Task Body systems – adaptations (100 per cent, 1000 words)
The body responds and adapts to the type of lifestyle and physical activity in which individuals participate. The case study below shows the lifestyle and physical activity for a male teacher, Shaun. Read the case study and then respond to the task below.
Shaun
Shaun is a 35-year-old Maths teacher at a comprehensive school. Shaun used to be a keen footballer and wants to start playing five-a-side football after a long period of inactivity. Shaun is out of condition and he realises he is not fit enough for the demands of football so he joined a gym with a fellow teacher and started training. For the past three months, he has been training four times a week to improve his cardiovascular fitness and his muscular strength and endurance.
A typical training week looks like this:
Monday – weight training for 45 minutes
Tuesday – running (30-minute run)
Thursday – weight training for 45 minutes
Saturday – circuit training class.
Weight training
Shaun does a session of ten exercises that cover all the muscle groups of the body. He started off doing two sets of 20 repetitions for the first month, then in the second month he progressed to two sets of 15 repetitions with a higher resistance and in the third month he progressed again to three sets of 12 repetitions with a higher resistance.
Running
Shaun does one session of steady-state running for 30 minutes on the treadmill and measures how far he runs for each session. He has progressed from covering 4000 metres in his first sessions to covering over 5000 metres a session.
Circuit training
This consists of three circuits of 12 stations where he does 30 seconds work followed by 30 seconds rest.
Task
Explain six chronic (long-term) adaptations that you would expect to see in the muscular and the cardiorespiratory system as a response to Shaun’s three months of increased training.
Guidance notes for Task
•Your answer must include adaptations to the muscular and cardiorespiratory systems.
•In your answer, you must explain why these adaptations are occurring and the physiological processes that produce them.
•In completing this task, you may find it useful to refer to Sections 2.9, 3.8 and 4.11 of the Study Guide.
•You should note that the question is asking you to explain the chronic (long-term) effects of exercise on the body systems and not the acute (short-term) effects.
•Your answer should apply specifically to the case study of Shaun.
•In writing your answer, it is best to avoid the overuse of bullet points.
