9 - Fatigue

Assessment Statement Notes

9.1 Define fatigue in sports A reversible, exercise-induced decline in

performance

9.2 Outline the different types of Limit to:

fatigue - Peripheral fatigue - develops rapidly
and is caused by reduced muscle cell
force
- Central (or mental) fatigue -
develops during prolonged exercise
and is caused by impaired function
of the central nervous system

9.3 Distinguish between high intensity The high-intensity exercise involves a

and endurance activities
vigorous of intense activity that may last for
less than a second, or as long as 1-2
minutes, for example, some types of
interval training, plyometrics. The major
sources of energy for this are derived from
anaerobic processes.
Endurance activities involve prolonged
sessions of low-intensity activity that may
last from several minutes to several hours,
for example, leisure cycling or jogging. The
major sources of energy for endurance
activities aerobic processes

9.4 Discuss the causes of fatigue in Fatigue is perceived differently by individual

different types of activity or athletes and may depend on multiple
exercise factors such as age, level of fitness and the
specific type of activity or exercise carried
out. On a physiological level, the
development of peripheral fatigue in
high-intensity activities depends on the rate
of:
- depletion of energy sources
(creatine phosphate and ATP)
- increase in levels of the products of
exercise such as lactate and
hydrogen ions.
The physiological causes of peripheral
fatigue in endurance activities include:
- depletion of muscle and liver
glycogen reserves
- reduction in Ca2+ release
 - depletion of acetylcholine
- dehydration
- electrolyte loss
- overheating

Central (mental) fatigue is a significant

factor in many endurance sports caused by
a failure of neural transmission.

9.5 Discuss recovery from fatigue after Different aspects of recovery can occur at
sports different rates and the recovery rate also
depends on the type of activity
(high-intensity, team sports or endurance).
Include:
- excess post-exercise oxygen
consumption (EPOC) for – the
restoration of muscle creatine
phosphate stores – removal of lactic
acid – replenishment of myoglobin
stores
- replacement of muscle and liver
glycogen stores.

9.1 - Define fatigue in sports

Fatigue - a reversible exercise-induced decline in performance

9.2 - Outline the different types of fatigue

Peripheral fatigue - develops rapidly and is caused by reduced muscle cell force
- Occurs in the muscles themselves
- Causes of peripheral fatigue
- Energy delivery
- Accumulation of metabolic by-products
- Failure of muscles contractile mechanism

Central (or mental) fatigue - develops during prolonged exercise and is caused by impaired
function of the central nervous system

9.3 - Distinguish between high-intensity and endurance activities

High-intensity Activities
↳ vigorous intense activity that may last less than a second or as long as 1-2 minutes
ex. interval training, plyometrics, 100m sprint, olympic lifting
⟶ the major source of energy is through the anaerobic process (ATP-PC & lactic acid)
Endurance Activities
↳ prolonged sessions of low-intensity may last from several minutes to several hours
ex. cycling, jogging, marathon
⟶ the major source of energy is through the aerobic process

9.4 - Discuss the causes of fatigue in different types of activity or exercise

- Age, fitness level and type of activity are factors that affect fatigue

The development of peripheral fatigue in high intensity activities depends on:

- the rate of depletion of energy sources (creatine phosphate and ATP)
- increase in the levels of the by-products of exercise (ex. lactic acid)

Physiological causes of peripheral fatigue in endurance activities include:

- Depletion of muscles and liver glycogen reserves

- Dehydration
- Electrolyte loss
- Overheating

Central (mental) fatigue is a significant factor in many endurance sports

- Caused by failure of neural transmission

- The central nervous system is thought to limit exercise performance as a protective
mechanism

9.5 - Discuss recovery from fatigue after sports

Excess Post-exercise Oxygen Consumption - the additional oxygen that must be taken into
the body after vigorous exercise

Low Intensity/Aerobic Exercise High Intensity/Strenuous Exercise

Complete recovery is achieved after May require 24h before re-establishing the
several minutes (1-2) pre-exercise oxygen uptake

⟶ ½ of the total EPOC takes place within 30 sec of stopping exercise

⟶ anaerobic activity has a higher EPOC effect than aerobic
⟶ the higher the intensity the longer it will take to replenish all the oxygen

EPOC - Excess post-exercise oxygen consumption

O2 Deficit - the amount of oxygen you actually need
O2 Debt - the amount of oxygen you need to repay

2 Components of Oxygen Recovery:

1. Alactic Acid (fast component)

- Resynthesize muscles store of ATP-PC
- Takes 3-4 min for stores to fully recover
- The process uses 3-4 liters of oxygen
- Replenishment of myoglobin stores (oxygen stores) in the muscle

2. Lactic Acid (slow component)

- The removal of lactic acid from muscles and blood
- Maintenance of body temperature and ventilation
- Can take minutes to hours
- The process uses 5-8 liters of oxygen
Replacement of muscle and liver glycogen stores:
- Depends on type of exercise
800m Sprint ⟶ may take up to 2-3 hours
Marathon ⟶ may take several days
- Replenishment of glycogen stores is most rapid during the first few hours following
training and can take several days to complete
- Complete restoration of glycogen stores is accelerated with a high carbohydrate diet

After high intensity exercise there are five things that happen:
1. Replenishment of ATP
2. Removal of lactic acid
3. Replenishment of myoglobin with oxygen
4. Replenishment of glycogen
5. Replenishment of Creatine Phosphate (ATP-PC)