Anatomy and Physiology

How the body is built to move

Physical education begins with the body itself, and four systems work together to let you move and to keep you going during exercise. The skeletal system, made of bones and joints, supports the body, protects the vital organs and gives the muscles something to pull on. The muscular system produces movement, and because a muscle can only pull and never push, muscles are arranged in pairs that work against each other. The cardiovascular system, driven by the heart, pumps blood that carries oxygen to the muscles. The respiratory system, the lungs, takes in air and passes oxygen into the blood. When you exercise, these systems respond: the heart beats faster, breathing becomes faster and deeper, and the body grows warmer. This module covers each system, how the joints and muscles move, and how the body responds to exercise.

Anatomy words

Learn what each of these means before you use it.

Skeletal against muscular

Two systems that work closely together, but with different jobs.

How to answer anatomy questions

Answer anatomy and physiology questions in a chain: link a structure to its function, and then to how it changes with exercise. At rest the systems tick over quietly. Once you start to exercise, the working muscles demand more oxygen, so the heart beats faster to move more blood, the lungs work faster and deeper to gather more oxygen, and the body warms up. For movement, remember that a muscle pulls rather than pushes, which is why they are grouped so that one moves a joint one way and its partner moves it back. Naming a part is a start; explaining its job and its response to exercise is what earns the marks.

Match the system to its job

The antagonistic partner

When you bend your arm at the elbow, the biceps contracts. What does its antagonistic partner, the triceps, do at the same time?

• it relaxes, because muscles work in antagonistic pairs
• it also contracts as hard as the biceps
• it disappears while the arm is bent
• it pushes the arm straight on its own

Functions of the skeleton

Select the TWO functions of the skeleton.

• It protects the vital organs
• It supports the body and gives it shape
• It digests the food we eat
• It produces the sound of the voice

The rise in heart rate

A resting heart rate is 70 beats a minute. During exercise it rises to 140 beats a minute. Subtract to find the increase, in beats per minute.

Order the response to exercise

Put these changes in the body during exercise in order, as one leads to the next.

• The working muscles need more oxygen
• The heart beats faster to pump more blood
• The lungs breathe faster and deeper
• More oxygen reaches the working muscles

Complete the anatomy facts

The body system made of bones and joints is the _____ system. Two muscles that act against each other in a pair are called _____. The system that pumps blood carrying oxygen around the body is the _____ system. During exercise the _____ rate rises so the lungs take in more oxygen.

Match the joint or muscle

Spot the true anatomy facts

Tap the TWO statements that are true.

• The skeleton protects the vital organs
• The heart rate rises during exercise
• Muscles can push as well as pull
• The lungs pump blood around the body

Explain the body

Read each case and choose the best response, with a reason.

• You start to run and your heart rate rises. Why does this happen?
• You want to name the joint at the knee that lets the leg bend and straighten. What is it?
• A student says one muscle can both bend and straighten a joint by itself. How should this be corrected?

Explain anatomy and physiology

A friend is starting GCSE Physical Education and asks how the body is built to move and how it copes with exercise. Explain the anatomy and physiology of the body.

• Name two functions of the skeleton
• Explain how muscles work in antagonistic pairs, with an example
• Explain the job of the cardiovascular system
• Explain the job of the respiratory system
• Finish by explaining two ways the body responds to exercise