Functional anatomy and exercise physiology
What you must know
This independent foundation section studies the systems that move and support the body: the skeleton, joints, muscles, the cardiorespiratory system and how they respond to exercise. Learn major functions of the skeleton (support, protection, movement, blood cell production and mineral storage), the main bone groups (cranium, vertebrae, ribs, pelvis, femur, tibia, humerus, radius, ulna), and the joint types: hinge (elbow, knee), ball-and-socket (shoulder, hip), pivot (neck) and gliding (wrist bones).
For muscles, know the names and actions of the major pairs: biceps and triceps at the elbow, quadriceps and hamstrings at the knee, gastrocnemius at the ankle, deltoid at the shoulder, abdominals and gluteals at the trunk. Understand antagonistic pairs: the agonist produces the intended joint action while the antagonist can oppose or help control it; co-contraction can stabilize a joint. Distinguish concentric shortening, eccentric lengthening under active tension and isometric force production without an appreciable change in muscle length. Introductory isotonic models describe movement under approximately constant external load, not proof that actual muscle tension is constant, and between voluntary skeletal muscle and involuntary cardiac and smooth muscle.
For the cardiorespiratory system, be able to trace the path of blood and air, name the chambers and valves of the heart, and explain what happens during exercise: heart rate and stroke volume rise, so cardiac output rises; breathing rate and tidal volume rise, so minute ventilation rises; blood is redistributed to working muscles. Distinguish tidal volume from vital capacity and oxygen uptake from ventilation. Excess post-exercise oxygen consumption describes recovery oxygen uptake above rest; lactate is a metabolic intermediate and fuel, not the sole explanation for fatigue or delayed muscle soreness.
Traps to watch
Questions often swap origin and insertion, describe the left ventricle as receiving oxygenated blood from the lungs (it does, but via the left atrium), or confuse red and white blood cells. A common trick is asking which muscle relaxes during a movement - read carefully.
Worked example
During a biceps curl, the elbow is a hinge joint; the biceps produces elbow-flexion torque, while antagonist activity depends on the control demands. The biceps origin is on the scapula and its insertion is on the radius, so contraction pulls the forearm upward.
For a supplied measurement example, cardiac output equals heart rate multiplied by stroke volume. A heart rate of 120 beats per minute and stroke volume of 80 millilitres per beat give 9600 millilitres, or 9.6 litres, per minute. This is arithmetic with supplied measurements, not a recommended target. Trace oxygenated pulmonary venous blood through the left atrium and left ventricle to the systemic circulation, then distinguish that route from deoxygenated blood pumped through the pulmonary artery. Acute responses during a bout and chronic adaptations after repeated training are different observations.