Anatomy, Physiology and Exercise Physiology
Anatomy, Physiology and Exercise Physiology
This domain tests structural and functional knowledge: anatomical position, planes and axes, bones and joints, muscle action, and the body’s acute and chronic responses to exercise. Questions often ask you to identify a muscle action, an energy system or a cardiorespiratory response.
Core rules and concepts
- Anatomical position: standing, palms forward; sagittal plane divides left/right, frontal divides front/back, transverse divides upper/lower.
- Adult skeleton has 206 bones; axial skeleton (skull, vertebral column, rib cage) and appendicular skeleton (limbs, girdles).
- Three muscle types: skeletal (voluntary, striated), cardiac (involuntary, striated, intercalated discs), smooth (involuntary, non-striated).
- Agonist produces movement, antagonist opposes, synergist assists, fixator stabilises.
- Energy systems: ATP-PCr (0–10 s, powerful), glycolytic (10 s–2 min), oxidative (longer, aerobic).
- Acute exercise: heart rate, stroke volume, cardiac output, ventilation and oxygen uptake rise; blood is redirected to working muscle. Chronic training lowers resting HR and may increase stroke volume and capillary density.
Worked example
A 400 m runner accelerates then fades. The start is ATP-PCr; the middle uses glycolysis with rising lactate; the final aerobic contribution is limited. Reasoning: match duration and intensity to the dominant system, then note overlap-systems never switch on sharply.
Traps
- Saying lactate alone causes soreness; delayed onset muscle soreness is multifactorial.
- Using 220 − age as an exact maximum; it is a population estimate with large individual error.
- Reversing agonist and antagonist.