Short- and Long-Term Effects of Exercise
How exercise affects the body over three timescales: the immediate effects during exercise, the short-term effects in the hours after, and the long-term effects of training such as cardiac hypertrophy and bradycardia.
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Effects over time
Exercise changes the body over different lengths of time. Some effects happen straight away while you exercise, some last for a day or two afterwards, and some build up slowly over months and years of training. This module looks at the immediate, short-term and long-term effects of exercise.
Effects of exercise terms
Learn these four terms before you study the effects of exercise.
During or long after?
The effects of exercise appear over very different timescales.
Hypertrophy and bradycardia
Two long-term effects are easy to confuse. Cardiac hypertrophy means the heart muscle gets bigger and stronger. Bradycardia means the resting heart rate gets lower. They often happen together in a trained athlete: a bigger, stronger heart pumps more blood per beat, so it can beat more slowly at rest.
Why the body reacts
- sweating during exercise
- breathing faster and deeper
- the heart beating faster
- the skin turning red
- to cool the body down
- to take in more oxygen
- to pump more blood to the muscles
- more blood is flowing near the surface
Match the fitness gain
- muscular strength
- muscular endurance
- speed
- flexibility
- being able to lift a heavier weight
- muscles working for a long time without tiring
- moving your body more quickly
- moving a joint through a wider range
Name the long-term change
After years of training, an athlete has a heart muscle that has grown bigger and stronger. What is this called?
- Cardiac hypertrophy.
- Bradycardia.
- Fatigue.
- DOMS.
Spot the long-term effects
Select the TWO long-term effects of regular exercise.
- The heart grows bigger and stronger.
- The resting heart rate gets lower.
- The skin turns red and sweaty.
- Feeling light-headed straight after.
Soonest to latest
Put these effects of exercise in order by how soon they appear, earliest first.
- Your heart rate rises while you run
- Your muscles ache the next morning
- The same run feels easier after a few weeks
- Your resting heart rate is lower after months
Sort the effects
Going red and sweaty during a game is an _____ effect. Aching muscles the day after are a _____ term effect. A heart that has grown larger over years of training shows cardiac _____. A trained athlete with a low resting heart rate has _____. Being able to keep exercising for longer is better cardiovascular _____.
Work out the drop
Training lowered an athlete resting heart rate from 70 beats per minute to 55 beats per minute. By how many beats per minute did the resting heart rate fall?
Find the immediate effects
Tap the TWO immediate effects that happen while you are exercising.
- Your heart beats faster
- Your muscles ache the next day
- You breathe more deeply
- Your resting heart rate falls over months
When does it happen?
Read each effect of exercise and choose when it happens.
- Your face goes red and sweaty while you play a match
- Your legs ache badly two days after a hard run
- After a year of training your heart is bigger and stronger
Explain the effects
Explain the immediate, short-term and long-term effects of exercise on the body. Give an example of each.
- Describe two immediate effects during exercise
- Describe a short-term effect in the hours after exercise
- Describe two long-term effects of regular training