This, then, is the more important lesson offered by the article.

Article 2: Methods of Training in Sport-Ways of Optimizing Performance by Van Wood (Source: )

The second article chosen for this purpose examines ways to optimize exercising performance. The article begins by illustrating five methods through which to think about exercising: need of the objective (what a sport encompasses), stable progression (having a plan), frequency of exercise, intensity of exercise and variety in exercise. The article stresses that warm-ups are important, but even more important for higher performance are 'warm-downs,' a technique that has become more prevalent in sports such as golf, for instance, and which encompasses hours at the gym after practice in order to keep in shape.

In fact, staying in shape is one of the main points this article makes, and its main lesson. Wood stresses that today's athletes, especially those who achieve high performance within their respective seasons are anything but lazy and continue exercising, or at least keeping up a minimal routine at the gym long after the season is over. Constant exercise is, thus, very important in optimizing one's performance. This is because this type of continuality allows a person to have a certain state of mind, and as the author here states, mental training is also very important to optimize one's performance.

Article 3: The Influence of Age, Gender, and Training on Exercise Efficiency by J. Susie Woo, Christina Derleth, John R. Stratton, and Wayne C. Levy (Source: )

The third piece speaks about the differences between men and women, as well as young and old invidiously when it comes to exercising. This study, conducted by four doctors at the University of Washington, begins by offering a five-piece summary of a few hundred pages study, which was very enlightening. This summary presents the following topics, in this order:

1. Objective/Aim of the Study: According to the authors, the aim of this study was "to determine whether changes in oxygen efficiency occur with aging or exercise training in healthy young and older subjects."

2. Background for the Study: Here, the authors sought to see whether "capacity [to exercise] declines with age and improves with exercise training," as well as "whether changes in oxygen efficiency, defined as the oxygen cost per unit work, contribute […] to the effects of aging or training […]."

3. Methods Employed in the Study: The method utilized by authors consisted of a sample of 61 subjects that were separated into the following groups: younger women (ages 20 to 33 years, n = 15), younger men (ages 20 to 30 years, n = 12), older women (ages 65 to 79 years, n = 16), and older men (ages 65 to 77 years, n = 18). According to the authors, "all subjects underwent cardiopulmonary exercise testing to analyze aerobic parameters before and after three to six months of supervised aerobic exercise training."

The most interesting thing to learn from the study is found in the fourth and fifth pieces of data, which are the results and the conclusions, respectively. These are as follows:

4. Results: The study found that before training, younger subjects had a higher exercise capacity and were able to take a higher intensity. However, with training, it was older subjects that displayed these characteristics, much to the amazement of the researchers.

5. Conclusions: Due to these incredible results, it was concluded that older age "[…] is associated with […] decreased exercise efficiency and an increase in the oxygen cost of exercise, which contribute to a decreased exercise capacity. These age-related changes are reversed with exercise training, which improves efficiency to a greater degree in the elderly than in the young."

Article 4: Fatigue during Exercise by Linda Ray (Source: )

The fourth article describes how fatigue can affect exercise. The article takes the form of a counselling piece, separated into five parts, all of which offer advice to the reader in that which regards exercise, which is how the reader learns about combating fatigue while exercising. Thus, the article teaches with every line. It begins, for instance, by explaining that while a person may feel fatigue during the first half of the exercise period, this may dissipate as he or she continues the exercise. Furthermore, the advice given by the article is to eat properly, know one's body and never push it to the brink, and be aware of potential medical concerns that may arise as a result of the exercise. This is all great advice to exercise not only often, and increase performance, but do so in a gradual and healthy way.