Before she started the training programme, Mary Ann had a normal VO2max for her
gender and age. Her resting heart rate was 26 beats/20 secs. Her body was in
homeostasis.
Below I will outline the physiological mechanisms and training adaptations involved
with this significant increase by associating VO2 Max with the various components of
the Fick equation.
Her training program tends to respond (in short-term) and adapt (in long-term) under
stress in order to achieve a new homeostatic state. Under progressive overload, it will
improve measurable VO2 Max results. The specificity principle says that “Only
stimulated systems or muscles adapt” so the program was designed to overload Ann’s
body. As she has been training for 6 months, her body adapted to the stress and her
cardiovascular system and the consistency of the workouts led to an increase in her
VO2max.
According to the principle of individuality, the improvement varies greatly from
person to person. Which means if another 27-year-old sedentary female with the same
VO2max follows the same training regime will most likely have different results.
It is important to say if Ann stops the workouts, according to the principle of
reversibility, her VO2max levels will be back to the ones before the training program.
VO2 max refers to the maximum amount of oxygen you can utilize during exercise. It
is measured in milliliters of oxygen consumed in one minute, per kilogram of body
weight (mL/kg/min). It reflects the adaptation to training, especially endurance
overload. Ann’s higher VO2max levels mean she can train for longer periods and not
getting tired when executing her daily tasks.
Therefore, by calculating the various components of the Fick Equation, we can
determine Mary-Anne’s potential VO2 Max.
VO2max = Cardiac Output x (a-v)O2 difference
Cardiac Output = Stroke Volume x Heart Rate (HR)
The definition of stroke volume is the volume of blood pumped out of the left
ventricle of the heart during each systolic cardiac contraction. The stroke
volumes for each ventricle are generally equal, both being approximately 70 mL
in a healthy 70-kg man. But this value is likely to increase in trained people. High
VO2max implies a healthy and big heart.
Heart rate (HR) is usually defined as the number of heart beats per minute. A normal
resting heart rate for adults ranges from 60 to 100 beats per minute. The
maximum HR does not increase with training, decreases with age and, during a given
exercise or rest, it is lower for trained people. So, since the HR does not increase, an
increase in maximum cardiac output reflects an increase in stroke volume.
The arteriovenous oxygen difference or (a-v)O2 difference is a measure of the
amount of oxygen taken up from the blood by the tissues. The greater the
amount of oxygen extracted by the tissues, the greater the (a-v)O2 difference.
Cardiac output and (a-v)O2 difference are the two factors that determine the
overall oxygen uptake. It should be high (for high VO2max) and it measures the
amount of O2 absorbed by mitochondria, within cells. The arterial O2 concentration is
affected by the lungs' ability to transfer O2 from the air to the blood. A high VO2max
implies efficient and big lungs. More hemoglobin (red blood cells) in blood also helps
absorbing more 02 and training in altitude (less O2 available) is meant to increase
hemoglobin.
The more O2 is absorbed, the more energy (ATP) is needed and consumed. The ATP
storage in the muscles is very low so the body demands more production of ATP.
Therefore the body develops the ability to produce more ATP. More ATP production
requires more O2 and implies more and bigger mitochondria (situated in muscles type
I) to produce and store enough ATP.
ATP can be produced without oxygen from carbohydrates, but much less ATP is
produced compared to the aerobic way. This is why we get tired quickly during an
extreme effort (or vigorous intensity exercises). There are also fewer mitochondria
and capillaries in fast muscles type II.
The aerobic way is much more efficient but slower at producing ATP, so it is the
preferred way for moderate intensity exercises. Another characteristic is it also uses
fats, which is an excellent energy source, as shown below.
Glucose (sugars) + 602-> 30 ATP + 6CO2 + 6H2O
Palmite (fats) + 23 02 -> 108 ATP + 16 CO2
All these adaptations (on the heart, lungs, arteries, capillaries, mitochondria and blood
management) happened in Mary Ann's body as a consequence of her endurance
training allowing this increase in VO2max from 38 to 52 ml/kg/min.
