The recovery process

1
The recovery process

• Why is it that after exercise we continue to
  breathe harder than normal even though our
  muscles have stopped working?
• It is because recovery from exercise is dependent
  on oxygen and so the extra breathing is to
  satisfy the bodies demand for this
• There are two concepts that we need to consider
• Oxygen deficit
• Oxygen debt (now known as epoc)

2
Oxygen deficit This is defined as
The difference between the amount of oxygen
necessary to supply the energy(from aerobic
respiration) for the work during a period of
exercise, and the actual amount of oxygen
absorbed during the exercise period In other
words the amount of oxygen the subject was short
of during the exercise
3
Oxygen debt Excess post-exercise oxygen
consumption

• This is the amount of oxygen consumed during
  recovery above that which would normally have
  been consumed at rest in the same period of time
• This consists of two components
• Alactacid debt (fast replenishment)
• Lactacid debt (slow replenishment)

4

• What happens in each phase?
• Fast
• Atp and pc stores regenerated
• Myoglobin resaturated
• Tissue fluids resaturated
• Time 2-3 mins
• Slow
• Lactic acid removed from muscles
• Muscles of thorax need extra oxygen due to
  increased breathing rate
• Time over 1 hour

5
The two concepts can be represented by the
following diagram