In: Anatomy and Physiology
Which of the following would you not expect to be higher in a trained aerobic athlete?
a. The lactate threshold
b.The number of mitochondria in a given volume of muscle
c. Maximal heart rate
Answer : (c) Maximal heart rate
Lactate threshold
When the intensity of exercise increases above a point, there is impaired oxygenation of the exercising muscles leading to anaerobic metabolism and production of lactate. The intensity of exercise at which lactate begins to accumulate in the blood at a faster rate than it can be removed is called the Lactate threshold. When an athlete reaches this lactate threshold, lactate appears in the blood and hence performance decreases. A trained aerobic athlete has a higher lactate threshold, due to an enhanced lactate clearance capacity. Thus an athlete with high lactate threshold can exercise at a higher intensity and uptake lactate more efficiently.
Number of mitochondria in a given volume of muscle
Mitochondria is the powerhouse of a cell that transform energy from food into cellular energy. So, when there is more number of mitochondria, this improves the body's ability to produce energy so that more energy is available to working muscles. The density of mitochondia in a given volume of muscle increases in response to aerobic workouts.
Maximal heart rate
Maximal heart rate is the maximum amount of heart rate during an exercise when the heart is working at its maximum.. A trained aerobic athlete has a submaximal resting heart rate and during a given absolute exercise workload. However, the maximum HR relatively unaltered regardless of aerobic training.