Introducing this Open Textbook
An Overview:
The Open Textbook of Exercise Physiology contains 3 parts: an Introduction, the Fundamentals and Integrative Exercise Physiology. Part 1 of this textbook contains only 2 chapters. The first of these is a general introduction to the book and presents a great deal of important information that will provide some background to allow the reader to understand exercise physiology. The second chapter presents some highlights of the history of exercise physiology in Canada. Part 2 of this book presents the fundamentals of exercise physiology. These chapters present the important information about how muscles contract and require energy and contribute to potential disturbance of homeostasis. The physiological systems of the body respond to this challenge by providing substrates for metabolism and removing the products of metabolism and attempt to restore homeostasis.
The Scope of Exercise Physiology:
The study of physiology is hundreds of years old, and including exercise as a potential mechanism to probe the extent and ability of regulation of the body systems is almost as old. Yet, the establishment of a discipline of exercise physiology is still kind of new. If the age of physiology is considered like an elder of society, then exercise physiology would be considered the young adult, barely past the teen years. The relevance of this analogy is considering the elder as the wise one, broad in knowlecge and awaress and the young adult as the one with limited knowledge who is still willing to make mistakes (though some would say they think they know more than they actually do). There are aspects of exercise physiology that we do not fully understand and there are probably some aspects that we have incorrectly portrayed. We are waiting for the future research to clarify and provide the evidence. However, in most cases, the information presented here is correct and can be applied in broad ways.
One aspect of exercise physiology that is perhaps still in childhood is the responses and regulatory processes in females. Way too often in the research literature concerned with exercise physiology, male subjects have been studied, ignoring that females may be different. Recently, this oversight has been addressed and more research is probing the exercise responses of females. The next few decades could reveal important insight into the differences due to sex.
There are many things to keep in mind when studying exercise physiology; sex is important across this range of topics: intensity of exercise, duration of exercise, intermittent or continuous, environmental conditions, upper or lower body, mass of muscle involved, weight bearing or not. Responses can be affected by training, injury, illness or inactivity. All of this needs to be considered in the context of genetic makeup and possible psychological perturbation. Although the primary physiological responses to exercise involve the pulmonary and cardiovascular systems, other aspects of physiology are just as important. The nervous system not only activates the muscles, but it also provides information to the brain and spinal cord about the intensity of exercise, disturbance to homeostasis including ionic disruption, fuel supply and temperature concerns. The immune response has its own response to exercise affecting acute and chronic changes that influence our health. Variability in the response to exercise in terms of the ability to minimize the disturbance to homeostasis is an important consideration. Each system in the body is important for responding to actute and chronic levels of exercise: renal, digestive, pulmonary, cardiovascular, temperature regulation, hormonal and nervous system. Understanding muscles is essential for understanding exercise, but muscles do not exist without the massive support systems needed to restore homeostasis and adapt to the regular participation in exercise.
The Importance of Exercise Physiology:
Learning Exercise Physiology:
Special Features:
Current Contributors:
As Editor of this Open textbook, I am grateful to the large number of authors who gave freely of their time to create this textbook.
Future Contributors:
There are a few more chapters that can be written for this book. The editor is considering proposals from potential writers to add chapters. Similarly, if you identify a section of a current chapter that can be improved and would like to make that improvement, feel free to contact the editor.
Getting A Hardcopy
Once this book is complete, hardcopy versions will be available at cost. Details for ordering your copy will be available at that time. Keep an eye on this space if you will want your own hardcopy of the Open Textbook of Exercise Physiology.
