Exercise Physiology

Catalog description

The discipline of exercise physiology provides a frame of reference for the scientific evaluation of the limits of human performance across a wide spectrum of individual differences. The principle of specificity and its effects on the physiological response to exercise, conditioning and training programs is assessed in individuals with reference to age, gender and level of physical fitness. Exercising for general fitness to improve health and wellness is differentiated from training for physiological capabilities to improve physical performance in specific sports or activities. Special attention is given to exercise and sports related injuries, and the assessment of the physiological response to rehabilitation exercise. In addition, the physiological consequences of inactivity, detraining, and immobilization are evaluated. Emphasis is placed on the evaluation of health-related fitness goals, especially the effects of aerobic training and conditioning on endurance performance and cardiovascular health. Since humans require energy for all forms of biological work including exercise, the study of exercise physiology logically begins with an analysis of the holistic view of the energy cycle from photosynthesis to cellular respiration. Such an analysis includes evaluation of energy sources, energy production, energy transformation and energy utilization in humans during the full spectrum of physical exercise. Assuming knowledge of the functional capacities of major physiological systems that are important to exercise, emphasis is placed on the evaluation of the metabolic, respiratory, circulatory, endocrine and muscular response to sub-maximum work and near maximal exercise where human physiological adaptations are stressed to their limits. DPTN 412 concludes with the study and analysis of training principles, and the physiological adaptation to specific training and…