HCS380: Week 4 – Journal

Link to the YouTube Video:
In the resting state, my body systems felt like they were working normally. My
respiratory system appeared to be working moderately, and I did not have to take many
breaths. I was taking 14 breaths per minute. According to The Johns Hopkins Medicine
(2021), a normal adult should have a respiration rate of between 12 and 16 breaths per minute
at rest. As a result, my respiration rate falls under the normal range. I could feel my heart
pumping moderately. My heartbeat was 68 beats per minute. The American Heart
Association (2021) states that the normal heart rate ranges from 60 to 100 beats per minute.
My muscles were all relaxed, and this meant that there were no contractions that were taking
place.
I was eager to complete the exercises and measure how my body responded to the
exercises. Completing the exercises resulted in various changes in my body. I started taking
more breaths per minute. The result is that I was now taking 23 breaths per minute. My
heartbeat increased significantly after the exercise. My heartbeat was 119 beats per minute
after the exercise. I could feel deeply fatigued, and my muscles felt generally tired. I felt like
I was shaking, and my shoulders were experiencing a burning sensation.
Chronic Adaptations
Exercising regularly results in one’s level of fitness increasing. One of the chronic
adaptations is a reduction in the heart rate (Katch, McArdle, & Katch, 2015)s. A trained
athlete has a lower resting heart rate than an untrained person. The heartrate will also
accelerate in a more gradual manner as opposed to accelerating rapidly (Katch, McArdle, &
Katch, 2015). With intense exercises, the body will become stronger. The tendons will be
more flexible, and this will allow them to work with ease. Muscles that are routinely

WEEK 4 – JOURNAL 3
exercised will have a predominance of low-twitch fibers. In the long run, after exercising, the
breathing rate will be elevated gradually, and it will be easy to return to the normal breathing
rate after exercising.

WEEK 4 – JOURNAL 4

References

American Heart Association. (2021). Target Heart Rates Chart. Retrieved 31 January 2021,
from https://www.heart.org/en/healthy-living/fitness/fitness-basics/target-heart-rates
The Johns Hopkins Medicine. (2021). Vital Signs (Body Temperature, Pulse Rate,
Respiration Rate, Blood Pressure). Retrieved 31 January 2021, from
https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/vital-signs-body-
temperature-pulse-rate-respiration-rate-blood-
pressure#:~:text=Respiration%20rates%20may%20increase%20with,to%2016%20breat
hs%20per%20minute.
Katch, V., McArdle, W., & Katch, F. (2015). Essentials of exercise physiology. (5 th  ed.).
Retrieved from https://www.vitalsource.com/