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Heart Rate Response to Exercise

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Orane Cassanova
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33 views3 pages

Heart Rate Response to Exercise

Uploaded by

Orane Cassanova
Copyright
© All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

Experiment #: 10

Date: January 19, 2023

Topic: Circulatory System

Aim: To find the effects exercise has on the circulatory system.

Apparatus: stopwatch, student participant.

Procedure:

1. The pulse rate of a student at rest was taken.

2. The pulse rate of that student immediately after 5 minutes of strenuous exercise was

taken every minute until the pulse rate returned to normal.

3. The results were recorded in a table and a graph of pulse rate against time was plotted.

Results:

Initial Pulse Rate: 54 beats per minute

TABLE SHOWING THE PULSE RATE OF A STUDENT IN EACH MINUTE FOR 10 MINUTES

Minutes Pulse rate/beats min-1 Minutes Pulse rate/beats min-1

1st 127 6th 69

2nd 95 7th 63

3rd 82 8th 57

4th 79 9th 56

5th 75 10th 52
Discussion:

In this experiment the effects of exercise on the circulatory system was investigated.

Aerobic exercise can have various short-term effects on the body. One such effect is increasing

one’s heart rate. The heart rate/pulse rate refers to the number of times the heart beats per minute.

Before exercise the brain sends nerve impulses along a sympathetic nerve to the sinoatrial node

(SAN) stimulating it to contract at a faster rate. Once exercise begins, and the muscles are

respiring at a faster rate, cardiac output is further increased causing an increase in the heart/pulse

rate.

On the graph there is a sharp ascended line from the initial pulse rate of 54 bpm to 127

bpm immediately after the first minute of exercise. As time elapses the heart rate becomes

progressively less until it reached a pulse rate of 52 bpm. This is indicated by the graph’s

subsequent descension as it passes through the points.

From the results obtained in the table, it can be observed that the pulse rate immediately

after strenuous exercise in the 1st minute records the highest rate of 127 bpm. This is because

during the strenuous exercise enough oxygen was not being supplied to the muscles fast enough

which caused them to depend on anaerobic respiration. The maximum rate at which oxygen is

used, before the muscles have to make the switch, is called VO2 max. The production of lactate

(lactic acid) occurs which causes the muscles to cease functioning. This build-up of lactic acid is

the reason for oxygen debt. Oxygen debt is a temporary oxygen shortage in the body tissues

arising from vigorous exercise. The circulatory system responds by increasing the heart rate to

ensure an adequate supply of oxygen and removal of carbon dioxide.

Moreover, by increasing heart rate the following physiological effects will occur:
1. There will be an increase in the number of red blood cells. This increases the ability of

the blood to carry oxygen.

2. There will be an increase in the size of the heart muscle, especially in the walls of the left

ventricle. This increases the force with which the muscle can contract and force blood out

of the heart.

3. There will be an increase in stroke volume i.e., the volume of blood that is forced out of

the heart with each beat.

4. There will be an increase in cardiac efficiency i.e., the work output that the heart

produces for each unit of oxygen that it uses.

After the pulse rate of 127 bpm there was a continual decrease until the pulse rate finally

dropped to 52 bpm which resembled the initial pulse rate at rest of 54 bpm. This because as the

student stopped exercising for a while there was a recovery of oxygen. This is known as the

heart rate recovery period i.e., the time taken for the heart rate to return to normal after exercise–

decreases with training. Furthermore, as the student breathed he/she obtained oxygen and

expelled carbon dioxide causing the removal of lactic acid.

Conclusion: The effect of exercise on the circulatory system was investigated. From this

experiment it can be concluded that vigorous exercise produces an increase in heart rate.

Limitations:

1. External factors other than exercise such as medication or drugs may have caused

irregularities in the pulse rates obtained.

2. The student may have an unknown heart condition which could have caused incorrect

pulse rates.

Common questions

Powered by AI

Heart rate recovery time demonstrates the body's adaptability to exercise by showing how quickly the heart rate returns to normal after exertion ceases . This period decreases with training, indicating improved cardiovascular efficiency and the body's enhanced ability to meet oxygen demands and clear out byproducts like lactic acid more effectively .

During strenuous exercise, the heart rate increases significantly as the body needs to supply more oxygen to the muscles. This is due to nerve impulses from the brain stimulating the sinoatrial node to contract at a faster rate . Physiological changes include an increase in the size of the heart muscle, especially in the left ventricle, which enhances the heart's contraction force; an increase in the number of red blood cells, improving oxygen carrying capacity; an increase in stroke volume, which is the volume of blood ejected from the heart with each beat; and overall improved cardiac efficiency .

The experiment measured the impact of exercise on heart rate by recording a student's pulse rate at rest and after 5 minutes of strenuous exercise, continuing to record it every minute until it returned to normal . Key findings include the highest pulse rate of 127 bpm immediately after exercise, indicating the heart's increased activity to meet oxygen demands. Over time, the heart rate decreased gradually to a resting rate, demonstrating the recovery period post-exercise .

The experiment identifies external factors such as medication or drugs that may cause irregularities in pulse rates, and the possibility of the student having an unknown heart condition affecting the pulse measurement . These limitations highlight potential sources of error or variation in the study's results.

The experimental procedures involved measuring the student's pulse at rest, followed by measurements immediately after 5 minutes of exercise and every subsequent minute until the heart rate returned to resting levels . Recording results in a table and plotting a graph of pulse rate against time ensured the visual and analytical accuracy of the pulse rate changes over the experiment duration.

Training affects the heart rate recovery period after exercise by shortening the time it takes for the heart rate to return to its resting state . Regular training enhances cardiovascular efficiency, improves muscle oxygenation, and accelerates the removal of carbon dioxide and lactic acid, thereby reducing the recovery duration .

During strenuous exercise, muscles switch to anaerobic respiration because they are unable to receive sufficient oxygen to meet their energy demands through aerobic pathways . The consequence of this switch is the production of lactic acid, which can lead to muscle fatigue and the phenomenon known as oxygen debt. This accumulates when there's a temporary shortage of oxygen in the body tissues .

Lactic acid production during exercise is significant as it marks the reliance on anaerobic respiration when muscles cannot be supplied with oxygen quickly enough . Its accumulation leads to muscle fatigue and reflects an oxygen debt that requires post-exercise recovery where oxygen intake is increased to metabolize and eliminate lactic acid from the muscles .

An increase in stroke volume is beneficial during physical activity because it allows more blood, and therefore more oxygen, to be delivered to muscles with each heartbeat . This enhances performance by improving the efficiency of oxygen delivery to meet the higher metabolic demands of exercise, thus supporting sustained physical activity.

VO2 max is described as the maximum rate at which oxygen is used by the body during intense exercise, before muscles need to switch from aerobic to anaerobic respiration . It plays a crucial role in exercise performance as higher VO2 max allows for better endurance and effective oxygen usage, delaying the onset of anaerobic respiration which results in lactic acid production .

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