Exercise Physiology
The paper discusses five articles related to exercise physiology. Within these articles, a number of topics are comprised, including: exercise in extreme environments, optimizing performance in sport, gender and age as they relate to exercising, fatigue during exercise and health. These topics will be examined as per the points-of-view presented in the articles below.
Icy Climb to the Sky in Summery Yosemite by Bill Becher (Source: )
This first article discusses the topic of exercise in extreme conditions. Here, the extreme conditions are cold, snow and ice, and the exercise is ice climbing in Yosemite National Park. The article begins by describing the conditions with which one must put up in this extreme sport, which include frigid temperatures and, sometimes, superhuman strength, as one dangles hundreds of feet, even thousands, above the ground. The article, however, relishes in this latter facet, and even applauds those who undertake such extreme forms of exercise. The author, in fact, with two guides by his side, succeeds in climbing and reaching the summit of Mount Dana which is, as he says "13,057 feet [and] the second-tallest peak in Yosemite after Mount Lyell."
One of the main things to learn from this article is the sheer strength, both mental and physical, that one must have in order to undertake such challenges. The author describes that, in addition to hoisting oneself up the mountain, a person would also have to carry a few important, even vital, objects, which included, in this case: ropes, ice screws, helmets, and climbing harnesses. The reason for this article, however, was not necessarily to expose this type of exercise, though the author does focus upon it at the beginning, but rather to evidence the changing conditions faced by the beautiful mountain presented, and by Yosemite Park. These glaciers, still so magnificent, are melting quickly, and it may become a reality, sooner than we think, that nobody will ever be able to climb them again. This, then, is the more important lesson offered by the article.
Article 2: Methods of Training in Sport-Ways of Optimizing Performance by Van Wood (Source: )
The second article chosen for this purpose examines ways to optimize exercising performance. The article begins by illustrating five methods through which to think about exercising: need of the objective (what a sport encompasses), stable progression (having a plan), frequency of exercise, intensity of exercise and variety in exercise. The article stresses that warm-ups are important, but even more important for higher performance are 'warm-downs,' a technique that has become more prevalent in sports such as golf, for instance, and which encompasses hours at the gym after practice in order to keep in shape.
In fact, staying in shape is one of the main points this article makes, and its main lesson. Wood stresses that today's athletes, especially those who achieve high performance within their respective seasons are anything but lazy and continue exercising, or at least keeping up a minimal routine at the gym long after the season is over. Constant exercise is, thus, very important in optimizing one's performance. This is because this type of continuality allows a person to have a certain state of mind, and as the author here states, mental training is also very important to optimize one's performance.
Article 3: The Influence of Age, Gender, and Training on Exercise Efficiency by J. Susie Woo, Christina Derleth, John R. Stratton, and Wayne C. Levy (Source: )
The third piece speaks about the differences between men and women, as well as young and old invidiously when it comes to exercising. This study, conducted by four doctors at the University of Washington, begins by offering a five-piece summary of a few hundred pages study, which was very enlightening. This summary presents the following topics, in this order:
1. Objective/Aim of the Study: According to the authors, the aim….....
