Fatigue and Recovery | Edexcel A-Level Physical Education (9PE0)
Fatigue and Recovery
- 59 questions
- 4 subtopics
- Component 1: scientific principles of physical education
- Component 1
Fatigue and Recovery is examined in Component 1, Scientific principles of physical education.
It covers fatigue from energy depletion and dehydration, lactic acid, hydrogen ions and fatigue, oxygen deficit, EPOC and the fast component and the slow component and recovery windows.
Sample questions from Fatigue and Recovery
Answer each one closed book first, then open the answer.
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Fatigue from energy depletion and dehydration
Why does falling blood glucose affect a performer late in a long event?
Show the answer
The brain relies on blood glucose for fuel. Low blood glucose causes central fatigue, poor decision-making and loss of coordination. -
Fatigue from energy depletion and dehydration
A 75 kg cyclist weighs 73.5 kg after a two-hour ride with no drinks. What percentage of body mass has been lost?
Show the answer
The cyclist has lost 2% of body mass. Percentage lost = (75 − 73.5) ÷ 75 × 100 = 2%. -
Lactic acid, hydrogen ions and fatigue
What is OBLA?
Show the answer
OBLA, the onset of blood lactate accumulation, is the point where blood lactate starts to rise rapidly during exercise of increasing intensity. OBLA is usually placed at about 4 mmol/L. -
Lactic acid, hydrogen ions and fatigue
Why does a 400 m runner slow down in the final 100 m?
Show the answer
Hydrogen ions from lactic acid accumulate and lower muscle pH. Enzyme activity and cross-bridge formation are impaired, so stride force and speed fall. -
Oxygen deficit, EPOC and the fast component
What is re-phosphorylation?
Show the answer
Re-phosphorylation is the rebuilding of ATP and phosphocreatine by adding phosphate back to ADP and creatine. The energy comes from aerobic respiration during recovery. -
Oxygen deficit, EPOC and the fast component
Why does a tennis player's 25-second break between points only partly restore phosphocreatine?
Show the answer
A 25-second break restores a little under half of the phosphocreatine used. Long rallies with short breaks therefore drain PC stores progressively. -
The slow component and recovery windows
What is the two-hour window of opportunity?
Show the answer
The two-hour window is the period straight after exercise when recovery processes work fastest. Rehydration, cooling and refuelling are most effective within it. -
The slow component and recovery windows
Why does downhill running cause more DOMS than uphill running?
Show the answer
Downhill running demands heavy eccentric contractions of the quadriceps to brake each stride. Eccentric work causes more EIMD and therefore more soreness.
The 4 subtopics
One subtopic is one session. Work down the list.
| Subtopic | What it covers | Questions |
|---|---|---|
| Fatigue from energy depletion and dehydration | Fatigue from phosphocreatine and glycogen depletion, hitting the wall, falling blood glucose, dehydration, cardiovascular drift and temperature control, a worked body mass loss, electrolytes, skill and the tennis player in the heat. | 13 |
| Lactic acid, hydrogen ions and fatigue | Lactate and hydrogen ions, why lactate is not simply waste, blood lactate and OBLA, buffering, the breathing response, the 400 m runner's final 100 m, other waste products, DOMS and the trained endurance athlete. | 12 |
| Oxygen deficit, EPOC and the fast component | The oxygen deficit, EPOC and its two components, re-phosphorylation of phosphocreatine and its half-time, the basketball time-out and the tennis break, rest intervals in sprint training, and a worked EPOC calculation. | 15 |
| The slow component and recovery windows | The slow component, the Cori cycle and lactate removal, raised heart rate and breathing, the two-hour and 48-hour windows, rehydration and cooling, glycogen restoration, EIMD and DOMS, recovery between matches and rugby half-time. | 19 |
How the guide is worked
Answering a question from memory stores it far better than reading the answer again. The guide runs that as a fixed procedure on one subtopic at a time, about twenty minutes a session.
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Step 1 · Closed book
Cover the answers. Work through one subtopic and write down what you can. Leave blanks where you have nothing.
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Step 2 · Open book
Go back to the top. Read each printed answer and write it out in full, including the ones you had right.
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Step 3 · Closed book again
Same questions, same order, from memory. The gap between pass one and pass three is the session result.
Read the full method, the return schedule and the research behind it.
Nearby topics
Edexcel A-Level Physical Education Active Recall Guide
Every topic, not just this one. 2,108 questions with their answers.