The Effects of Exercise on Pulse Rate

Background

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Respiration is the process of converting glucose into energy; it is

not breathing in and out, as is often believed. Energy is needed for

growth, repair, movement and other metabolic activities. The energy

released from glucose in respiration is used to produce the chemical

adenosine triposphate. Adenosine triposphate is where the energy

released during respiration is stored for future use. Respiration

happens in every cell in your body.

There are two types of respiration; one is aerobic respiration. This

is what happens when there is plenty of oxygen. Aerobic power depends

on good lung function to supply oxygen to the blood, a strong heart to

pump blood to the muscles and the muscles must be efficient in using

the oxygen sent to them. The equation for aerobic respiration is:

Glucose + Oxygen àCarbon Dioxide + Water (+Energy)

The other type of respiration is anaerobic respiration. This is simply

respiration without any oxygen available. There is not nearly as much

energy produced as there is in aerobic respiration and it has the

ability to produce great force quickly with a combination of speed and

strength. Highly anaerobic activities use up energy so fast that they

can be sustained for only 30 seconds or less. This is how sprinters,

long jumpers and weight lifters use their energy, but if used by a

marathon runner for instance, there would soon be an oxygen debt.

Because of this oxygen debt, lactic acid builds up. Lactic acid is a

mild poison, which makes muscles feel tired and causes muscle cramp.

So, anaerobic respiration is best used for short, strenuous

activities. The equation looks like this:

Glucose àEnergy + Lactic Acid

Pulse rate is the number of times the heart beats per minute. It is

caused by a stretching of the arteries that takes place after each

heartbeat. Pulse rate is caused by the actual impact of blood on the

arteries.

Method

In this experiment I am hoping to prove that when using anaerobic