Chapter 11

Chronic
Adaptations

What are Chronic

Adaptations?
Chronic adaptations describe the long term responses

that occur due to training.

That is, it refers to the responses that can be seen not
during the training session or performance itself (acute
responses) but rather after extended training.
Are specific to the training undertaken and the system
where the change is occurring.
Occurs in the cardiovascular, respiratory and muscular
systems.
The main skill you need to learn is how these

adaptations lead to an improved performance.

Chronic adaptations due

to aerobic training
Cardiovascular (Heart, blood vessels(arteries,
veins and capillaries) and the blood)
Respiratory (Lungs)
Muscular

How do Chronic Adaptations

of the Aerobic system lead to
an improved performance?
Aerobic adaptations enhance the ability of the aerobic energy
system, it should also be noted that these changes can also
improve the ability of the athlete to improve anaerobically as
the aerobic pathway is important in replenishing both of the
anaerobic systems.
Aerobic adaptations enhance the usage of oxygen and
removal of waste products.
Respiratory- increase lungs ability to extract oxygen from the
air that we breathe.
Cardiovascular- enhance oxygen delivery to muscles
Muscular more efficient aerobic metabolism.

What does this mean to

performance?
Increased VO2max which means we can work at higher
intensity aerobically.
Increased LIP which means we can remove lactate more
efficiently and so work at a higher intensity before byproducts build up in our muscles.
Important to note these are not chronic adaptations but
improvements due to chronic adaptations occurring, the
chronic adaptations are..

CV ADAPTATIONS
The Heart
Increase in size via increased left ventricle size
which increases SV and as a result Q
At rest, Q remains same due to a decreased
resting HR but SV increased to compensate

The effect of an increased SV has an impact at

rest and exercise.

Increased SV allows for a more forceful
contraction of the heart which is aided by slight
increase in thickness of the left ventricular wall
At submax exercise, Q is unchanged due to the
increased SV and decreased HR(bradycardia)
the heart doesnt need to beat as it has become
more efficient.

Reduced cardiac and arterial stiffness

Increased diastolic filling time (relaxation

phase of heart beat)

Increased cardiac contractility(systole-

contraction phase)
What do these changes do to performance???

Three friends went on a fishing trip a weight

lifter, a triathlete and an accountant.

Unfortunately their boat capsized and they
perished. When their bodies were recovered
autopsies were conducted and their hearts
compared:

Blood Vessels
Increased capillarisation to the heart allowing
more O2 to get to the heart
muscle(myocardium)
Increased capillarisation/capillary density to
skeletal muscles
The larger the muscle fibre the greater number
of capillaries surrounding it and also affected by
muscle fibre type
Redistribution of blood flow at rest and sub max
to working muscles is decreased due to
increased efficiency.
Reduction in low density lipoproteins(LDLs) and
increase in high density lipoproteins(HDLs).
LDLs carry cholesterol to artery walls and
deposit plaque which hinders blood flow.

Blood
Increases plasma volume and RBC count thus

increasing overall blood volume, this increase

helps to increase SV.
Haemoglobin levels also increases but no
increase in concentration.
BP decreases at rest and submax exercise at
max intensity its not affected. Systolic BP
exhibits the greatest change.
Blood lactate levels decrease which means
that LIP.....is delayed so we can work longer and
harder before lactate accumulation meaning
we rely less on the anaerobic systems.

EG: LIP occurs now at 91%max HR rather than 85% so the aerobic system dominates until we hit the
91% max HR mark.

RESPIRATORY
ADAPTATIONS

Structural Adaptations
At rest all lung volumes (bar Tidal Vol) increase
with aerobic training.

Increased diffusion at a pulmonary level at rest,

and all intensity exercises.

Due to - increased alveolar-capillary surface area

Functional Changes
Increased ventilatory efficiency
At submax, trained people have a lower
ventilation (vent = TV x RR) Due to increased
efficiency
Ventilation at max intensity will increase with
training as TV is larger.
VO2 stays same at rest if not a little lower we
still need the same amount of O2 but we are
more efficient at delivering it eg SV increases.
Aerobic training leads to an increased VO2max.

VO2 max increases by between 5-20%.

VO2 max = SV x HR x a-vO2 diff
Increases due to increase in O2 delivery, increased
ability to extract O2, increased ability to transport
O2.

MUSCULAR ADAPTATIONS
Muscle Structure
Aerobic training will impact on both fast and
slow twitch fibres

Slow twitch fibres aerobic capacity is maximised

whilst the fast twitch fibres arent converted but
they are trained to maximise their aerobic potential.

Slow twitch fibres will increase in size due to

increased capillarisation.

A-VO2 difference
Aerobic training leads to more O2 being
extracted from the blood by the muscles the
a-vO2 diff
This is assisted by the increase in slow twitch
size/ capillarisation more O2 and CO2 can
diffuse in and out of the fibres.

Myoglobin & Mitochondria

Myoglobin levels increase allowing more O2 be
extracted from the blood vessels and taken to
the mitochondria.
Increased mitochondrial density assists with
providing more work sites for the aerobic
system to create ATP.
More and bigger mitochondria allow the aerobic
system to dominate for longer, delaying lactate
accumulation and LIP.

Oxidation of Fats
Aerobic training
encourages the body
to utilise fats (FFA)
rather than CHO for
exercise we conserve
the CHO stores.
Increased fats reliance
due to:
Muscle triglyceride
stores
Increase in FFA
Increase in oxidative
enzymes

Oxidation of CHO
The body becomes more efficient at oxidising
CHO but the body still prefers using fats instead

Increased fuel stores, enzymes and mitochondria

OTHER CHANGES...

CHRONIC ADAPTATIONS DUE

TO ANAEROBIC TRAINING

CV RESPONSES
Muscle hypertrophy the thickness of the

ventricle walls increases but the size of the

ventricle chambers does not. Allows for a
harder/forceful contraction.
Assists with decreasing BP at rest and submax

MUSCULAR ADAPTATIONS
Increased ATP stores at the muscle
Increases in fuel stores (PC, CHO) allows for

improved performances in high intensity

activities
Increase in enzymes
Increased tolerance to by-products can
tolerate higher levels before fatiguing

MUSCULAR ADATPATIONS TO
RESISTANCE/WEIGHT TRAINING
If you stress a muscle (eg make it lift weight)

it will adapt by increasing in size to improve

its function. The opposite happens too dont
use it you lose it.
Allows for major increases in size and strength
of muscle

Neural adaptations
Increased motor unit recruitment more groups
of fibres are recruited to assist in lifting the
load.
Weight training also assists in recruiting high
threshold units large motor units (usually
anaerobic in nature) are recruited last usually.
Resistance training encourages these big
helpers to be called on earlier.
Theres an increase in the strength and the
duration of the muscle contraction.
Neural firing rates increase especially in fast
twitch fibres meaning they react faster and
more forcefully in fast movements eg vball
spike

Hypertrophy
The muscle fibres increase in size due to:
Increase in size and number of myofibrils
Increased contractile proteins
Increased size and strength of tendons and
ligaments

Type 2B have the greatest increase in size

Larger muscle fibres are able to store more

fuels (ATP, PC and CHO) assisting even more in

performance.
Tendons and ligaments thicken to assist with
improving joint structure making joint more
stable and better at generating force.

REVIEW QUESTIONS
Multi Choice Q1&2
Short Answer Q3-6