Immediate effects (during exercise)
- Hot, sweaty and red skin, as blood moves near the skin to lose heat.
- Breathing gets deeper and faster, so tidal volume and breathing rate rise.
- Heart rate rises to pump more blood and oxygen to the working muscles.
Short-term effects (up to 36 hours after)
- Tiredness and fatigue.
- Light-headedness and nausea, especially after very hard exercise.
- DOMS (delayed onset of muscle soreness): aching muscles a day or two later, caused by tiny tears in the muscle fibres.
- Cramp: sudden, painful muscle contractions.
Long-term effects (months of training)
- Changes in body shape, such as losing fat or gaining muscle.
- Improvements in components of fitness, such as muscular endurance, speed, strength and stamina.
- Cardiac hypertrophy: the heart gets bigger and stronger, so stroke volume increases.
- A lower resting heart rate (bradycardia), because each beat pumps more blood.
- Better cardiovascular and respiratory systems, such as more capillaries around the muscles and alveoli.
Why it matters
- Knowing the effects helps performers plan rest and recovery, such as not training hard while they have DOMS.
- A lower resting heart rate shows improved fitness, so it can be used to monitor training.
Key terms
- DOMS
- Delayed onset of muscle soreness: aching muscles a day or two after exercise.
- Cardiac hypertrophy
- The heart getting bigger and stronger from training.
- Bradycardia
- A resting heart rate below 60 bpm, often caused by training.
- Fatigue
- Tiredness that reduces a performer's ability to keep working.
- Immediate effect
- A change that happens during exercise.
- Long-term effect
- A change that happens after months of regular training.