Sciences and techniques of motor activities with biomedical curving

Activity type

Discipline Bio-Mediche

SSD

BIO/09

Year

N/D

Semester

N/D

CFU

2

Hours distribution

16 classroom hours

Lecturers

CRISTINA LIMATOLA
CRISTINA LIMATOLA

Activity type

Discipline Motorie e Sportive

SSD

M-EDF/01

Year

N/D

Semester

N/D

CFU

6

Hours distribution

48 classroom hours

Lecturers

FRANCESCA GRASSI
PAOLO EMILIO ADAMI
CRISTINA LIMATOLA

Expected Learning Outcomes
The expected learning outcomes for this course include understanding the acute and chronic changes that the body undergoes during physical and motor activity, such as the increase in heart rate and respiratory rate during activity, as well as long-term improvements in cardiovascular health, metabolic control (blood glucose and cholesterol), body composition, and the prevention of metabolic and musculoskeletal diseases.

At the end of the course, students should be able to apply this knowledge, applying training principles to improve performance and reduce the risk of injuries. In particular, they should be able to describe short-term adaptations (or acute adaptations), such as the increase in heart rate, respiratory rate, body temperature, ventilation, and oxygen consumption.

Regarding long-term effects (or chronic adaptations), students should have understood and be able to describe the mechanisms responsible for events such as the reduction of blood pressure and the improvement of overall cardiovascular function; the effects on metabolism, such as the control and normalization of blood glucose and cholesterol levels; and the contribution to the prevention of metabolic diseases and obesity. They should also be able to describe the mechanisms leading to changes in body composition, such as the reduction of excess adipose tissue through achieving a positive energy balance.

They should describe the effects on the prevention of cardiovascular, metabolic, neoplastic, and joint diseases, as well as the reduction of the body’s vulnerability to injuries through muscle strengthening, and the improvement of balance and coordination.

Expected Competencies

Knowledge: Understanding the mechanisms of organ and system function in response to physical exercise.

Application: Independently applying the acquired knowledge to situations of functional alteration.

Autonomy: Developing independent judgment and autonomous learning skills.

Communication: Communication skills to discuss and explain physiological adaptations.

Skills in anatomy, biochemistry, and human physiology are required. It is also useful to possess fundamental knowledge of organ systems, cellular functioning, and physiological responses to stress or rest, which are typically acquired during the bachelor’s degree.
In detail:
Foundational Knowledge: Human Anatomy: Understanding the structure of the human body is essential to grasp how organs and systems respond to exercise. Biochemistry: Knowledge of biochemical processes, such as energy production and protein synthesis, is fundamental for understanding metabolic adaptations.
General Physiology: Comprehending the basic principles of organ and system function at rest and under stress is a key prerequisite.
Useful Skills: Integrative Capacity: The ability to integrate knowledge across different levels, from the cellular level to organ systems, is important for a comprehensive understanding of how the body functions.
Scientific Language: The use of appropriate scientific terminology is a required communication skill in the course.

Unit 1 – General Principles of Physiological Adaptation to Exercise (6 hours)

Week 1:
Introduction to the concepts of physiological stress, acute response, supercompensation, and chronic adaptation. Interactive lecture with descriptive case studies.

Week 2:
Integration among the main systems involved in physical exercise (cardiovascular, respiratory, muscular, nervous). Guided activity: creation of conceptual maps.

Unit 2 – Metabolic and Endocrine Adaptations (6 hours)

Week 3:
Responses and adaptations of metabolic pathways (anaerobic and aerobic) to repeated exercise. Graphic synthesis activity and application to practical cases.

Week 4:
Endocrine responses to acute and chronic exercise (GH, cortisol, testosterone, insulin). Guided reading of graphs and discussion of changes in active and sedentary subjects.

Unit 3 – Translation into Professional Practice (4 hours)

Week 5:
How to design a motor stimulus that generates physiological adaptation. Applied activity: simulation of a progression for a typical subject.

Week 6:
Final discussion on individual adaptations and subjective differences. Self-assessment of learning and presentation of developed reasoning.

Muscle system plasticity and adaptations to physical exercise
Cardiocirculatory adaptations to physical exercise
Pulmonary adaptations to physical exercise

Fisiologia dell’ esercizio - Teoria e pratica per forma fisica e performance
di Powers - Howley

Module: Exercise adaptations
Updated articles and reviews on the topics covered in class will be provided.


Module:
Exercise Physiology
- Brazile T.L., Levine B.D., Shafer K.M. (2024). Physiological Principles of Exercise. NEJM Evidence. DOI: 10.1056/EVIDra2400363
- Brazile T.L., Levine B.D., Shafer K.M. (2024). Cardiopulmonary Exercise Testing. NEJM Evidence. DOI: 10.1056/EVIDra2400390
- Joyner M.J., Lundby C. (2018). Concepts about VO₂max and trainability are context dependent. Exercise and Sport Sciences Reviews, 46(3), 138–143.
- Millet G.P. et al. (2021). Physiological adaptations to training across the lifespan. European Journal of Sport Science, 21(5), 632–644.

The lessons will take place in the classroom and partly at the Sapienza Sports Center for practical activities in small groups.

Attendance is strongly recommended both for following traditional teaching activities and for participating in small-group work on specific case studies.

The student will be assessed through an oral examination at the end of the teaching modules. The results obtained in small group activities in the classroom, carried out at the end of specific lesson cycles, will also be evaluated.

Describe the main functional differences between skeletal muscle and cardiac muscle.
Describe the adaptations of the muscular system to repeated strength or speed exercises.
What is meant by “athlete’s heart”?
How does the energy cost of respiration change during exercise? What is meant by the lactate threshold?
Pulmonary ventilation during aerobic training: describe any limitations.
Mechanisms of heat dissipation during physical activity.
Hormones produced acutely during intense physical activity: give some examples.
Cardiopulmonary integration during intense exercise.
Thermoregulation during physical activity in cold or hot environments.

Module: Exercise adaptations

• Functional organization of the muscular system 


• Mechanisms for movement control


• Functional organization of the heart 


• Functional organization of the circulatory system


• Regulation of cardiovascular function


• Functional organization of the respiratory system 


• Gas exchange, gas transport in the blood. Rol eof lung surfactant


• Regulation of respiratory function

• Concept of physiological stress, acute response, and chronic adaptation. Supercompensation and the principle of load progression. Integrated system response: cardiovascular, respiratory, muscular, and nervous systems. Introduction to internal vs external training load models


• Anaerobic and aerobic metabolic pathways: recruitment and adaptation. Energy demands in different types of exercise (HIIT, strength, endurance). Acute hormonal responses: GH, cortisol, testosterone, insulin. Chronic endocrine adaptations in trained individuals


• How to design a motor stimulus that induces physiological adaptation. Principles of progression and periodization in training. Dose-response relationship, adaptation vs overload. Recovery strategies and inter-individual variability


• Integrated review of physiological adaptations: applications in sport and clinical contexts. Monitoring adaptation: HRV, field/lab tests, subjective response. Personalizing load based on sex, age, fitness level


• Acute and chronic adaptations of the cardiovascular system to physical exercise and training.


• Regional circulation: muscle, skin, myocardium, and functional adaptations during physical exercise.


• Regulation of cardiac output: functional capacity of the cardiovascular system. Local and central control of blood flow, and their integration.


• Adaptations induced by training in extreme environmental conditions.


• Functional adaptations of the muscolar system, regulation of movement


• Functional adaptations of the respiratory system, regulation of respiratory function


• Energy metabolism and thermodynamics of muscle contraction. Energetics of muscle contraction


• Muscular changes induced by activity and inactivity.


• Functional organization of the skeletal muscle system. Mechanisms for movement control


• Functional organization of the heart and of the circulatory system. Mechanisms to control the cardiocirculatory functions.


• Functional organization of the lung and respiratory system.   Mechanisms that control respiratory functions