06/07/2020

PNOĒ
CERTIFICATION
PROGRAM
Lesson Two – The
Respiratory System MODULE 1

FUNDAMENTALS IN
EXERCISE
PHYSIOLOGY

THE RESPIRATORY SYSTEM

The human respiratory system consists of the lungs and

inspiratory and expiratory muscles and is responsible for
taking in oxygen and expelling carbon dioxide. The primary
organs of the respiratory system are the lungs, which carry
out this exchange of gases as we breathe.
The lungs work with the cardiovascular system to DELIVER
oxygen-rich blood to all cells in the body.
The blood then collects carbon dioxide and other waste
products and transports them back to the lungs, where
they're pumped out of the body when we exhale

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WHAT ARE THE FUNCTIONS OF THE

RESPIRATORY SYSTEM ?

1. To provide a continuous and adequate supply of oxygen to the tissues

2. To enable the removal of carbon dioxide from the body
3. Assist in the maintenance of the acid-base (pH) of the body
4. Assist in the control of body temperature
5. Core stability during exercise

THE RESPIRATORY SYSTEM

As we breathe, oxygen enters the nose or mouth and passes the

sinuses, which are hollow spaces in the skull that help regulate the
temperature and humidity of the air we breathe.
From the sinus, air passes through the trachea, also called the
windpipe, and into the bronchial tubes, which are the two tubes
that carry air into each lung (each one is called a bronchus).
The bronchial tubes split up again to carry air into the lobes of
each lung. The right lung has three lobes while the left lung has
only two, to accommodate room for the heart. The lobes are
filled with small, spongy sacs called alveoli, which is where the
exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide occurs.

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ADD VIDEO ON THE RESPIRATORY

SYSTEM

• Structural design of the airway tree

• https://www.britannica.com/science/human-respiratory-system/The-trachea-
and-the-stem-bronchi

THE ALVEOLI

The gas-exchange region begins with the

alveoli of the first generation of respiratory
bronchioles.
Distally, the density of alveolar sacs increases
rapidly, until the whole wall is formed by
alveoli which is surrounded by capillaries
Therefore, employing deeper breaths that fill
the distal alveoli are beneficial to O2 deliver
to the muscles

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GAS EXCHANGE AT THE ALVEOLI

• https://youtu.be/57byXpOUpSU

RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE

RIBS/CHEST AND THE LUNGS

The force required to maintain inflation of the lung and to cause airflow is
provided by the chest and diaphragm (the muscular partition between chest and
abdomen), which are in turn stretched inward by the pull of the lungs. The lung–
chest system thus acts as two opposed coiled springs, the length of each of which
is affected by the other.
Were it not for the outward traction of the chest on the lungs, these would
collapse; and were it not for the inward traction of the lungs on the chest and
diaphragm, the chest would expand to a larger size and the diaphragm would fall
from its dome-shaped position within the chest.

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THE BREATH CYCLE

The breath cycle is made up of an inspiration and expiration phase.

Inhalation
• The diaphragm, as the main respiratory muscle and the intercostal muscles of
the chest wall play an essential role by generating, under the control of the
central nervous system, the pumping action on the lung.The diaphragm
contracts pulling the lung downward as the intercostals pull the ribs upward
increasing the space available within the lung

Exhalation
• Passive at rest relying on the relaxation of the diaphragm and intercostal
muscles

• During exercise, the abdominal muscles contract during exhalation pushing the
diaphragm upward decreasing the space for the lung and therefore pushing the
air out

MUSCLES OF RESPIRATION

Inspiration
• Main - Diaphragm and External
Intercostals
Expiration (Active)
• Abdominals and Internal Intercostals
Thoracic and rib mobility can limit lung
capacity

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MECHANICS OF BREATHING

• https://youtu.be/OmoU3EexFQQ
• Need to cut out the reference to free diving at the end…

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CHANGES IN PRESSURE DRIVE

INSPIRATION AND EXPIRATION

• https://youtu.be/NB1aCBId6qA

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BREATHING DURING
EXERCISE

The respiratory control system increases ventilation sufficiently to

keep the partial pressure of carbon dioxide in arterial blood nearly
unchanged despite the large increases in metabolic rate (energy use)
that can occur with exercise, thus preserving acid–base homeostasis
(balance).
Several signals arise during exercise that can augment ventilation.
Sources of these signals include mechanoreceptors in the exercising
limbs; the arterial chemoreceptors, which can sense breath-by-breath
oscillations in the partial pressure of carbon dioxide; and thermal
receptors, because body temperature rises as metabolism increases.
The brain also seems to anticipate changes in the metabolic rate
caused by exercise, because parallel increases occur in the output
from the motor cortex to the exercising limbs and to respiratory
neurons. Changes in potassium and hydrogen ion concentrations in
the exercising muscles acting on unmyelinated nerve fibres may be
another mechanism for stimulation of breathing during exercise.

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ACID/BASE BALANCE –
RESPIRATORY SYSTEM

The respiratory system contributes to the balance of acids and bases

(between pH 7.35 and 7.45) in the body by regulating the blood levels of
carbonic acid. CO2 in the blood readily reacts with water to form carbonic
acid, and the levels of CO2 and carbonic acid in the blood are in equilibrium.
When the CO2 level in the blood rises (as it does with intense exercise), the
excess CO2 reacts with water to form additional carbonic acid, lowering your
blood pH (acidosis). Increasing the rate and/or depth of respiration allows you
to exhale more CO2.
The loss of CO2 from the body reduces blood levels of carbonic acid and
thereby adjusts the pH upward, toward normal levels. This process also works
in the opposite direction. Rapid breathing (as in hyperventilation) rids the
blood of CO2 and reduces the level of carbonic acid, making the blood too
alkaline.
Increased levels of acidity or alkalinity have profound effects on other systems
including the cardiovascular and metabolic systems as well as the brain.

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CONTROL MECHANISMS

An important characteristic of the human respiratory system is its ability to adjust breathing patterns in
response to changes in both the internal and the external environment. Ventilation increases and decreases in
proportion to swings in carbon dioxide production and oxygen consumption caused by changes in exercise
intensity. Breathing also undergoes adjustments when the mechanical advantage of the respiratory muscles is
altered by postural changes or by movement.
This flexibility in breathing patterns in large part arises from sensors distributed throughout the body that send
signals to the respiratory neuronal networks in the brain. Chemoreceptors detect changes in blood oxygen
levels and changes in the acidity of the blood and brain. Mechanoreceptors monitor the expansion of the lung,
the size of the airway, the force of respiratory muscle contraction, and the extent of muscle shortening.
Breathing can be even controlled voluntarily to a substantial degree and therefore can be used as a strategy to
improve performance at different intensities.

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RESPIRATORY
VOLUME
MEASUREMENT

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Forced Vital Capacity (FVC)

• The volume of air forcefully exhaled in six seconds
after a deep breath in - expressed as a volume (L)
Forced Expiratory Volume in One Second (FEV1)
• The volume of air exhaled in the first one second of
an FVC test expressed as a volume (L) and
percentage of FVC6 (>76%)
GLOSSARY
Breathing Frequency (BF)
• Number of breaths per minute
Tidal Volume (VT)
• Volume of air you move per breath (L)
Minute Volume (Ve)
• Volume of air you move in one minute (L)

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Respiratory system is made up of the lungs, respiratory muscles (and the thoracic
spine and ribs)

The lungs work with the cardiovascular system to DELIVER oxygen-rich blood to
all cells in the body. The blood then collects carbon dioxide and other waste
products and transports them back to the lungs, where they're pumped out of the
body when we exhale
Has other secondary roles!

TAKE HOME Can limit performance

Can be affected by specific direct training

Can be affected by other systems or demands…so be careful

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