Exercise Physiology: Understanding the Athlete Within

Week One: Review of excitation-contraction coupling in skeletal muscle, muscle fibre types, energetics and muscle adaptations to exercise training.

Week Two: The key fuels by contracting skeletal muscle during high intensity sprint exercise through to prolonged endurance exercise.

Week Three: Cardiovascular and respiratory responses to exercise that ensure adequate oxygen delivery to contracting skeletal muscle and the determinants of maximal oxygen uptake.

Week Four: Temperature and fluid balance during exercise.

Week Five: Mechanisms of fatigue during exercise and interactions between the central nervous system and peripheral factors. Factors influencing sprint and endurance performance.

Week Six: How do genes influence athletic performance - are athletes "born or made?"