1. Oxygen Transport System

2.  Main aim of the system is to help you exercise.  As you increase your oxygen intake during exercise you can participate and train in more demanding ways.  The respiratory and circulatory systems work together to provide muscles with oxygen. This allows you to exercise.

3.  In groups what four important parts of the body play an important part in the oxygen transport system?  Lungs  Heart  Blood  Muscles

4. The oxygen transport system is made up of two systems: 1. The respiratory system 2. The circulatory system

5.  The respiratory system enables air to be inhaled.  This system allows your circulatory system to work effectively.  When you breathe in, oxygen enters your lungs and is absorbed into the blood.  The blood is pumped around the body by your heart.  The oxygenated blood allows the cells within your body to use energy to help you exercise.

6.  As you exercise a waste product called Carbon Dioxide is produced.  This is returned to the lungs by your blood as the circulatory system continues and when you breathe out the carbon dioxide leaves the body.

7.  The heart is the centre of the circulatory system.  The four chambers of the heart are mostly made up of cardiac muscle.  By contracting and relaxing the heart muscles can blood pump around the body. The blood is pumped around in surges which are called the pulse beats of the heart.

8.  The arteries carries oxygenated blood away from the body to the vital organs and limbs.  The veins return the deoxygenated blood to the heart.

10.  As we breathe, oxygen enters the lungs and is absorbed into the blood stream. The heart pumps this oxygenated blood to the working muscles, so that the muscles can produce movement. As the muscles use the oxygen up, carbon dioxide is produced and absorbed into the blood. This de-oxygenated blood is pumped back to the heart then on to the lungs. The lungs get rid of this carbon dioxide, and breathe in more oxygen.

11.  In small groups discuss and write down what activities will make the most demands on your oxygen transport system.  Discuss and write down the reasons for your answer.

12.  Regular exercise is good for the heart and the lungs.  Why?  It increases the size of the heart, which enables more blood to be pushed around the body. This helps to lower the heart rate, the lower the heart rate the fitter you are.  The size of the lungs increase as you exercise and this provides the body with more oxygen through deeper breathing.  More oxygen you can take into your lungs the greater will be your capacity for exercise.

13.  If performing for long time intervals it can be often difficult for your breathing to supply enough oxygen to your working muscles.  This leads to a build up of lactic acid.  What happens to your body is this happens?  The build up of lactic acid in the muscles will eventually slow you down due to the muscles becoming tired (fatigued) and you may even get cramp.  Lactic acid can only be removed with oxygen, until oxygen arrives by deep and frequent breathing you will suffer from oxygen debt.

14.  For these reasons it is beneficial to train so that working muscles can get used to the demands of training.  Example:  Marathon Running - To start at a moderate pace which can be sustained, to try and delay the lactic acid building up.  It is also important to have a warm down following intense training. The warm down allows the effects of any oxygen debt to slowly disappear.

15.  In groups discuss which activities may lead to a build up of lactic acid and oxygen debt?