These are the discord questions from my students in the fall of 2023
We’ve been talking about programming for sports, but how do you program for a person in multiple sports that demand different energy systems and muscle fibers?
This becomes more challenging in that if they are playing those sports in sequence then you try to figure what are the reoccurring theme between each sport and make sure this is part of the program. Then when they are in the sports season give them more maintenance work depending on training age and in the later part of the season start to address what that sport is not doing to prepare them for the following.
If testosterone is a hormone that we naturally increase during exercise, to what extent does it increase in males if one had at least 4 days of intense exercise a week? Does the level of testosterone fluctuate depending on how hard the exercise is or if the person stops exercising for a time?
It only increases slightly, but there is some debate on either side as to how much this might increase overall performance gains. Your second parts are correct in that the intensity has to be high and by the nature of that the duration can’t be as long. Your base level of test is likely to have a larger effect than any of these training effects.
With a diabetic athlete, would the training program look different since the individual is unable to regulate their insulin levels, especially with intense exercise for sports?
Not really, the key is to make sure that they are taking the necessary steps and precautions to avoid low blood sugar events. You can be a high level athlete in a number of sports as a diabetic, but you just need to be far more vigilant about tracking blood sugars than any other athlete normally needs to worry about.
Why is it that as we get older, it seems quite a bit harder to maintain body weight or even lose it? Is this because our activity levels go down or because the metabolic rate requirements begin to change?
Quite complicated here, 1 people tend to be less active, 2 they tend to have less muscle mass which decreases their resting metabolic rate, 3 there can be a decrease in thyroid hormones, 4 most people tend to gain weight due to a combination of less activity while still maintaining the same caloric intake as they did when they were younger and specifically still growing.
Is there a rate at which the lactate threshold increases which training? Is there certain exercises that are more effective at raising the limit? Is it similar to strength training as to where it’s easier for beginners that have a low lactate threshold to raise it at a quicker rate than someone who is already been training and in good condition?
It does increase, but it does so slowly with deliberate training. You need to do work that generates lactate then decrease the intensity somewhat to enhance the ability to clear it. This is hard training that is challenging throughout and yes someone who is not in as good of shape will make progress much more quickly doing this training.
Does the amount of calories burnt during exercise change as your body becomes accustomed to it? For example, would someone burn more calories their first time running a mile versus their 1000th?
Yes, we become more efficient at anything you do over and over again. The only wrinkly here is how their body weight changes over time. It took all of us less calories to walk a mile when we were 10 years old than today due to increased body mass. Calories per pound of weight will decrease though.
What happens if we dry- heave instead of vomit after a workout? Is the physiological functions still the same or is a signal not making it to release everything else to make us vomit?
This essentially doesn’t get the resolution so arguably it is just under the threshold required to vomit. Think of it as you didn’t hit the threshold to cause vomiting but you got very close.
Do all cases of tachycardia lack a vagus nerve?
No, some involve issues with the sympathetic system or the nervous system in general as well as possible thyroid issues for starters.
Hi! How do you find the resolution of a vector? I am having a hard time understanding the book.
This is where you split the vector in to its components, think your vertical and horizontal forces.
Hi! How do you solve a problem including static friction and dynamic friction? I can’t figure it out on the exam 1 review guide.
Static friction is what you have to overcome to get an object moving, dynamic friction is the friction forces required to keep an object moving.
Hi! How do you know when you go from the Wind Up phase to the Force Producing phase? What characteristics show you that you are starting to produce force?
The wind up is typically a lengthening phase to use some of the elastic components of the body and the force producing is the shortening phase where we are using our muscles to perform an exercise quickly.
When talking about rebound energy, does something always have to have some sort of force onto another object to have rebound with it? Or can both objects have enough force when coming at each other to create that sort of rebound?
Not a bad way to conceptualize it, the key is the ability of the object to essentially redirect its force in one direction or another. So this can be a moving object hitting a stationary object or two objects moving towards each other.
In beach volleyball we are taught to serve a ball with no spin, which is called a float serve. It’s where you have to make perfect contact on your palm and you stop your hand after you make contact to prevent spin and therefore makes it float. How does the ball float with this contact?
This is more of what occurs with the knuckleball in baseball pitching where giving it no spin you still have the natural drag of the ball going through the air and the asymmetry due to the seams which in turn will cause little to no movement.
What is stability in a biomechanical sense and how does it vary with size, morphology, pathology, etc?
This is resistance to being knocked over or toppled. Something that is more stable is hard to knock over imply. Bigger, heavier, and lower center of gravity objects are harder to topple.
Is no activity 100% anaerobic or aerobic because of the breaks we need in between ?
Yes, remember we are always using every energy system. The key is what energy system are we utilizing the most of.
Why do we need to use gravity in the KE formula when its talking about sliding a box? I don’t understand how we are needed to go against gravity and the mass of the box.
Kinetic energy doesn’t require this whatsoever (gravity that is), however friction does require it since the object is sliding along a surface. You might be misreading the question.
What limits speed or other aspects of athleticism, at any level(s)?
A number of things, fiber type, muscle attachments, mass of the object, drag when moving, optimal timing of muscular contraction.
How does sodium play into our heart rate being sped up or out of rhythm?
You can have issues with having not enough and perhaps too much. It really comes down to how much is in solution with the water you are ingesting.
Why do infections such as the flu, cause body soreness/fatigue? Is this related to the respiratory system not being as effective, therefore not being able to supply the muscles with enough oxygen?
Your body is releasing a lot of inflammatory cytokines which in turn cause discomfort as well as increased body temperature can be part of what is causing the brain fog. It does not have to do with the respiratory system.
For those with the sickle cell trait, what causes the most issues? Is it the inability to carry enough oxygen on each red blood cell, the physical shape of the cells clogging blood vessels, early death of RBC, etc.?
It is the destruction of the red blood cells under stressful conditions which in turn causes issues with oxygen carrying capacity.
Expanding upon space questions. How is the respiratory system affected by lower gravity, is the severity of the flu or any respiratory infection influenced by being in space? Is there any change to how our body pumps blood in a no gravity environment?
It isn’t negatively effected it is all air pressure. The act of breathing requires very little force production.
Is it because that we don’t humidify our are when breathing through out mouth that we may get set sick when we sleep with our our mouth open at night and a fan on ?
More of drying out the passages due to a lack of humidity in the air, not so much having our mouth open.
How do cycles of raising and lowering the HR affect the body and its energy systems? (like when students will go from the sauna to cold shower) Also, does extreme change like this effect the sympathetic nervous system and ability to recover post workout?
Increase metabolic demands is really it and likely get you to switch to emphasize certain different systems. You can have an effect on your ANS from hot and cold therapy. It is a hermetic stressor so you want to apply enough that it actually helps you get better, but not too much that it does damage to your body. The heart rate changes during to heat makes you heart work harder which likely has a positive effect on your cardiovascular fitness but not the effects on the muscles of interest.
Are they able to diagnose the sudden death in athletes due to hypertrophy of the lung muscles before death? If so, is there anything they can do to treat it?
It is heart muscle and yes, that is why athletes in certain programs undergo an EKG and ultrasound before they are allowed to participate. When this is identified then the athlete is monitored and their training volume is reduced for their own safety.
We know that a lowered heart rate is an effect of maximal training and physical fitness, but is it possible for this heart rate to get too low? If so, what are the effects?
Yes, this is more due to arrythmias of the heart like a nonfunctioning SA node or some near death cardiac failure patients which unfortunately happens.
what are the potential benefits and risks associated with the Valsalva maneuver in resistance training?
This increases your core stability but also you blood pressure. So this allows you to lift heavier loads that you need to stabilize through your core, but does so at the cost of potentially greatly increasing your blood pressure which can results in issues with individuals that aren’t as healthy and have high blood pressure.
How does the body acclimate to increased altitudes? Don’t they take NFL players to the Denver stadium a few days earlier so their bodies have time to acclimate to the elevation?
You increase your RBC count, blood fluid volume, and occasionally your acid base tolerance. You don’t make huge progress if you are only exposed to elevation for a few days, but the fluid shift might start to happen before those games.
Why is it that when taking a hot shower, sometimes blood pressure can suddenly drop causing people to pass out? Is this due to a vascular issue or does it have something to do with the temperature of the water that the person is in?
You are vasodilating to the skin due to the heat on your skin and your body trying to use evaporation to cool you. The opposite happens with vasoconstriction from cold showers. That rapid vasodilation can cause blood pressure to drop quickly especially if people aren’t in as good of condition.
If our resting heart rate decreases roughly 1 beat/min per week of training. How much adipose tissue would you have to roughly gain to offset or increase the resting heart rate while training? Is it hard to achieve this or easy if the diet isn’t closely looked at?
Good question, it would likely need to be something like at least 4 lbs. due to the low metabolic needs of fat at rest. If you are exercising for health likely this would be hard to do on accident.
How will we know how long our physical peak will lasts ? Tests wise or could we just take a blood test and estimate it ?
Not exactly sure what you are asking here. You can hold high levels of performance for months if you do it right and are young enough with training. True peaks are things you do for infrequent competitions and can only like hold that performance for a week or less. When you peak you decrease the stress on your body which naturally when you remove stress for too long you go backwards, and when you apply that stress again to your body a bit of that fatigue will be masking your fitness.
Is there a way to find out what temperature would make it metabolically demanding to sit in a sauna? or should we just go in there with a heart monitor to compare?
Most recommendation for sauna use for health is typically a temp at 170 degrees Fahrenheit or higher.
Why is it that some people sweat more than others? Does this have something to do with their body’s ability to thermoregulate more efficiently?
Genetics, training, and body size. Some folks sweat more genetically in shape people sweat more than sedentary controls, and larger bodies sweat more than smaller ones.
What are the physiological differences between acclimating to weather and acclimating to altitude?
One involves dealing with heat or cold, the other is about partial pressure of oxygen.
How do the different types of levers contribute to efficient movement in sports or daily activities ?
The mechanical efficiency with movements and how certain muscle groups need to be much larger than others in order to perform. Specifically you can look at how big calves are typically compared to quads due to their very different mechanical efficiencies.
Hi! What is the relationship between inertia and the radius of gyration?
Greater the radius the greater the inertia
Hi! Can the cervical region of the spine have kyphosis? Or is it just included in the diagnosis of kyphosis?
Yes, it is simply an excessive curvature of a segment of the spine which will be different depending on the section you are examining.
Hi! Can spondylolysis develop into spondylolisthesis? yes
Hi! Can you explain what Tangential acceleration is? I am getting it confused with radial acceleration.
Radial is the acceleration from the spin, tangential is what is the acceleration if we took that spin and immediately converted it to linear motion. A good example of this is a sling where the angular velocity immediately converts to linear velocity.
Hi! Can you explain the strain formula and how it would be used to solve a problem? Where would you find the stress or volume?
Strain is showing us how much the size of something changed due to the forces applied to it. Stress is how much force you are applying to it.
Hi! What is the difference between the parallel elastic and series elastic components in a muscle?
Series is your tendons and parallel is your muscle itself.
When gym goes that start because of heartbreak/difficult times is that still bad stress stimulus to have or it could help a little bit?
Hard to answer, if it helps center you and make you feel better yes, but if it makes you try for a 100lbs. bench PR as a way to natural select yourself then no.
When dealing with thermoregulation during exercises, how do things like humidity and UV affect regulation? Does the humidity affect those with more adipose tissue more?
UV is really just radiation which can obviously increase temperature depending on the intensity. The humidity is a bigger issue because the higher it is the lower the effectiveness of evaporation to lower body temperature (sweating). Having more fat isn’t necessarily going to make this harder, it is the greater cross sectional area relative to surface area that makes it harder to change the temperature of that segment. So being bigger in general will make it harder to cool down relative to a smaller individual.
When abusing steroids post-injury, we talked in class about an increased rate of healing, but are the muscle fibers fully healed? Is the muscle weaker or unable to get back to peak performance if anabolic steroids were used? Muscle fibers have to have adequate time to heal, so if the athlete didn’t give it enough time then is the athlete truly able to get back to 100% or is the muscle always going to be slightly weaker due to an expedited healing time?
If you are using anabolics, and specifically super physiological amounts, then you will find that your muscle recovers much faster than a normal person. This will allow you to do more damage to then get more productive changes from it. Whereas your connective tissues typically don’t recover as quickly as your muscle tissues so this in turn will cause you to not make the progress with your joints and tendons where you increase your risk of injury to those segments.
Are anabolic steroids useful for underweight individuals or people who need more weight and muscle mass to be within a normal limit?
They work, but they short cut what otherwise you aren’t gaining from doing productive training and learning what you need to do to improve your physicality. The issue here is that people are using these instead of training correctly. In certain wasting disease anabolics can be a great solution to muscle wasting and in turn increase quality of life.
How long do you think it will take for our spines to hunch over because of our cellphone and technology usage over the years growing up?
Hard to say, I wonder if posture in this generation will be worse than previous generations due to this postural choice being made.
How do Anabolic and Androgenic effects contribute to muscle growth and the development of secondary sexual characteristics?
Testosterone and its intermediaries bind to their designated receptors throughout the body causing gene expression to increase and in turn create more of certain proteins which provides the increase in lean mass and the secondary sex characteristics.
What causes people to pass out after shots, getting blood drawn, or IVs?
Usually a vasovagal response in that their body drops their blood pressure aggressively (parasympathetic over storm) in now that the blood supply to the brain is much lower they lose consciousness.
What happens in the body during an allergic reaction? Why does our body begin to swell and have hives?
You immune system reacts intensely to the pathogen and in turn causes changes in the blood flow to areas through the typical vaso constriction or vaso dialiation with more inflammatory markers being released in that area (antibodies) which in turn causes those tissues to react in ways they would not normally.
How does antibiotics work in the body and can people have an allergic reaction to it?
They are literal compounds that kill cells, something that is toxic to them. It can unlink certain essential processes in cells. Yes, people can be allergic to them along with a variety of other chemicals.
Discuss the interplay between gut microbiota, exercise, and metabolic health, exploring potential implications for performance and recovery?
Well they all matter and influence one another. The bigger key for now is to focus on what you can control and to make sure that you are not doing more exercise than you body can recover from and you are missing important inputs with sleep and nutrition as well making large impacts on recovery.
Are there other ways to figure out a athlete could have amenorrhea or is the running intensity demand the main leading cause? Like is there a way to find out before they start a sport so they are more aware/ prepared?
Key is to make sure you don’t have an energetic insufficiencies situation or missing certain micronutrients. This can be caused by just a lack of intake, or massive demands that the intake is inadequate for, both will lead to the same problems (or similar)
How would auto-regulation apply to a rehabilitation program for an injured middle-aged person? Would it essentially be the same?
This allows your rehab program to advance at the rate that is sufficient and specific to what the patient needs. If they aren’t making the progress you want then you can decrease the progression rate and vice versa. It really is the same, you make progress and the program should adapt to the individual rates of change.
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