Anaerobic respiration is an inefficient process as it only produces 1/20th as much energy as aerobic respiration however it produces energy much faster but over a short time it affects your performance.
We are going to investigate the effects of exercise on pulse rates. I will devise a fair test that will enable me to compare and collate the pulse rates and lactic acid builds up in our body. I will choose a group of students to test and compare with my results I should be able to tell who is the fittest and has the best vascular system. I have chosen a group of three students to test and compare results.
During exercise, the heart rate increases to provide extra glucose and oxygen to the muscles so that respiration can occur. If you exercise your muscles vigorously, the amount of oxygen required could be inadequate for the amount of energy needed. If this happens your body relies on another type of respiration and this respiration is called anaerobic respiration. The word equation for this is:-
Glucose + Oxygen Energy + Carbon Dioxide + Water
Lactic acid is bad for your muscles and body it builds up in the muscles during anaerobic respiration. When lactic acid builds up it causes fatigue, aches, pains and cramp. The word equation for this is:-
Glucose Energy + Lactic Acid
I predict that in my group we will all be fairly fit as we all participate in sport. I also believe we eat fairly well and this will be in our favour as it is strengthening our vascular system and making us healthier then people who eat fatty foods. But I think Jack will be the fittest followed closely be Matthew and Sean in a respectable last position.
I will go about collecting my results by making my group exercise vigorously for one minute. They will do this by sprinting up and down a corridor. But before they have even started the exercise I am going to take their resting pulse after I have taken their resting pulse I will time them for one minute while they exercise. After one minute is up I will take their pulse for a further six minutes to see how their pulse rate is effected and how fit they are.
Method
The first thing I am going to do is take the resting pulse of all the students in my group. I will do this by asking the people in my group to sit down for five minutes and rest then I will take their pulse. I will take their pulse by asking them to find their pulse and I will then set my stop watch to the right mode and time them for fifteen seconds, while I am timing them they will be counting how many times they can feel their pulse. Once they have got the amount of times they felt their pulse in fifteen seconds I will ask them to times it by four and this will give me their resting pulse in beats per minute. After I have recorded their resting pulse I will escort them to the area where they will be carrying out their vigorous exercise for one minute. Once we get to the location I will set the stop watch to the correct mode and ask the students if they are ready. Once they are ready I will ask them to start on the count of three once one minute of vigorous exercise is up I will a take their pulse for six minutes after their exercise. I will take their pulse the same way I did to take their resting rates. With the results I have now collected I can record them and put them into a graph to see who is the fittest and who has the best vascular system.
Results
Below is a table showing the resting rates of the people in my group and the pulse rates of them after they have exercised for one minute.
Also attached to this page are my results of each person on a graph for easier reading.
Conclusion
I can see that Jack is the fittest as his pulse rate went started high and decreased steadily down inside the six minutes. This is because he was able to supply his muscles and body with oxygen and energy and shows he has a good vascular system. Most of the people that took part in the investigation were fairly fit but Jack was the fittest then Matthew who had the same pattern as Jack but it was a little higher and Sean came a respectable last as his pulse rate rocketed to a whopping 160 beats per minute and then steadily decreased but rose towards the end. This has shown my prediction to be correct as I said Jack would be the fittest with Matthew and Sean behind him. I chose this prediction as he participates in a lot of sports and eats a lot of vegetables.
