Your muscles need oxygen to produce energy in a process called cellular respiration. The energy is used to fuel muscle contractions. Exercise increases your muscles' need for energy and thus more oxygen is delivered to your muscles. Once oxygen is...
Hemoglobin is the oxygen-carrying protein. Hemoglobin actually exists in red blood cells, or RBCs, and is responsible for the color of the cells. When the hemoglobin is carrying oxygen, it turns bright red. When it is not carrying oxygen, it turns...
Exercising muscles requires oxygen and nutrients in order to release the energy required to support strenuous physical activity. Referred to as the VO2-max, or maximum volume of oxygen consumed, the maximum increase in oxygen delivery to your...
The knee is a complex joint connecting the upper leg to the lower leg, allowing the necessary flexion and twisting needed in walking, running, sitting and performing many different athletic activities. Stretching the back of your knee helps...
Muscles create energy by converting oxygen and a substance called ATP into a usable form of energy. As this energy is being created, metabolic waste is also being created. Blood carries the oxygen to the muscles and then removes the metabolic...
Your muscles need lots of energy to contract during a workout. Energy-containing molecules like glucose and fats are a key source of energy for your muscles. Breakdown of these molecules will release energy that is stored in a molecule called ATP....
When you exercise, your body has to work harder in order to pump oxygen to your muscles for better performance. This, in turn, conditions your cardiorespiratory function so that it works at peak performance. As your body delivers blood and oxygen...
Stamina is your ability to expend energy for an extended period of time. Also referred to as endurance, stamina is an important component of overall fitness, much like strength and flexibility. When your stamina is high, you will be capable of...
When you start running, your muscles use energy stored in the form of adenosine triphosphate, or ATP. But these energy stores deplete quickly. The most efficient way of replacing ATP requires oxygen, so you'll start to breathe faster to compensate...
As your body responds to stress--be it exercise, fear, excitement or other factors--it begins a chain reaction that helps you physiologically cope with the situation at hand. You will notice that as your heart rate rises, your respiration rate...
Any time you move you must utilize the muscles of your limbs and trunk, called the skeletal muscles. These muscles require increased oxygen during use, so your heart needs to pump faster in order to deliver more oxygen through your arteries to...
Muscles--the fleshy, fibrous component of your musculoskeletal system--are filled with blood vessels that carry oxygen to your muscles and carry waste away from them. Muscles also contain nerves that communicate with your brain, allowing your...
Anytime you participate in physical activities, your heart rate increases above your resting rate. Muscle activity creates an increased demand for oxygen and your body meets the demand by speeding up your heart to increase the circulation of...
Lactic acid is a byproduct your body creates when it uses up your oxygen reserves and doesn't fully break down the glucose it uses for energy due to a temporary lack of oxygen in your muscles. Although both aerobic exercises, like jogging, and...
Athletes have used altitude training to improve their sports performance for many years. High altitudes have a lower level of oxygen in the atmosphere, and with repeated training, the body can acclimate itself to using less oxygen. As the muscles,...
Many people want to lose their stomach pooch, but find that it is difficult without some guidance. Begin an exercise program that includes a combination of cardio exercise and strength training that targets the abdominal area to help lose weight...
Losing your stomach flab takes hard work with an aerobic exercise program and abdominal strength training. According to MayoClinic.com, walking is a good exercise to burn calories and help melt away extra stomach flab. Walking is a low-impact...
Feeling the burn while exercising is another way to describe the chemical reaction that occurs in your muscles when they exercise in the absence of oxygen. There are a number of factors that contribute to the oxygen in your muscles, so it is not...
Watching your heart rate or breathing rate are reliable ways to monitor your exercise intensity. Rating your perceived exertion (RPE) based on your breathing requires no equipment; a simple “talk test” can tell you how hard...
The process of breathing allows oxygen to enter the bloodstream to fuel most every tissue, system and structure in the human body. Muscles are tissue that benefit from this oxygen. Because the body doesn't have the ability to store oxygen, the...
Endurance is a major player in overall physical fitness. There are two main types of endurance: cardiovascular and muscular. Cardiovascular endurance is the ability of the heart to supply oxygen to the muscles during prolonged exercise. Muscular...
Jogging is an excellent way to get in shape. Like other cardiovascular activities, jogging raises your heart rate and pumps oxygen to your muscles. Even jogging at a slow pace burns enough calories to promote weight loss. As you attain...
Your body requires a combination of aerobic and anaerobic exercises for optimum health. Aerobic and anaerobic are two types of energy your body uses during exercise. These two energy systems provide different, but equally important physical...
High-endurance activities for runners, such as marathons, require not just a great training program but a carefully devised diet plan. As a runner, you need to ensure that your body is getting all of its nutrients, and that it is properly fueled...
You've been familiar with the phenomenon since you first played tag on your elementary school playground. If you exercise, your heart will start beating faster. It will continue beating faster as long as you exert yourself, and for a few minutes...
Breathing increases during exercise because of intensified energy demands placed upon the body. The cardiovascular, respiratory and muscular systems work together to keep up with these energy demands. When an individual is in shape, his lungs,...
Your heart rate decreases during exercise when your cardiovascular system can steadily supply your muscles with sufficient amounts of oxygen to fuel your training. When you first start exercising, you are in a state of "oxygen deficit," or you are...
Personal trainers sometimes recommend having a coffee before a workout to give you an energy boost, so you may wonder whether nicotine can also help your lifts. The effect that nicotine has on your weightlifting routine depends on how you take...
Whether running a marathon or running around a track as part of your weekly exercise routine, sometimes not all the effects of running are positive. Pains such as side-stitch are common, especially if you are new to running or if you are suffering...
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