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PENotes:

AgeingProcessandPerformances

Keythings

PhysicalMaturation. Physiologicaleffectsofageing. Howtheeffectscanbesloweddown. Casestudiese.g.marathonman. Sportingexamples. Otherresearch. Bibliography.

PhysicalMaturation:

Youngerchildrenshouldntoverexertthemselveswhiletheyareplayingsportsseeingashowitcouldleadtoavarietyofdifferentproblemstotheirhealth.

Injuriestothebonesandjointsatthatagecouldleadtoincompletebonegrowth.

PhysiologicalEffectsofAgeing:

Muscularstrength. Lungfunctioning.

Flexibility.

Muscularstrength:

Musclestrengthdecreaseswithage.Thiscanbebadforperformersandathletes.

Theywillnotbeabletoexertthesameamountofforceonanobjectasthey

couldpreviouslyhavedoneduetothelossofmuscle.

Theskeletalmusclemasswillalsodecrease,whichwillalsocauseothereffects

onthebodyandtheperformanceoftheathlete.Thisisbecausetheresting

metabolicrate,regulationofbloodglucose,maintenanceofcoretemperature

andtheprotectionofinternalstructuresalldependontheskeletalmuscle.Someofthesearethebones,organs,nerves,andbloodvessels.

Thereareavarietyoffactorsthatwillcontributetoalossofperformance:

Sinceweage,overtime,weslowlybecomeinactive.Thismaybeduetochoice,orasaresultofaslowerrecoveryrate.Eitherway,lessuseofthe

musclecanleadtoatrophy.Atrophyisbasicallythepartialorcomplete

wastingawayofapartofthebody.

Thereappearstobeadegenerationofthenervessupplyingthemuscles.

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Also,extracollagenfibresarelaiddownbetweenthemusclefibres,whichreducetheflexibilityofthemuscles,alsocausingtheresultantdecreasein

theefficiency.

Also,theeffectsoftheseontheskeletalmusclemasswouldseemtohavethree

mainconsequences:

1. Itwillleadtothelossofmotorneuronsfrommotorunitswhichleadstoalossofmusclefibres,especiallytypeIImusclefibres.TypeIImusclefibres

aremainlyusedformaximumintensity,short-durationanaerobicactivity.

2. Also,itwillleadtothereductioninthemusclefibressize.MainlyfortypeIImusclefibres.

3. Therewillbeanincreaseintheamountofsubcutaneousfattissuewithinthemusclebelly.Subcutaneousjustmeansundertheskin.

Also,studieshaveshownthattheeffectivesofthetypeImusclefibresisnotaffectedbyage.TypeImusclefibresaremainlyusedinaerobicendurance

activities.

Also,morestudieshaveshownthatregularresistanceexercisescanhelp

maintainmusclestrength,notthroughincreasedtypeIIfunctioningbutthrough

improvedtypeIfibreefficiency.

Reasonsforthisremainsunknown,however,aspeopleagetheytendtocarry

outfarlesshighintensityexerciseandactivities.Thisitselfwouldaccountfor

lessrecruitmentoftypeIImusclefibres.

LungFunctioning:

Thepulmonarysystem(arteriesthatcarrydeoxygenatedbloodfromtheheartto

thelungs)demonstratesthreemajorsignsofadvancingage:

Thealveoliincreaseinsizewithage,however,thedegreeandlevelofthecapillarisationdecreases.Thisresultsinalossofarefordiffusion.

Thisresultsinreducedrateofgasexchange. Agraduallossofelasticitywithinthelungsbroughtaboutbyincreased

collagenfibresresultsinalossofelasticrecoilofthelungs. Thisleadstoanincreaseinphysiologicdeadspaceandagainfurther

reducesthevolumefromgasexchange.

Flexibility:

Wearandtearonconnectivetissue,suchastheligamentsandcartilage,hasa

negativeeffectonjointmobility.Thisaddedwiththeincreasedcollagencontent

withintheskeletalmuscleandanyscartissuethatmayhavedevelopedandthe

lossofmuscleelasticityandjointmobilitycombinetoreducethepotential

flexibilityatajointofanageingperformer.

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Therealsotendstobeareductioninbonedensitywithage,especiallyinfemales

abovemenopausalage.However,exercisecanplayanimportantrolein

maintainingbonedensityinbothsexes.

Howtheeffectscanbesloweddown:

Exercisecanplayaveryimportantroleinthissituation.Manystudieshave

shownthatregularresistanceexercisescanhelpmaintainmusclestrength,not

throughincreasedtypeIIfunctioningbutthroughimprovedtypeIfibre

efficiency.

Thiscanhelpmakethemusclemasslast,seeingashowitisextremely

important;especiallytheskeletalmusclemass.

Sportingexamples:

HerschelWalker:

Age:49

DateofBirth:March3,1962

Yearstarted:1986

FunFacts:

Thefirstbaseballcapsweremadeofstraw. Amicrowavedbaseballwillflyfartherthanafrozenbaseball. TugofWarwasanactualOlympiceventbetween1900and1920. KiteflyingisaprofessionalsportinThailand. Fromacompletestop,ahumaniscapableofoutrunningaFormulaOne

Racecarforabout30feet.

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Bibliography:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Subcutaneous_tissue

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pulmonary_artery

http://www.funfactz.com/sports-facts/