Effect of Exercise on Muscular System

Exercise is a series of sustained muscle contractions, either long or short depending on the nature of the activity. The effects of these contractions on the muscles can be grouped into two kinds: short-term (immediate) effects, felt during and shortly after exercise, and long-term (lasting) effects, which build up with regular training.

Short-term effects of exercise on the muscular system

• Increased blood supply — To match the muscles' rising demand for fuel, the supply of blood increases, either across the whole body or in the particular muscle group doing the work.
• Increased muscle temperature — Contracting muscles generate a great deal of heat as they produce energy, raising the temperature of the muscles and of the body.
• Increased muscle flexibility — The greater blood flow and higher temperature increase the elasticity of the muscles; stretching and mobility work add to this effect.
• Accumulation of lactate — When blood cannot supply enough oxygen to the working muscles, lactic acid builds up, causing pain and soreness.
• Micro-tears in muscle fibres — The stress of exercise creates tiny tears in the muscle fibres. The body repairs them and makes the fibres larger, a growth process known as hypertrophy.

Long-term effects of exercise on the muscular system

• Hypertrophy of muscle — Systematic training thickens the muscle fibres, increasing overall muscle size.
• Increased strength of ligaments and tendons — Regular exercise strengthens bones, ligaments and tendons, helping to prevent injury and improve performance.
• Increase in size and number of mitochondria — Aerobic training raises both the size and the number of mitochondria, so the muscles take in more oxygen and produce more ATP and energy.
• Increased myoglobin storage — Aerobic training increases the store of myoglobin, which carries oxygen to the mitochondria; more myoglobin means more oxygen and therefore more energy.
• Increased glycogen storage — Regular exercise raises the amount of glycogen stored in the muscles and liver, which can supply continuous energy for roughly 90 to 120 minutes.
• Increase in oxidation / metabolism — Endurance training raises the muscles' capacity to oxidise fat by increasing mitochondrial density, so metabolism increases to meet the higher energy demand. …