510 likes | 1.82k Views
Muscle Fatigue. How do muscles work?. Muscle cells fire and burn ATP in order to produce the contractions needed Rate Frequency Strength For athletes, this means how fast, often and strong their muscles can contract to produce the desired outcome.
E N D
How do muscles work? • Muscle cells fire and burnATPin order to produce the contractions needed • Rate • Frequency • Strength • For athletes, this means how fast, often and strong their muscles can contract to produce the desired outcome
What do muscles need in order to function properly? • Adequate Supplies of the following in order to produce ATP • Water • Carbohydrates • Oxygen
How does exercise affect muscles during activity? • ATP becomes depleted • Making more ATP uses O2 & nutrients faster than the blood supply can replenish it • Body switches to an energy conversion that does not require O2 • This produces lactic acid and results in muscle soreness • Oxygen Debt is the continued increased metabolism required to remove excess lactic acid after exercise
What is Fatigue? • Decrease in the strength of muscle contraction due to repeated stimulation without rest • Once the Oxygen, Fuel and/or Water runs low the Athlete Fatigues!
The Science of Fatigue • Reduced Strength/Rate of muscle contraction • Caused by repeated muscle stimulation withoutadequate periods of rest • Repeated muscular contraction depletes cellular ATP Stores andoutstrips the ability of the blood supply to replenish oxygen and nutrients to the muscle cells • Contraction in the absence of adequate oxygen produceslactic acid, which contributes to muscle soreness/burning
The Body’s Response to Fatigue • Slower • Slouch / Hands on Thighs • Weak / Tired • Pain / Burning • Dizzy / Headache • Poor Concentration
Oxygen Debt • Term used to describe the metabolic effort required toburn excess lactic acidthat may accumulate duringprolonged periods of exercise • The body is attempting to return the cells’ energy and oxygen reserves to pre-exercise levels • The athlete is breathing deeply and rapidly to REPAY the debt by returning O2 Levels and thus ATP Levels to Normal
What ELSE can an athlete do to fight fatigue? • Stretch during Half-time • Drink PLEANY of fluids • Re-Fuel with carbohydrate drink….NOT solid!
Getting Rid of the Lactic Acid • 30 minutes of stretch • Light Jog • Ice bags • Ice Tub