Doctoral Candidate: Exercise Physiology
Auburn University
David Elmer
M.Ed, CSCS
Physiology of Exercise
KINE 3680
The Physiology of Exercise is one of the central courses for undergraduate students in the Department of Kinesiology at Auburn University. KINE 3680 is a required course for students majoring in Exercise Science, Physical Activity and Health, Fitness, Conditioning, and Performance, and Physical Education/Teacher Education. Material primarily comes from Powers, Scott K., and Edward T. Howley. Exercise Physiology: theory and application to fitness and performance -8th ed. McGraw-Hill, New York, NY. 2012. While this is a standard course taught by several people at Auburn, I was still responsible for writing the class syllabus, preparing lectures, and writing and grading assignments, in-class activities, projects, tests, and quizzes. Teaching this course has been valuable training, especially since a version of this class is taught at so many universities across the country.
Course Topics
Click lecture topic for link to presentation materials:
A brief introduction to exercise physiology, focusing on the relevant history and developments in the field over the last 100 years.
This lecture introduces the metric system, as well as SI units of measurement that are commonly used in physiology. Then the lecture switches gears a bit, turning to how work, power, and energy expenditure are measured, as well as various calculations including the determination of VO2 and net efficiency.
Before moving into a general explanation of how homeostasis is maintained in the body, this short presentation explains the need for homeostatic control.
This topic lays the foundation for much of what is covered not only in this class, but also in future classes for students majoring in a branch of exercise or health science. Anaerobic and aerobic energy production is the emphasis, with hints toward how this is applied in a wide array of areas.
An extension of the Bioenergetics lecture, this presentation covers the timing of the energy systems, as well as fuel utilization, lactate threshold, metabolic responses to prolonged exercise, and recovery from exercise.
Before the response to exercise can be covered, students are taught about circulatory system function such as cardiac output and blood pressure. Then the discussion begins on how this system responds to exercise, delivering the much-needed oxygen to muscles for aerobic energy production.
Continuing with the concept of oxygen delivery to the muscles via the blood, this topic covers the fundamentals of ventilation and ventilatory control, and how oxygen travels from the air to our muscles. More detail is provided on oxygen delivery, with specifics on the loading and unloading of oxygen in the blood.
This lecture combines the nervous system and muscular system topics from the Powers & Howley textbook used for the class. The structure and function of each system is explained, with particular emphasis on the inseparable link between neural stimulation and muscular contraction.
A brief lecture introducing key components of the immune system and how exercise may influence this system in the short and long term. Also included is a look at the shift in prevalent chronic diseases and how exercise is used in the prevention and management of these diseases. The lecture is not comprehensive, instead serving as a starting point and introduction for the paper assignment. (click to view assignment)
Beginning with the mechanisms by which hormones take effect, this lecture then introduces hormones commonly involved during exercise and in adaptations to exercise. Special attention is payed to the hormones involved in exercise metabolism, specifically blood glucose sparing and the promotion of fat usage.
The final topic for the class is a brief overview of acid/base balance and regulation in the body. We again cover the effects of exercise, as well as the mechanisms by which the body can buffer acid/base disturbances